Read 1 Kings 17
Elijah Announces a Great Drought
17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”
Elijah Fed by Ravens
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. 4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
5 So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
Go Deeper
The wickedness of King Ahab, described in the previous chapter, is confronted by God through Elijah, the prophet. Elijah boldly announces to evil King Ahab that the living, present God of Israel will withhold dew or rain lasting for years, except by Elijah’s command. Elijah, with God’s guidance, is challenging King Ahab’s worship of Baal, considered to be the god of rain. As Elijah proceeds to obey God, his faith and trust grow. Facing isolation and drought in the desert, his physical need of nourishment is miraculously provided by ravens.
When the brook dries, God leads him to the widow who, with only a dwindling jar of flour and oil, provides food for him and her family. This miracle deepens his faith, his boldness and his dependence on Yahweh, the living God of Israel. It also confirms to others that he is a prophet of God. The miraculous resurrection of the widow’s dead son reveals Elijah’s powerful, honest prayer life and solidifies that he spoke the truth from God. Only God has the power of life and death, and this incident proves it to the widow and others. As God’s prophet for this time in Israel’s history, these miraculous experiences will provide the courage and faith Elijah required for events to come.
God’s preparation of Elijah as His prophet in the wicked days of Israel is remarkable. Elijah’s strong faith and the sense of God’s power are palpable as this account develops. But how does this apply to us? Does God equip each of us for the call or task He gives us? The answer is yes! Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” Can we approach God boldly and persistently like Elijah? The answer is, absolutely! Hebrews 4:16 says to “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Let’s join Elijah in boldly seeking God’s provision and trusting His direction as we trust and obey.
Questions
- Where are you lacking courage to pursue God’s direction in your life?
- For whom might you be prompted to boldly ask for God’s provision and mercy? Would you stop right now and pray for that person?
- How have you experienced God’s mercy as you’ve boldly approached His throne of grace?
Did You Know?
Elijah’s name means, “Yahweh is my God.” Even his name confronts the false god, Baal.
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14 responses to “1 Kings 17”
How timely a reminder that we can approach God in confidence with our petitions. Only my lack of faith limits the scope of what I can ask of Him.
5 So he did what the Lord had told him.
I probably wouldn’t have been so quick to simply obey the Lord! Not sure that I would have been like Elijah to go off by a brook and expect to be fed by birds! I would have had a few more questions! Lord, make me obedient like Elijah!
PS – If you working on memorizing our church’s new theme verse for the upcoming year, Psalm 127:1, here it is (entire chapter) set to song:
https://open.spotify.com/track/14i7nRAIx3PwPB79LEDZYc?si=YZJtoEaMQC2HCVFQB8G3kg
Thank you for sharing this, Erik!
Psalm 127:1 has long been a favorite of mine, going back to my high school days, where it was our school motto:
Nisi Dominus Frustra. “Without the Lord, it is in vain.”
It is a go-to verse anytime we have an opportunity to write verses on the walls of new construction. I’m sure it is written in multiple places within the structure of Harris Creek, and I know it’s in the walls of at least two of our neighborhood
elementary schools. It’s also on the studs of my home!
I don’t ever want anything built… “except the Lord builds it.”
Amen!
This whole chapter was beautifully laid out in a teaching moment by Nate Hilgenkamp in July. The sermon series was called Faith on Fire and is worth listening to see how Elijah’s actions point to Christ. It is also interesting to hear about the irony of the name Ravens Brook. Check it out.
https://harriscreek.subspla.sh/cqhyxhh
King Ahab permitted his wife Jezebel to bring the worship of Baal into Israel. She wanted to wipe out the worship of Jehaovah. Baal was the Phoenician fertility god who sent rain and crops. The worship of Baal was unspeakably immoral.
Enter Elijah, his name means Jehovah is my God.
Elijah is also an important figure in the New Testament. John the Baptist came in the spririt and power of Elijah.(Luke 1:17, John 1:21, Mal 4:5-6, Matt 17:10-13). Elijah was with Moses and Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mat 17:3) Per commentary there are students of the Bible that believe that Moses and Elijah are the two witnesses described in Rev 11:1-14.
Elijah was a courageous man who experienced miracles. In the 2 different chapters about him there were 7 miracles he either performed or experienced. Elijah obeyed by faith, he shema, heard God speak and obeyed. We have to obey in the small things so that when the greater comes God knows that we will be obedient.
God thank You that You sent Your son. God thank You for Jesus loving You so much that He was willing to die for me. God help my unbelief. God thank You for how Your are constantly showing up in my life. Help me to be a person for You, that shema hears You and not just listens but obeys. Help me with boldness to speak about the way You move in my life. Let me be bold to share You with everyone I meet. God I open my hands to You. I give You the struggles and joys to let Jesus be Lord in my life. Help me today in these minutes to overflow with joy about You, in my corner of Your world. Maybe I do need to be a complete Jesus freak that helps break us out of the insantity of the evil. God give me shema hearing, let me be not too crazy but giddy with Your love, effervesing with only a happiness that comes from You for others today, in these minutes in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love these words, Amy!
“We have to obey in the small things so that when the greater comes God knows that we will be obedient.“
That has been such a recurrent theme in 1 Kings:
“Listen – and obey. Live obediently – and hear.“
revelation and obedience throughout this chapter.
v1. …there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. (kjv)
v2 -4 (the revelation from God) get thee hence
v5. so he went and did… (obedience)
v8. (revelation) v9 arise…
v10. so he arose and went…(obedience)…
v10b-11…he called to her, and said, fetch some water and give me bread (my paraphrase). (This wasn’t Elijah barking orders but speaking revelation from God.
v13-14, (revelation) Fear not; go and do…
v15. (obedience) she went and did according to the saying…
v16b…according to the word of the lord, which he spoke by Elijah.
v21. and he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, …(I’m not certain that was revelation but it certainly was an inspired action.)
v 24. and the woman said to Elijah, now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.
If God said jump, or our pastor by revelation said jump to us, how many would jump? How many would ask how high, how far, which direction, with my hands up or down…
The Bible in our hands is revelation from God. Are we doing or asking how high? My desire is to be a doer and not a hearer only.
This is so powerful, Rick! Thank you for sharing.
Listen. Obey. Fresh revelation.
Rinse and repeat….
Only this morning I shared the following with my Life Group sisters:
“Don’t you love it when God repeats himself? With gentle but firm insistence, he seeks to ensure we don’t ‘miss the point.‘“
Lord, I beg you—please keep speaking to me as often as it takes, as long as it takes to make sure I don’t miss the point. I don’t ever want to miss a revelation from you!
I’m impressed by Elijah’s bold prayer/cry to the Lord for the widow’s son. It wasn’t an “if it be thy will bring him back to life” but a direct, authoritative command, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return” (v21).
Agree, I’m praying more like this. God wants the best for us.
Trials deepen our faith and confirm God’s Word.
Acting in faith and obedience is my goal daily. Trust in God’s Divine power and provisions no matter the circumstances and be amazed as in Elijah’s faith displayed here. Expect the unexpected! I love our God!