1 Kings 17:14. Proud member
comes from the ancient Hebrew root meaning, I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. Elijah sent to Zarephath. The sovereign electing grace of God chooses us to repentance, to faith, and afterwards to holiness of living, to Christian service, to zeal, to devotion” (Spurgeon). Ah, no! So she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”. After these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick, Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son. Not only did she suffer as any mother who loses a child, but she also suffered as one who lost her only hope for the future. How abruptly this man breaks in upon the scene! She must be a woman of faith; she must make the little cake first, and afterwards she shall have the multiplication of the meal and of the oil. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. 1 Kings 17:8-16 . The times were fit for an Elijah; an Elijah was fit for them. God told Elijah (1 Kings 17:9) that He commanded a widow to feed the prophet. These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. It was not because of his prayer technique, but because of his faith that God answered this prayer. 17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. The prophet was sent to this widow, not merely for his own security, but on account of her faith, to strengthen and promote which he was directed to go to her rather than to many widows in Israel, who would have eagerly received him on the same privileged terms of exception from the grinding famine. Her present crisis rightly made her afraid, and God wanted her to put away fear and replace it with trust in Him. c. Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah: The son was raised and God provided for the widow on every level, not only with the miraculous supply of food, but also with the resuscitation of her son. Common sense and circumstances told him that the widow would not give so generously to a Jewish stranger, but faith made him ask. After these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick: We can imagine the happy days of provision in the household of the widow. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. i. Now that expectation was shattered. “This was certainly putting the widow’s faith to an extraordinary trial: to take and give to a stranger, of whom she knew nothing, the small pittance requisite to keep her child from perishing, was too much to be expected.” (Clarke). b. I do not have bread: Elijah quickly found out that she was not only poor, but desperately poor. I will tell you. And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” a. Bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, Because there had been no rain in the land. All that exists was created by Yahweh, and Yahweh can distribute it as he sees fit. (21-24) The son is raised from the dead. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He wants to teach us not to trust in His gifts but in Himself. So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? She went out that morning to gather sticks, not to meet a guest. Elijah let Ahab know that God was displeased with the idolaters, and would chastise them by … She must be a woman of faith; she must make the little cake first, and afterwards she shall have the multiplication of the meal and of the oil. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. 1. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was severely tested by learning from her that her supplies were exhausted and that she was preparing her last meal for herself and son. “She does not appear to have been at all aware that she was to feed a prophet. a. 2 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. “You learn this from the fact that she had not even firewood. But see, too, how possible it is for us to carry bread and meat to God’s servants, and do, some good things for his church, and yet be ravens still!” (Spurgeon). Ah, no! After these events, when Elijah had taken up his abode in the upper room of her house, her son fell sick, so that he breathed out his life. Make me thereof a little cake first — This he requires as a trial of her faith, charity, and obedience, which he knew God would graciously and plentifully reward; and so this would be a great example to encourage … Check to enable permanent hiding of message bar and refuse all cookies if you do not opt in. This shows how God’s unseen hand often works. Mr. Maundrell observes, that it is the same which is now called Sarphan, about three hours travel from Sidon, in the way to Tyre. Elijah Proclaims a Drought. Elijah showed that through his prayers to the God of Israel, Yahweh was mightier than Baal. As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. She does not appear to have been at all aware that she was to feed a prophet. And once more, God’s word comes to Elijah to direct him to go to a different place, because God has commanded a different source to provide him food. Elijah raises the widow's son to life. And, if Elijah was miraculously fed by ravens, it is idle to inquire where they found the bread and the flesh, for God would direct them. The word "revived" here is an intransitive verb, the first definition of which is, "to come back to life again, to return to consciousness." The employment of a Gentile as an extraordinary minister might be to rebuke and shame the apostate people of Israel. Chapter 17 So sad was the character both of the princes and people of Israel, as described in the foregoing chapter, that one might have expected God would cast off a people that had so cast him off; but, as an evidence to the contrary, never was Israel so blessed with a good prophet as when it was so plagued with a bad king. 17 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the. Elijah perhaps thought that God would lead him to an unusual rich widow, but God led him to a poor Gentile widow. At some point in life most of us face the problem of dwindling resources. (1) Elijah tells of the LORD’s judgment. He took him out of her arms: This vivid detail shows that the widow clutched the dead child tightly in her arms. b. