1 Reis 17
Bob Utley · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Reis 17
Utley - Dew is the most significant source of moisture in Canaan. It rains only two times during the year (i.e., planting and just before harvest). YHWH, not Ba'al the storm god, controls nature (cf. Lev. 26:19; Deut. 11:13-19; 28:23). He demonstrates this control to judge idolatry and bring His people back to faith in Him Dale Ralph Davis: The rain delay will also strike a blow at the alleged prowess of Baal. However one cuts it Baal was a fertility god, a storm god, who, among other life-giving activities, sent rain to fructify the earth. In Canaanite mythology Lady Asherah thanked El for permitting Baal to have his own palace since “Now Baal will begin the rainy season, the season of wadis in flood; and he will sound his voice in the clouds, flash his lightning to the earth.” Such meteorological displays were signs of Baal’s vitality. Elijah’s ‘no dew or rain’ then constitutes a challenge to Baal. Ahab and Israel will now be able to see what sort of fertility god Baal is. If he cannot produce in the area of his expertise, in his specialty, his reputation will suffer a shattering blow. Baal’s deity will shrivel as the cracks in the fields get wider. Elijah so much as says that Yahweh has decided to shut Baal’s faucet off. Yahweh has decreed that Baal will pale. (1 Kings: The Wisdom And the Folly ) Wayne
1 Reis 17
Utley - no breath left in him" This is the ancient's belief that "breath" showed life; no breath (BDB 675), no life. This is not the word ruah (BDB 924) but a SYNONYM. Notice in v. 22 the child's nephesh returns to him. For nephesh (BDB 659) see notes online at Gen. 35:18 and Lev. 17:11. The widow and Elijah are tested. Another crisis gives YHWH the opportunity to show He is in control of death! When the Bible speaks on this subject, we must clarify three types of YHWH's power over death. Enoch and Elijah are taken to heaven without death. The son and many others are restored to physical life but they will die again in the future (i.e., resuscitation). Jesus was resurrected, which means a new spiritual/physical existence (i.e., no more death). Jesus is the only one so far (cf. 1 Corinthians 15). This resuscitation would have been related to the myth of Ba'al's death and rising (i.e., winter-spring). Ba'al had no power over death (as he had no power over rain) but YHWH did! James Smith - ELIJAH, THE REVIVER 1 Kings 17:17–24 “Whene’er a noble deed is wrought, Whene’er is spoken a noble thought, Our hearts, in glad surprise, To higher levels rise. The tidal wave of deeper souls Into our inmost being rolls, And lifts us unawares Out of all meaner cares.” —LONGFELLOW. There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, but unto none of them was he sent, but unto this widow in a city of Sidon. Why did our Lord refer to this at the time He did (Luke 4:25) if it were not just to show them that salvation is through the grace of God, delighting to lift up the despised among men, and the unworthy in the sight of God. It was a marvellous work the God of Israel had wrought for this poor lonely widow, not only in supplying her daily need, but in raising her son from the dead. Truly might she sing, “Oh! to grace, how great a debtor!” What hath the grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men taught us? (Titus 2:11, 12). Now we see in this highly favoured home— I. A Severe Trial. “The son of the woman fell sick, and there was no breath left in him” (1Ki 17:17). The light of her eyes, the joy of her heart, and the hope of her future life has been suddenly cut off. She sits with the dead boy “in her bosom” (1Ki 17:19), but the natural warmth even of a mother’s heart is utterly unavailing to bring back to these vacant eyes the light of a living soul. No more can we, by the strength of natural affection, nurse back to life those of our loved ones who are dead in their sins. “Without Me ye can do nothing.” II. A Bitter Complaint. “She said, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come to call my sin to remembrance?” (1Ki 17:18). The death of the child had awakened within her some sad memories of the past. What this sin was we cannot positively say. It may have been connected with the birth of the child. Anyway, her soul was deeply moved. The presence of the “man of God,” the manifestation of the power and goodness of God in the daily multiplying of the handful of meal, and this vivid remembrance of her own sin filled her soul with the deepest anguish. It is an awful sight to see one’s sinfulness in the light of the great goodness of God. When Simon Peter saw it, he cried, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). It is infinitely worse to remember one’s sins, like the rich man, where there is no “man of God” to help, or message of hope for a self-ruined soul (Luke 16:25). III. A Gracious Request. He said unto her, “Give me thy son” (1Ki 17:19). Although the sharp words of the afflicted and sin-wounded woman must have deeply stung the sensitive heart