Elijah at Zarephath
Notes
Transcript
Elijah
I Kings 17:7-16
Review:
Note: History of Israel’s monarchy. Saul, David and Solomon. Approx. 120 years.
Divided Kingdom - Northern tribes: 19 kings (all wicked) over 200 years, until 722 B.C. and Assyrian captivity.
Southern tribes: 17 kings over 300 years. Eight kings who followed the Lord. Nine wicked kings, until 586 B.C Babylonian captivity. Swindoll
“The southern kingdom was later revived when men such as Nehemiah, Ezra, and Zerubbabel returned from exile. They moved back into the land of their forefathers, rebuilt the temple, and restored the worship of the one true God.” Swindoll
The northern tribes (usually called Israel) lasted a little over 200 years. Nineteen evil rulers.
The southern tribes (usually called Judah - Judah and Benjamin - lasted about 300 years. Eight good rulers. Nine evil rulers.
The Timeline of the Kings of Israel and Judah Prior to and During Elijah’s Ministry
United Kingdom
King Saul 1051-1011 B.C.
King David 1011-971 B.C.
King Solomon 971 to 931 B.C.
Divided Kingdom
Northern Kings Southern Kings
Jeroboam 931-910 B.C. Rehoboam 931-913 B.C.
Nadab 910-909 B.C. Abijam (Abijah) 913-911 B.C.
Baasha 909-886 B.C. Asa 911-870 B.C.
Elah 886-885 B.C.
Zimri 885 B.C.
Omri 885-874 B.C.
Ahab 874-853 B.C. Jehosaphat 873-848 B.C.
Ahaziah 853-852 B.C.
Joram 852-841 B.C. Jehoram 853-841 B.C.
Ahaziah 841 B.C.
Fifty-eight years had passed since the kingdom had been rent in two following the death of Solomon. During that brief period no less than seven kings had reigned over the ten tribes, and all of them without exception were wicked men. Pink
Note: Ahab and Jezebel. (And their daughter Athaliah)
“Ahab is the seventh king of Israel since Asa came to the throne of Judah.” TNBC
“No previous monarch had such a penchant for perverseness as had Ahab. He was literally addicted to evil. Wickedness was a way of life for him. He and his atrocious, fierce queen Jezebel wallowed in lewdness.” Keller
“Ahab the insolent, despicable monarch had blatantly repudiated and rejected the Lord Jehovah, God of Israel. Without a qualm he had plunged headlong into the appalling rituals and sexual orgies of Baal and Ashteroth. These were pagan deities dedicated to licentiousness, sexual perversion, violence and unbridled greed.”
“Jezebel was the daughter of a King who was also a priest of Baal and who murdered his brother. It is interesting to note that the name Jezebel means ‘unmarried’ or ‘without cohabitation.’” McGee
“Jezebel, of course, had been reared amid the pagan rituals of Baal. Her father was Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians and priest of Ashteroth, in whose domain the worship of Baal was perpetually practiced.” Keller
“”As she left her palace-home, Jezebel would be vehemently urged by the priests to do her utmost to introduce into Israel the hideous and cruel rites of her hereditary religion. Shrines and temples began to rise in all parts of the land in honor of these false deities; while the altars of Jehovah were ruthlessly broken down.” Meyer
“The term Baal, the Hebrew word for ‘Lord’ and ‘master,’ was employed more or less indiscriminately for a number of national gods. The Baal of Tyre, however, was Melkarth, the Tyrians’ chief god. Jezebel played the role of chief priestess of the Tyrian Baal. Melkarth was the kind of god that required the burning of innocent children as oblations upon his altar. One of the underlying reasons why Baal was worshiped was that he was believed to be lord of the land. To induce him to send rain upon the earth, fertility cult practices were engaged in and sacrifices were offered.” WBC
“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.”
Revelation 11:3-6 NKJV
Elijah’s Miracles
Causing rain to cease in Israel for three and a half years (1 Kings 17:1). Being fed by ravens sent by the Lord (1 Kings 17:2-7). Multiplying a widow’s grain and oil (1 Kings 17:18-16). Raising that widow’s son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24).
