Here we find an interesting story about a mysterious man, mysterious in the sense that we do not have a lot of details about him and do not even know his name. Yet the story attracts our hearts, because we see one who provides food for God’s people during a time of famine.

One detail we have about this interesting man is that he came from Baal Shalisha, a town in northern Israel in the region of the tribe of Ephraim. It was originally simply called Shalisha in the early days of King Saul (1 Sam. 9:4). However, since that time, Israel had been given over to the worship of Baal. Queen Jezebel had wickedly made Baal worship the official religion of Israel. The town eventually became known as, Baal Shalisha. But, as God had previously gently reminded a discouraged Elijah, there were seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Ki. 19:18). The man of Baal Shalisha was one of those!

During that time of dire famine in Israel, there was one who was diligently growing or gathering food to give to the prophet of God and his students! The twenty loaves of barley bread of “firstfruits” is suggestive of the resurrection of Christ. It is wonderful to think that in days of spiritual decline there are still those who glean the things of Christ for God’s people. The story reminds us of the Lord Jesus, who had compassion on the multitude and fed them with the five loaves of barley bread (Jn. 6:9). Christ is all-sufficient to provide for us, even when it appears that all is lost. Blessed be His name!