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you: Widows were notorious for their poverty in the ancient world. 1 Kings 17:9. He wants to put in stronger contrast the river of throne-water that never dries.” (Meyer). Elijah found her right before she was going to prepare her last morsel of food for herself and her son, and then resign themselves to death. Salem Media Group. Plug in, Turn on and Be En light ened! 3. ii. As the LORD your God lives: This polite address showed that she respected God, yet recognized that the God of Israel was Elijah’s God and not her own. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. a. i. He would provide a never-ending supply of food for the widow, her son, and Elijah himself. b. ii. There is an almost irresistible desire to embellish on these wonderful accounts of the power of God. This arrangement would allow the widow not only her needed privacy but would safeguard her reputation” (Patterson and Austel). Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”. The sovereign electing grace of God chooses us to repentance, to faith, and afterwards to holiness of living, to Christian service, to zeal, to devotion” (Spurgeon). “Why does God let them dry? Elijah sent to Zarephath. [21] "And the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived" ( 1 Kings 17:22 ). She hath given me kind entertainment; let her not fare the worse for her kindness to a prophet, whereby wicked men will take occasion to reproach both her and religion” (Poole). i. Elijah fed by ravens. This shows how God’s unseen hand often works. ◄ 1 Kings 17:3 ► “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. The expectation was that her son would grow and provide for her in her old age. View 1 Kings 17. After the lapse of a year, the brook dried up, and this was a new trial to Elijah's faith. (15-16) The widow’s obedience and God’s great blessing. God told Elijah to go to a Gentile widow and receive provision; it probably seemed to make more sense to wait beside a dry brook. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow” (Luke 4:24-26). So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. a. Patterson and Austel speak of one such attempt: “Syriac translation, followed by Jerome, that the lad was the prophet Jonah is totally unsatisfactory and historically impossible (cf. a. Yet this woman seemed unaware of the command. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. Elijah to emphasize the spirit of the law before the letter of the law. Because there had been no rain in the land: This was the drought Elijah prayed for. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? 1 Kings 17:8 - Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, on StudyLight.org We may request cookies to be set on your device. ii. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. 1 Kings 17:1-7 . It was not because of his prayer technique, but because of his faith that God answered this prayer. Whatever her sin was, the guilty memory of it was always close to her. וגו אשׁר עד, literally till no breath remained in him. He brought this seemingly unexplainable and irredeemable tragedy to God in prayer. who was of the inhabitants of Gilead--or residents of Gilead, implying that he was not an Israelite, but an Ishmaelite, as MICHAELIS conjectures, for there were many of that race on the confines of Gilead. I question whether any would have remained, for in days of famine men are sharp of scent, and it would soon have been noised about the city, ‘The old widow woman who lives in such-and-such a street, has a great store of food.’ Why, they would have caused a riot, and robbed the house, and perhaps, have killed the woman and her son. She was not elected merely to be saved in the famine, but to feed the prophet. Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. The testing and needs of the Prophet became a means of … - 1 Kings 17:17. Their needs were supplied by a continuing miracle of God. He wants to loosen our roots ere He removes us to some other sphere of service and education. 1. These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features. The following commentary covers Chapters 17 and 18. HE IS SENT TO A WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH. This passage centers on a few key themes as follows. The choice of this woman, while it brought such blessedness to her, involved service. When He was rejected by His own people, Jesus used this example of Elijah’s coming to the widow of Zarephath as an illustration of God’s right to choose a people to Himself: Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. ii. It is the glory of Elijah that he does whatever God bids him, asking no questions. 1 Kings 17:1. 1 KINGS 17:17-24. In the midst of the narratives of Israel’s kingship, the books of 1 and 2 Kings contain numerous accounts outside of the royal elite sphere. 17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. ii. “This first example in the Bible of revival from death cannot be explained away as contactual magic nor as the prophet’s life-force transmitted by the mouth-to-mouth method of resuscitation.” (Wiseman), ©2018 David Guzik – No distribution beyond personal use without permission. So the grace of God does not choose men to sleep and wake up in heaven, nor choose them to live in sin and find themselves absolved at the last; nor choose them to be idle and go about their own worldly business, and yet to win a reward at the last for which they never toiled. a. Now, there was no reason why she should not have had that even in time of famine of bread, for there was no famine of wood, unless she had been extremely poor.” (Spurgeon). a. of