Calling fire from heaven atop Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-38). Causing it to rain again after three and a half years of drought (1 Kings 18:44-46). Fasting from food for 40 days while trekking to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).
Prophesies that Ahab’s sons would all be destroyed (1 Kings 21:22). Prophesying that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs (1 Kings 21:23). Prophesying that Ahaziah would die of his illness (2 Kings 1:4-17). Calling fire from heaven to destroy 51 soldiers (2 Kings 1:10).
Calling fire from heaven on another 51 soldiers (2 Kings 1:12). Parting of the Jordan River while accompanied by Elisha (2 Kings 2:8). Promising that Elisha would receive a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:10).
Being caught up to heaven with a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). Prophesying that Jehoram would die a horrible death (2 Chronicles 21:12-15). Appearing with Moses and Jesus (Matthew 17:3-13; Mark 9:4-13; Luke 9:30-33). - David Sanford
Review: the Northern Tribes and their demise.
The Southern tribes and their demise.
Review: the state religion under Jeraboam; the idolatry under Ahaz and Jezebel; the true religion of Elijah.
Review: practices of Baal worship and Asherah.
II. Elijah is Commanded to Go to the Brook Cherith. I Kings. 17:2-7
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”
I Kings 17:2-7 NKJV
“And the word of the Lord came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.”
1 Kings 17:2-7 ESV
“You must go to Cherith and Zarephath before you can stand on Carmel.” Meyer
Note: The training of God’s servants: Moses; David; Elijah; Paul.
The Command. vv. 2-3a
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook,”
“Probably this was a seasonal brook that flowed during the rainy season but dried up when the weather turned hot. It was located east of the Jordan River.” MacArthur
“The brook Cherith is one of several brooks that empty into the Jordan. Though it’s exact identification is unknown, tradition locates it at Wadi el Kelt.” WBC
“The Brook Cherith was no babbling, singing mountain stream as so many preachers and painters have portrayed it. It’s very name means ‘the cutting place’ where a small seep of water had worn away the rock and stone to form a deep defile in the desert.” Keller
“Although today no one can identify the location of that brook, we do know that it derived its name from the original verb Cha-rath, which means ‘to cut off, to cut down.’ The word is used both ways in the Old Testament: as in being cut off from others or from the blessings of a covenant; and also of being cut down, as one might cut down tall timber.” Swindoll
“The Brook Cherish was more than a ‘cutting place’ for Elijah, it was also a ‘communion place.’” Keller
Instead of a river God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our blessings, but in the Blesser Himself. Pink
Note: The word of the Lord came to Elijah.
Depart.
Hide.
“The Hebrew word here suggests the idea of concealment, of being absent on purpose.” Swindoll
“God had two reasons for commanding Elijah to hide himself. First, He wanted to protect Elijah from Ahaz; and second, He wanted to train him to become a man of God. When God says to us, almost out of the blue, ‘Hide yourself,’ He usually has both purposes in mind: protection and training.” Swindoll
Drink.and eat.
“God’s SERVANT MUST BE TAUGHT THE VALUE OF THE HIDDEN LIFE.”
Meyer
“Every saintly soul that would wield great power with men must win it in some hidden Cherith.” Meyer
“There is strong emphasis on the word there. ‘I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.’” Meyer
Jesus often taught the importance of dying to self. In a sense, that is exactly what Elijah is doing here.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24 ESV
B. The Miracle. vv. 3b-6
and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”
“and as the distance between Jerusalem and Cherith was not very great, it is possible, as some have suggested, that the fowls might have snatched from the altar at the temple and carried it in their talons to the prophet’s hiding place. But as to the bread, that was not food adapted to their instincts; so that their being instinctively stimulated to carry a portion of it daily along with the meat was a strong proof of a miraculous influence being exerted over them.” JFB
The ravens obeyed God.
The prophet obeyed God.