of the “man of God,” yet he betrays no impatience. He utters no complaint, but with the tenderness of a father, and with the faith of a Heaven-born giant, he says, “Give me thy son,” and he took the dead boy “out of her bosom.” Oh, man of God, what canst thou do with the dead? A MAN OF GOD will always act differently from an ordinary mundane mortal, by facing difficulties that seem unsurmountable and tasks that are impossible with men. IV. A Place of Blessing. “He carried him up into a loft where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed” (1Ki 17:19). The loft must have been a very humble place in appearance, but to this prophet, priest, and prince it was the “Holy of holies,” the audience chamber of the Prince of Life and Glory. The little window of this “closet” looked right into the throne-room of the Eternal. Blessed is that man whose “closet” is filled with the warmth of the breath of God. “When ye pray, enter into thy closet and shut the door. Thy Father seeth in secret” (Matt. 6:6). V. A Prevailing Prayer. “The Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again” (1Ki 17:21, 22). In asking that the “child’s soul might come into him again,” he was surely asking a great thing. But men who claim to “stand before God” must expect great things from God. The life of faith cannot be limited to the natural, and circumscribed by precedent. Above what we ask or think, God is able to do. But not only did he ask, he also “stretched himself upon the child three times.” With the faith of his heart he gave also the whole warmth of his physical body. His body, soul, and spirit were all consecrated to this great work of reviving. There are many who pray for reviving who would not stretch their little finger to lift a soul out of the ditch of sin. In “stretching himself” he gave himself wholly to the work. When Paul wished to recover Eutychus he embraced him (Acts 20:10). There be many who stretch themselves without the prayer of faith, but it is as vain as when Samson “shook himself” without the power of the Holy Spirit (Judges 16:20). VI. A God-honouring Confession. When Elijah had brought down the child and delivered him unto his mother, she said, “Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the Word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth” (1Ki 17: 24). The miracle in the barrel did not convince her like the miracle in her son. The overwhelming evidence of the truthfulness of the “Word of the Lord” is, that by it souls pass from death unto life (Jn 5:24), born again by the incorruptible seed of the Word (1Pe 1:23). The death and reviving of her son was the means in the hand of God of bringing her into the knowledge and love of God; so out of our deepest trials there may come our highest blessings, and when they do come let us honestly and joyfully confess them. THE RAISING OF THE WIDOW’S SON - W Harris And it came to pass, after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick, and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him,” etc.—1 Kings 17:17–24. I.—In the miracle which God had wrought to sustain life, the prophet saw the pledge that He would restore life. “Give me thy son” (v. 19). Elijah, the widow, and her son, had been kept alive by a continual miracle, therefore the prophet had reason to hope that the life which had been so wonderfully maintained would be given back. The great things that God has done, may be made a ground of expectation of greater things that He will do. II.—It needed faith to create the expectation, because from the human standpoint, it needs a greater exercise of power to restore life than to sustain it. One spark in the grate gives a little fire upon which to work, and by care and skill may become the nucleus of a large fire. So in the increase of the widow’s oil and meal; a little of each was left, and the miracle consisted in the increase. But in the widow’s son “there was no breath left,” the last spark of life had gone out, and the miracle needed was one of re-creation. III.—The faith of the prophet manifested itself in earnest prayer and symbolic action. “He cried unto the Lord,” “He stretched himself upon the child” (verses 20, 21). These acts indicate his earnest desire for the child’s restoration. LESSONS I.—A spiritual relationship may have more influence to help us than a natural one. The relation of Elijah to the widow was a moral one. But he could help her when those related to her by blood were powerless. She herself was more nearly related to her child than any one else, yet she could not bring him back to life. II.—Special blessings are connected with special persons. There was no other man in Israel at this time whose prayer would have brought the dead to life. God has, in all ages of the world, connected special blessings with special individuals. III.—Prayer is the great means by which special blessings are obtained. IV.—To prayer must be added the use of those means which seem most adapted to attain the end. The prophet brought his own warm living body into contact with the dead body of the child. It was the only means within his reach, and though useless in itself, was acceptable to God. SELECTED I.