And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”. We should also remember that this was the general region that the wicked queen Jezebel was from. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seeing its restoration, and along with it, gladness to the widow's heart and home. And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. a. All rights reserved. He wants to drain us of self, as He drained the apostles by ten days of waiting before Pentecost. there shall not be dew nor rain these years--not absolutely; but the dew and the rain would not fall in the usual and necessary quantities. Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son: At the death of her son, the widow indirectly blamed Elijah. Chapter 17. 1 Kings 17:14 Dwindling Resources. She was thinking about feeding her son and herself upon the last cake; certainly she had no idea of sustaining a man of God out of that all but empty barrel of meal. B. Article Images Copyright © 2021 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. i. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website. Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament The widow's deceased son raised to life again. So the grace of God does not choose men to sleep and wake up in heaven, nor choose them to live in sin and find themselves absolved at the last; nor choose them to be idle and go about their own worldly business, and yet to win a reward at the last for which they never toiled. Verses 1-7 God wonderfully suits men to the work he designs them for. 1 Kings 17:5. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Patterson and Austel speak of one such attempt: O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him, © Copyright - Enduring Word | . Arise, get thee to Zarephath— Zarephath, or Sarepta, lay between Tyre and Sidon, but nearest to the latter. b. O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him: “A prayer full of powerful arguments. He took him from her arms, carried him to … This seemed like the worst kind of predatory fund-raising. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah, She and he and her household ate for many days. 2 Kings 14:25).”. 17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. i. She would have been despoiled of her treasure, and in four and twenty hours the barrel of meal would have been as empty as it was at first, and the cruse of oil would have been spilled upon the ground.” (Spurgeon), Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. He kept the purpose of God first, even when it adversely affected him. We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. ( A) inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, ( B) “As the Lord God of Israel lives, ( C) She is a widow; add not affliction to the afflicted; deprive her not of the great support and staff of her age. b. 1. but according to my word--not uttered in spite, vengeance, or caprice, but as the minister of God. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. The impending calamity was in answer to his earnest prayer, and a chastisement intended for the spiritual revival of Israel. 1 Kings 17:17-22 New International Version (NIV). And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. “She does not appear to have been at all aware that she was to feed a prophet. Yet the Lord, who never lieth, spoke a solemn truth when he said, ‘I have commanded a widow woman there.’ He had so operated upon her mind that he had prepared her to obey the command when it did come by the lip of his servant the prophet” (Spurgeon). The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah. 5. 1 Kings 17 English Standard Version (ESV) Elijah Predicts a Drought. i. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah: The widow actually did it – she willingly gave at great risk, based on her trust in the promise of God. He simply, like a child, goes to the brook just as, like a hero, he had previously stood before the king. The relief of her bodily necessities became the preparatory means of supplying her spiritual wants, and bringing her and her son, through the teachings of the prophet, to a clear knowledge of God, and a firm faith in His word ( Luke 4:25 ). Yet the Lord, who never lieth, spoke a solemn truth when he said, ‘I have commanded a widow woman there.’ He had so operated upon her mind that he had prepared her to obey the command when it did come by the lip of his servant the prophet” (Spurgeon). God kept transplanting Elijah: From home to Jezreel to Cherith to Zarephath. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. Indeed a widow was there gathering sticks: This showed that she was a poor woman, gathering meager scraps for firewood. In this case he sees fit to provide ample resources to this little household in the midst of a killer drought. She was thinking about feeding her son and herself upon the last cake; certainly she had no idea of sustaining a man of God out of that all but empty barrel of meal. Read 1 Kings 17 commentary using John Gill's Exposition of the Bible. God provides for Elijah through a widow. The Spirit of God having prompted him to ask, and her to grant, some necessary succor, she received a prophet's reward ( Matthew 10:41 Matthew 10:42 ), and for the one meal afforded to him, God, by a miraculous increase of the little stock, afforded many to her. Elijah had no precedent for this. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”. 1 Kings 17. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. 8-16. the word of the Lord came to him--Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. 6. the ravens brought him bread--The idea of such unclean and voracious birds being employed to feed the prophet has appeared to many so strange that they have labored to make out the Orebim, which in our version has been rendered "ravens," to be as the word is used (in Ezekiel 27:27 ) "merchants"; or Arabians ( 2 Chronicles 21:16 , Nehemiah 4:7 ); or, the citizens of Arabah, near Beth-shan ( Joshua 15:6 , 18:18 ). b. Elijah Announces a Great Drought. He leaps like a … c. The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth: This shows why Elijah could make such an audacious request. For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.’”. Such a chapter occurs in 1 Kings 17 about a disenfranchised prophet and a foreign widow in the midst of national calamity. Solomon’s palaces. There is an almost irresistible desire to embellish on these wonderful accounts of the power of God. She and he and her household ate for many days: God fulfilled the promise to the widow, her son, and Elijah. Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”. "Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that [is] before … Changes will take effect once you reload the page. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. God used her as a channel of supply and her needs were met as a result. c. Then he cried out to the LORD: Elijah prayed with great heart and intimacy with God. i. Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before … v1 Solomon took 13 years to build his palace. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. Please bring me a little water in a cup… Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. Yet this woman seemed unaware of the command. This transplanting made him stronger and stronger. Suppose he had given her a granary full of meal, how much of it would have been left by the next day? She went out that morning to gather sticks, not to meet a guest. This home becomes, by the grace of God, a oasis of plenty in the midst of a wilderness of famine. The drying brook of friendship, which for long has been diminishing, and threatens soon to cease. He stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD: This was an unusual prayer technique, but Elijah had no precedent for this. Now, there was no reason why she should not have had that even in time of famine of bread, for there was no famine of wood, unless she had been extremely poor.” (Spurgeon). It was not merely because of God’s intent to try her, but there was wisdom here. (17-18) The widow’s grief at the death of her son. And this story is no exception. A. Elijah prays for drought and experiences God’s provision. God told Elijah (1 Kings 17:9) that He commanded a widow to feed the prophet. He is supposed to be called the Tishbite from Tisbeh, a place east of Jordan. Then he cried out to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?”. As in the story immediately preceding it, Elijah is driven to a new place by the word of the Lord (1 Kings 17:2, 8-9). b. You can also change some of your preferences. HE RAISES HER SON TO LIFE. Do not fear: This was God’s first word to the widow through Elijah. She was not elected merely to be saved in the famine, but to feed the prophet. And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. “Elijah was visiting enemy territory and showing the power of God in an area where Baal was worshipped, though ineffective through drought” (Wiseman). She more directly blamed herself and her unnamed sin. She went out that morning to gather sticks, not to meet a guest. Click on the different category headings to find out more. 1 Kings 17:24 Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament Through this miracle, in which Elijah showed himself as the forerunner of Him who raiseth all the dead to life, the pious Gentile woman was mightily strengthened in her faith in the God of Israel. Elijah— The most eminent of the prophets, who is here brought in, like Melchisedek, without any mention of his father, or mother, or beginning of his days; like a man dropt out of the clouds, and raised by God's special providence as a witness for himself in this most degenerate time that by his zeal, and courage and miracles, he might give some check, to their various and abominable idolatries, and some reviving to that small number of the Lord's prophets, and people, who yet re… v2 The first great hall that … There shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word. 1 Kings 17:6-7. 19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. Please see our Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible. Jezebel was Elijah's greatest enemy; yet, to show her how powerless … StudyLıght .org . Go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.