“Ravens are ubiquitous birds, found the world over on every continent. All through human history both in the Orient and the Occidental they have been regarded as an omen of misfortune, tragedy, death. In the Hebrew tradition they were regarded as unclean, contaminated and an abomination because of their scavenging habits.” Keller
“They were bold, black birds surviving on scraps of hide, bits of bone and remnants of rubbish.” Keller
C. The Conclusion. vs 7
“And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”
“When Elijah looked at that little brook which was getting smaller and smaller he learned a spiritual lesson. He saw that his life was a dried-up brook. He was a channel, through which living water could flow. The Lord Jesus Christ says, “. . . Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:13-14).” McGee
“Many of us have had to sit by drying brooks; perhaps some are sitting by them now–the drying brook of popularity, the drying brook of health, the drying brook of money, the drying brook of friendship, which for long has been diminishing, and threatens soon to cease. Ah, it is hard to sit beside a drying brook–much harder than to face the prophets of Baal on Carmel.”
“It is worthy of note, too, that in no way was he exempt from the trauma of his times. The desperate drought that descended to desiccate and destroy the countryside had just as great an impact upon him as anyone else.” Keller
And why does God suffer the brook to dry up? To teach us to trust in Himself, and not in His gifts. Pink
Note: The brook may dry up at times; however, His love and care never will. Isa. 49:14-16
“But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.”
Isaiah 49:14-16 NKJV
“Indeed, I have inscribed [a picture of] you on the palms of My hands; Your city walls [Zion] are continually before Me.”
Isaiah 49:16 AMP
III. Elijah is Commanded to Go to Zarephath. 17:8-24
ZAREPHATH
zar'-e-fath (tsarephath; Sarepta): The Sidonian town in which Elijah was entertained by a widow after he left the brook Cherith (1 Kings 17:9). Obadiah refers to it as a Canaanite (probably meaning Phoenicia) town (Obadiah 1:20). It appears in the Greek form Sarepta in Luke 4:26 (the King James Version), and is said to be in the land of Sidon. Josephus (Ant., VIII, xiii, 2) says it was not "far from Sidon and Tyre, for it lay between them." Eusebius, Onomasticon (s.v. "Sarefta"), places it on the public road, i.e. the road along the seashore. It can be no other than the modern Sarafend, about 13 miles North of Tyre, on the spur of the mountain which divides the plain of Tyre from that of Sidon.
The site of the ancient town is marked by the ruins on the shore to the South of the modern village, about 8 miles to the South of Sidon, which extend along the shore for a mile or more. They are in two distinct groups, one on a headland to the West of a fountain called Ain el-Qantara, which is not far from the shore. Here was the ancient harbor which still affords shelter for small craft. The other group of ruins is to the South, and consists of columns, sarcophagi and marble slabs, indicating a city of considerable importance. The modern village of Sarafend was built some time after the 12th century, since at the time of the Crusades the town was still on the shore.
It is conjectured that the Syrophoenician woman mentioned in Luke 4:26 was an inhabitant of Zarephath., and it is possible that our Lord visited the place in His journey to the region as narrated in Mark 7:24-31, for it is said that he "came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee."
The place has been identified by some with Misrephoth-maim of Joshua 11:8 and 13:6, but the latter passage would indicate that Misrephoth-maim was at the limit of the territory of the Sidonians, which Zarephath was not in the days of Joshua.
See MISREPHOTH-MAIM; SIDON.
Originally Sidonian, the town passed to the Tyrians after the invasian of Shalmaneser IV, 722 B.C. It fell to Sennacherib 701 B.C. The Wely, or shrine bearing the name of el-Khudr, the saint in whom George is blended with Elijah, stands near the shore. Probably here the Crusaders erected a chapel on what they believed to be the site of the widow's house.
W. Ewing
ZAR'EPHATH, same as Sarepta of the N.T., a town of Phenicia on the seashore, 7 ms. s. of Sidon. Only ruius are found and no inhabitants, now called Surafend.
Strong's Greek
G4558: Sarepta
Sarepta, a city near Sidon
This account is also mentioned in the New Testament. Early in His ministry, Jesus was speaking in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth. He said, “In truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow” (Luke 4:25–26). Jesus’ point was that no prophet is accepted in his hometown. Just as Elijah found more faith outside of Israel than within it, Jesus found little faith in His boyhood home. As if to prove His point, the people of Nazareth grew enraged and attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff (Luke 4:29).