—We can never hold ourselves secure from evils. The dearth overcome, the mother looks hopefully on her only son, promising herself much joy in his life and prosperity, when sickness comes and does that which the famine had but threatened. II.—The greatest prophet of God must content himself with so much of God’s counsel as He will please to reveal. Elijah had not been premonished of the sudden death of this child; he who knew the remote affairs of the world, might not know what God would do within his own roof. III.—What miracle is impossible to faithful prayers? There cannot be more difference betwixt Elijah’s devotion and ours, than between supernatural and ordinary acts; if he therefore obtained miraculous favours by his prayers, do we doubt of those which are within the sphere of nature and use. IV.—The mercy of God is fain to provide new helps for our infirmities as well as new trials of our faith. What the widow’s meal and oil had assured her of, the death of her son made her doubt, and now her faith revived with his resurrection.—Adapted from Bishop Hall. Here is— I.—The forming of a branch that bore fruit. The widow was a person of real piety; but then as it would seem, like Lydia, or Cornelius in the first instance, she was acquainted with God in a partial and superficial manner. Probably her religious feelings were more natural than spiritual. Two invisible guests break in upon her; the Lord and the Spirit. The one inflicts the blow, the other expounds it. The one slays her son, the other makes her sensible of the reason why. Hence her language to Elijah. II.—Its bearing more fruit. “Now I know that thou art a man of God,” etc. By this renewed testimony to Elijah’s prophetic mission she became unquestionably assured of the Divine truth and his word, and stood henceforth upon other ground. From being a devout person she became a daughter of Abraham’s faith.—Adapted from Krummacher. 1 Kings 17:17-24 Where Our Fears Live By Randy Kilgore Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. —Psalm 56:3 Twelve years into our marriage, my wife and I were discouraged by the emotional roller-coaster of hopes raised and dashed in attempting to have children. A friend tried to “explain” God’s thinking. “Maybe God knows you’d be a bad father,” he said. He knew that my mother had struggled with a terrible temper. Then, Christmas 1988, we learned we were expecting our first child! But now I had this nagging fear of failure. The following August, Kathryn joined our family. As nurses and doctors tended to my wife, Kathryn cried on the warming tray. I offered my hand to comfort her, and her tiny fingers wrapped around my finger. In that instant, the Holy Spirit swept through me, assuring me of what I had only recently doubted—that I would show love to this little one! The widow of Zarephath also had doubts. Her son had been struck with a lethal illness. In her despair she cried out, “Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” (1 Kings 17:18). But God had other plans! We serve a God who is mightier than the struggles we inherit and who is full of the desire to forgive, love, and heal the brokenness that rises up between us and Him. God is present in the places where our fears live. Father, make Yourself known to us in our weakest moments and in our greatest fears. Teach us to receive Your love in a way that enables us to show it to others, especially those closest to us. Love swims against the current of life’s false fears. 1 Kings 17:18 So she said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death!” KJV 1 Kings 17:18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? BGT 1 Kings 17:18 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς Ηλιου τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί ἄνθρωπε τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσῆλθες πρός με τοῦ ἀναμνῆσαι τὰς ἀδικίας μου καὶ θανατῶσαι τὸν υἱόν μου LXE 1 Kings 17:18 And she said to Eliu, What have I to do with thee, O man of God? hast thou come in to me to bring my sins to remembrance, and to slay my son? NET 1 Kings 17:18 She asked Elijah, "Why, prophet, have you come to me to confront me with my sin and kill my son?" CSB 1 Kings 17:18 She said to Elijah, "Man of God, what do we have in common? Have you come to remind me of my guilt and to kill my son?" ESV 1 Kings 17:18 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!" NIV 1 Kings 17:18 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?" NLT 1 Kings 17:18 Then she said to Elijah, "O man of God, what have you done to me? Have you come here to point out my sins and kill my son?" NRS 1 Kings 17:18 She then 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!" What do I have to do with you 2Sa 16:10 19:22 2Ki 3:13 2Ch 35:21 Lu 4:34 5:8 8:28 Joh 2:4 O man of God 1Ki 13:1 You have come to me: 1Ki 18:9 Ge 42:21,22 50:15,17 1Sa 16:4 Job 13:23,26 Eze 21:23,24 Mk 5:7,15-17 6:16 