Elijah-1 Kings 17

"As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither drew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." 

What an opener for the prophet Elijah to begin his public ministry!  As far as we read in Scripture, this is the first mention of Elijah, who ministered during the reign of King Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel.  Ahab is notorious for being one of the most wicked kings, having married Jezebel who was also renowned for her evil plots and worship of Baal and Asherah.  (1 Kings 16:31-33) Among Ahab's rebellious and hideous sins, he set up an altar for Baal in a temple built in Samaria.  He also erected an Asherah pole..."and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD...than did all the kings of Israel before him."  (1 Kings 16:33)  God was bringing this drought as a judgement on these evil deeds.

The message Elijah had for King Ahab was so devastating that God immediately told the prophet:  "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan." (1 Kings 17:3)  Elijah obeyed!  His life was in imminent danger and God directed him to a safe place.

King Ahab's reaction isn't recorded, but implied.  At the beginning of chapter 18, three years had passed and God's Word had proved true.  There had been no rain in that time, 36 months!  This was already an arid land so we can imagine the desperation of a king whose people would be hungry, thirsty and unhappy.  His leadership was at risk and he needed to do something to keep peace and ensure his control of the throne.  Elijah would be to blame for these dire circumstances!

Meanwhile, Elijah hides in the Kerith Ravine. As promised, God provided through divine means: "The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook."  Where God guides, He provides!  But it couldn't have been all fun and games for Elijah.  He must have felt levels of anxiety.  Would King Ahab send armed men to search for him?  What about his family, friends, fellow prophets?  No one seemed to know his whereabouts and he had no way of communicating with them.  He must have felt alone.  He also had no way of hearing news and the waiting must have been agonizing!

"Some time later the brook dried up..." (verse 7a)  The drought affected all of Israel, not just where King Ahab lived!  This affliction impacted the righteous and the unrighteous and, Elijah's water source disappeared.  So God spoke to Elijah:  "Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there.  I have directed a widow there to supply you with food."  God provided by sending Elijah into enemy territory!  Back in 1 Kings 16: 31, we read that Jezebel, the evil queen, is from Sidon, the daughter of the Sidonian king, Ethbaal.  Elijah would be cared for by a heathen widow in the land of his enemy.  By faith, Elijah obeyed.

When Elijah arrives at the widow's home, he finds her situation as bad as his previous one at Kerith!  She is gathering sticks to prepare a final meal for herself and her son.  She has enough flour and oil for one last loaf of bread and after that, she sees no hope for survival.  Elijah gives her hope through this promise from God.  "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.  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.'" 

The woman believed the prophet and did what he directed.  God's promise sustained the three of them for some time - we assume until rain fell again -  so up to three years. The widow from Zarephath had a miracle from the God of Israel - that had to impact her!

But tragedy strikes this woman at her most vulnerable point.  Her only son becomes ill and dies.  She blames the prophet.  "What do you have against me, man of God?  Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"  She acknowledges God and His prophet, but  she believes that her son has died because God is punishing her for sin.  Her fear of God was deep and she hadn't quite seen the mercy, grace and love of God, even though the miracle of limitless flour and oil was very real.  God shows the widow a personal act of grace by empowering Elijah to raise her dead son to life!

The woman declares by exuberant faith that she knows "...that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."  (verse 24)

I believe this miracle was for the widow and her son, as the results were shown in her faith.  God provided food on the short term, and also provided a means of support through her only son being restored to life to care for her in her old age.  But I also believe this miracle was for Elijah.  It had been almost 3 full years of no rain.  Elijah was hiding from the angry king in the land of Gentile enemies.  Through raising the widow's son from death, God demonstrated:

*God keeps His promises - He did not abandon the widow but provided for her as she provided for God's servant, Elijah.

*God has all power and authority - to stop rain, to provide food through ravens and widows, and to raise the dead.

*God uses His servants - even when they feel set aside from active ministry  (Elijah had been in hiding for years, feeling useless and afraid - how long, O LORD?)

*God was preparing Elijah for something big!

In the next blog entry, we'll explore what God was about to do through Elijah and how chapter 17 was truly a season for Elijah to grow in trusting his God.