The account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath offers many insights. First, God often uses unlikely people and sources to accomplish His purposes. Second, God’s mercy extends to all people, both Jews and Gentiles, and the Sidonian widow was blessed for her faith (see Acts 10:34–35). Third, God requires faith (Hebrews 11:6). The widow’s miracle only came after she prepared a meal for Elijah—an act of sincere faith on her part. - Got questions .org
Zarephath = "refinery"
a city on the coast south of Sidon and the residence of Elijah during the last part of the drought; modern 'Sura-fend'. BLB
N973 (perh. "workshop for melting and re- fining metals," Gdmetabütte), with i parag. 79P78, [Zarephath], pr. n. of a town of the Phœnicians
situated between. Tyre and Sidon, 1 Ki. 17:9, 10 ;
Obad. 20; Gr. Láperra, Lu. 4:26; now called digs. BLB
“‘Zarephath’ means a smelting-furnace. It lay outside the Land of Canaan. Many things might have made it distasteful to the prophet. It belonged to the land from which Jezebel had brought her impious tribe. It was impossible to reach it save by a weary journey of 100 miles. And then to be sustained by a widow woman belonging to a heathen people!” Meyer
“Interestingly, in noun form it means ‘crucible.’ The place may have gotten its name because there was a smelting plant of some kind located there; we don’t know for sure.” Swindoll
“Now he was to travel north and west across the full breadth of this sun-bleached land. His next stopping spot would be Zarephath, a small village on the outskirts of Zion, a seaside town on the Mediterranean coast.” Keller
“That meant a long walk across open and unprotected land where Elijah was a wanted man. King Ahaz was looking everywhere for Elijah. The king had, if you will, put out a contract on the prophet of God. So, immediately, Elijah had to trust the Lord all the way from Cherith to Zarephath.” Swindoll
“The Sidonians were foreigners to the people of Israel. They were a seafaring race descended from the ancient and fierce Phoenicians who for centuries dominated the seaways of this inland ocean.” Keller
“It is also to be carefully noted that Zarephath was “in Zidon”: that is to say, it was in the territory of the Gentiles, outside the land of Palestine. But what is yet more remarkable is the fact that “Zidon” was the very place from which Jezebel, the wicked corrupter of Israel, had come (1Ki 16: 31)!” Pink
Note: Two miracles take place here: (1) the miracle of the flour and oil; (2) the miracle of the widow’s son being raised from the dead
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. 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.” 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.” 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. 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.’ ” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 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.”
I Kings 17:8-16 NKJV
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now 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.” And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.”
1 Kings 17:8-16 ESV
Note: The illustration of Moab - Jer. 48:1 - “Moab hath been at ease from his youth; and he hath settled on his lees; and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel; neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.”
“Grape juice, when first expressed is impure and thick; it is left in vessels for a time till fermentation has done its work, and a thick sediment, called lees, has been precipitated to the bottom. When this is done, the liquid is carefully drawn off into another vessel. So that all the precipitated sentiment is left behind. This emptying process is repeated again and again till the offensive odor that came from the ‘must’ has passed away and the liquid has become clear and beautiful.” Myer
The Instruction Given to the Prophet. vv. 8-10a
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath.”
It was God’s instruction.
“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,”
It was an unusual instruction.
“And, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there.”
This was Jezebel’s home turf. Humanly speaking, the last place on earth where one would think the prophet should go.
It was a place already prepared for the prophet.
“See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
First the ravens, now a gentile widow would be used to sustain the prophet physically.
Perhaps the ravens and the widow are a glimpse of the future when nothing would be considered unclean. Example of Simon Peter - Acts 10
“. . . the ancient traditions relating to widows and orphans were severe and strictly observed. One did not impose upon a widow and her offspring. One did not in any way take unfair advantage of these unfortunate members of society. To do so was to incur the wrath of God and the stigma of society.” Keller
Note: It does not say Elijah would provide for the widow, but that the widow would provide for Elijah.
