seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Kings 17:7 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.”
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.”
When I see a name or place word like Zarepheth... If it takes away from the story....I make up a substitution for myself.... so if the names give you a problem... just substitute....Zillow will do here... right?
I went to the easy English this morning.
God again provided for Elijah in an unusual way. God sent Elijah to Sidon, which was a Gentile town. (The Israelites called people who were not Jews, ‘Gentiles’.) In addition, Jezebel the wife of Ahab came from this town.
God chose a very poor person, a widow, to give food to Elijah. Perhaps Elijah is the first prophet to the Gentiles (Luke 4:25-26). God often chooses people who seem weak and foolish to carry out his plans (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Perhaps the widow worshipped God, as she referred to him in verse 12. We do not know how she heard about God. But long before, when Solomon was king, people from Tyre helped to build the temple (1 Kings 5:1; 7:13). Zarephath was near Tyre. Perhaps many families from that area began to believe in the Lord during Solomon’s rule.
The widow’s words to Elijah are interesting. She knew that God is alive. But she spoke to Elijah about ‘your God’. So she recognised that Elijah was a servant of God. However, she had a severe problem. There had been no rain for a long time. She had been unable to buy any food. So she only had enough flour and oil to make one meal. After that meal, she expected that both she and her son would die.
Elijah’s request for a loaf of bread is a test of her faith. He asked her to give him the first loaf, before she made anything for herself or her son. Because Elijah was God’s prophet, she would be giving that loaf to God. We should always give God the first place in our lives.
Then Elijah gave a prophecy to the woman. God himself would provide her food until the rains came. And because she had heard God’s word, the woman believed. She obeyed the prophet. The result was that God provided food for all of them.
The widow’s son died. Neither she nor Elijah expected this. She knew that Elijah had prayed against Ahab and Jezebel because of their worship of Baal. Perhaps she had worshipped Baal in the past. Perhaps she thought that God was punishing her for this. Or perhaps she felt guilty because of some other sin. But in fact, God was not punishing her. Illness and death are often not the results of particular sins (John 9:2-3). Sometimes God permits such things to happen in order to show his greatness to people. And we think that this happened here.
Elijah prayed. He asked God why this had happened. God did not give him a reason. Instead, he used Elijah to bring the boy back to life. Elijah’s actions in verse 21 may seem strange to us. We know that Elisha did this when another boy died (2 Kings 4:34). Paul did the same when Eutychus fell out of the window (Acts 20:10). It is God’s Spirit that gives life to people. In the Bible, a touch is often the means for God’s Spirit to pass from one person to another person (Mark 6:5; Mark 5:27-30; 2 Timothy 1:16). But Elijah did not just touch the body. He spread his complete body over the boy’s body. This shows the nature of his prayer. He did not just pray a simple prayer and then give up. Elijah’s prayer felt like a struggle against the power of death.
Nothing seemed to happen initially. But Elijah repeated his actions until God answered his prayer. This miracle convinced the widow that Elijah was a man of God. She was also sure that his words were true.
God was showing his power, by means of Elijah. Such miracles were very important, because they showed the greatness of God’s power. During Elijah’s life, the Israelites were worshipping Baal. The worship of Baal was against the worship of God. It was very important that people should see God’s power.
God chose a very poor person, a widow, to give food to Elijah. Perhaps Elijah is the first prophet to the Gentiles (Luke 4:25-26). God often chooses people who seem weak and foolish to carry out his plans (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). Perhaps the widow worshipped God, as she referred to him in verse 12. We do not know how she heard about God. But long before, when Solomon was king, people from Tyre helped to build the temple (1 Kings 5:1; 7:13). Zarephath was near Tyre. Perhaps many families from that area began to believe in the Lord during Solomon’s rule.
The widow’s words to Elijah are interesting. She knew that God is alive. But she spoke to Elijah about ‘your God’. So she recognised that Elijah was a servant of God. However, she had a severe problem. There had been no rain for a long time. She had been unable to buy any food. So she only had enough flour and oil to make one meal. After that meal, she expected that both she and her son would die.
Elijah’s request for a loaf of bread is a test of her faith. He asked her to give him the first loaf, before she made anything for herself or her son. Because Elijah was God’s prophet, she would be giving that loaf to God. We should always give God the first place in our lives.
Then Elijah gave a prophecy to the woman. God himself would provide her food until the rains came. And because she had heard God’s word, the woman believed. She obeyed the prophet. The result was that God provided food for all of them.
The widow’s son died. Neither she nor Elijah expected this. She knew that Elijah had prayed against Ahab and Jezebel because of their worship of Baal. Perhaps she had worshipped Baal in the past. Perhaps she thought that God was punishing her for this. Or perhaps she felt guilty because of some other sin. But in fact, God was not punishing her. Illness and death are often not the results of particular sins (John 9:2-3). Sometimes God permits such things to happen in order to show his greatness to people. And we think that this happened here.
Elijah prayed. He asked God why this had happened. God did not give him a reason. Instead, he used Elijah to bring the boy back to life. Elijah’s actions in verse 21 may seem strange to us. We know that Elisha did this when another boy died (2 Kings 4:34). Paul did the same when Eutychus fell out of the window (Acts 20:10). It is God’s Spirit that gives life to people. In the Bible, a touch is often the means for God’s Spirit to pass from one person to another person (Mark 6:5; Mark 5:27-30; 2 Timothy 1:16). But Elijah did not just touch the body. He spread his complete body over the boy’s body. This shows the nature of his prayer. He did not just pray a simple prayer and then give up. Elijah’s prayer felt like a struggle against the power of death.
Nothing seemed to happen initially. But Elijah repeated his actions until God answered his prayer. This miracle convinced the widow that Elijah was a man of God. She was also sure that his words were true.
God was showing his power, by means of Elijah. Such miracles were very important, because they showed the greatness of God’s power. During Elijah’s life, the Israelites were worshipping Baal. The worship of Baal was against the worship of God. It was very important that people should see God’s power.
I don't know if anyone reading this has had an empty cupboard. I don't know if anyone reading this has had three babies to feed and only some flour, oil, or the like in the cupboard. I don't know if anyone reading this has had to pick plums and make a syrup to go with the last bit of pancake mix in the cupboard for your three babies. I don't know if anyone reading this would think "go to the foodbank" if you don't have food for those babies. Going to the food bank is only an option if everyone else isn't already at the food bank. This woman, this widow with a young son, was at the end.... the end... and then Elijah showed up showing the power of God.
One thing I notice here.... she was all ready to eat the last meal and die... until her son was dying... and then she wasn't alright with it at all!
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