It was acted upon and obeyed.
“So he arose and went to Zarephath.
This is near Sidon. “Sidon: one of the chief cities of Phoenicia, located on the coast N of Galilee, in what today is called Lebanon.” TNBC
Zarephath was 8 or 9 miles south of Sidon. TNBC
Note: Luke 4:24-26
“Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 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 NKJV
Note: Elijah was going into enemy territory - Cp. Matt. 16:18
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
Matthew 16:18 NKJV
Note: Swindoll likens Cherith like Marine boot camp and Zarephath like Marine advanced training.
B. The First Miracle at Zarephath. vv. 10b-16
And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. 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.” 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.” 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. 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.’ ” So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 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.”
I Kings 17:8-16 NKJV
Review: Name of Elijah. Place where Elijah was from: “Tishbite, of Tishbe”. “Septuagint; Hebrew of the settlers - BLB. “Strangers”
Note: The drought and famine affected not only Israel, but other nations as well.
The widow.
“And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks.
The widow’s condition.
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.” 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.”
“The request by Elijah that the widow take her last bit of meal and oil and give it to him for food is not an act of selfishness on Elijah’s part, but a test of the woman’s faith.” TNBC
Note: Elijah needed the widow and the widow needed Elijah. We need others.
The prophet’s promise.
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. 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.’ ”
Note: the faith of Elijah.
The miracle.
So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 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.”
“That widow at the gates of Zarephath listened to Elijah with her mouth wide open, and, I’m convinced, she was never the same again. Elijah modeled for her the lesson he had already learned himself: the lesson of faithful obedience. God told him ‘go’ and he went. Now, Elijah tells the woman to practice the same kind of obedience. He tells her to ‘go’ and ‘do.’” Swindoll
“This is one of the special secrets to strength and serenity in human relationships. There is always someone else near at hand whose affliction and burdens are greater than our own. The instant we step out to help lift their load even a little our own becomes lighter and less onerous to bear. We actually gain strength and sense new serenity sweep into our souls as we share ourselves with others.” Keller
Note: preceded by promise and faith.
The meal.
The “meal” is certainly a divinely-selected figure of Christ, the “corn of wheat” that died (Joh 12: 24), being ground between the upper and nether millstones of divine judgment that He might be unto us the “Bread of life.” Pink
The oil.
It is equally clear that the “oil” is an emblem of the Holy Spirit in His anointing, enlightening and sustaining operations. It is a most blessed line of study to trace through the Scriptures the typical references of the “oil.” Pink
Note: It was a daily provision - example of the manna in the wilderness.
The meal continued undiminished, the supply unabated, and the meal pointed to Christ as the Nourisher of our souls. The provision which God has made for His people in the Lord Jesus remains the same throughout the centuries: we may come to Him again and again, and though we receive from Him “grace for grace,” yet His “fullness” (Joh 1: 16) continues the same “yesterday and today and forever.” Pink
“Neither did the cruse of oil fail” foreshadowed the grand truth that the Holy Spirit is with us to the very end of our pilgrimage (Eph 4: 30). Pink
Note: the boy and the few loaves and fish.
“Little is much when God is in it.” Keller
Note: the widow went and did as told.
“Confidence in God is contagious.” Swindoll
Note: God uses empty vessels - the flour bin, the oil jar - the stone water jars at Cana of Galilee
Note: this is a direct assault on the false gods. Baal could not produce grain or oil. Only Yahweh could.
C. The Second Miracle at Zarephath. I Kings 17:17-24
“Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” 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. 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?” 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. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!” Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.””
I Kings 17:17-24 NKJV
“After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.””
1 Kings 17:17-24 ESV
Note: Miracles.
1. The widow’s son dies.
“Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.”
Her reaction towards the prophet.
So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”
Her reaction towards herself.
to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”
2. The prophet’s reaction to the widow.
And he said to her, “Give me your son.”
Note: He did not act negatively toward her.
3. The prophet’s compassion.
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.
4. The prophet’s prayer.
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?” 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.”
5. The miracle.
Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”
6. The widow’s response.
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.””