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries WIDOW QUESTIONS ELIJAH'S INTENTIONS So she said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? - At least she recognizes him as a man of God. THOUGHT - Do people know that you are a man (woman) of God? They should! You have come to me to bring my iniquity to remembrance and to put my son to death - KJV = "art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?" The widow believes her son's death is the result of her sin and the Elijah is the immediate instrument responsible for her son's death. Philip Ryken writes " Elijah has worn out his welcome. The widow does not like God’s message, so she blames God’s messenger. Although her complaint is really with God, Elijah is his representative on the scene, so she directs her anger at him, as people often do in times of trial. What the widow says to God’s prophet reveals that she has some consciousness of sin, and of God’s determination to punish it....The widow had a guilty conscience, and thus she saw the death of her son as God’s punishment for her sins. At this point the widow started to do the kinds of things that people often do when they have a guilty conscience. She should have repented for her sins and asked God to forgive her. Instead, she shifted the blame from herself to Elijah and tried to get as far away from God as possible. (1 Kings)
1 Reis 17
Utley - "to bring my iniquity to remembrance" It is common to view one's circumstances as revealing God's attitude toward that person. But this is not biblical. We are all sinners and deserve judgment but YHWH deals with us in mercy (i.e., Ps. 103:8-14). We all live in a fallen world! However, God has chosen to be in it with us. The widow's words remind us of the words of Jesus' disciples when they "asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”" (John 9:2+) Keil comments, “In this half-heathenish belief there spoke at the same time a mind susceptible to divine truth and conscious of its sin, to which the Lord could not refuse His aid … the death of this widow’s son was not sent as a punishment for particular sins, but was intended as a medium for the manifestation of the works of God in her (Jn 9:3), in order that she might learn that the Lord was not only the God of the Jews, but the God of the Gentiles also (Rom 3:29)”. 1 Kings 17:19 He said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed. upper room: 2Ki 4:10,21,32 Ac 9:37 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries ELIJAH'S UPPER ROOM RESPONSE He said to her, “Give me your son.” Then he took him from her bosom and carried him up to the upper room where he was living, and laid him on his own bed - The widow was clutching the lifeless body to her bosom in great grief. This must have puzzled the widow that Elijah wanted her lifeless son. But apparently (and fortunately) she does not question Elijah nor does she refuse his request. Swindoll - Do you know what really impresses me here? It’s the silence of Elijah. Somehow he knows that nothing he can say at this moment will satisfy this grieving mother. No words from him can soothe her stricken spirit. So he does not argue with her. He does not rebuke her. He does not try to reason with her. He doesn’t remind her of all she owes him or of how ashamed she should be for blaming him. He simply asks her to place her burden in his arms. Patterson on upper room - Refers to a temporary shelter or room on the roof, accessible from outside the house. Such structures are common in the Near East. This arrangement would allow the widow not only her needed privacy but would safeguard her reputation” 1 Kings 17:20 He called to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?” he called: 1Ki 18:36,37 Ex 17:4 1Sa 7:8,9 2Ki 19:4,15 Ps 99:6 Mt 21:22 Jas 5:15-18 hast thou also: Ge 18:23-25 Jos 7:8,9 Ps 73:13,14 Jer 12:1 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE PROPHET'S CRY CONCERNING THE CALAMITY He called (Lxx - anaboao = cry aloud for help, shout verb Jesus used when He cried out from the Cross Mt 27:46 from aná = emphatic, again + boao = cry out cry out loud) to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, have You also brought calamity to the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die - It is interesting that Elijah takes the corpse to his bed however from the way he asks his question it is not clear he knows what is about to happen to the boy. With this statement Elijah recognizes God is in control of life and death, but it still shows that Elijah did not understand the Lord’s purposes any more than the widow did. THOUGHT- Note that it is not inappropriate to ask God questions in prayer, but ask in faith. Elijah's question reminds us of James' words "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:5-8+) Clearly Elijah was not a double minded man as the next verse shows! God tests before prayer is answered. -- Donald Wiseman 1 Kings 17:21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” stretched himself: 2Ki 4:33-35 Ac 10:10 O Lord my God: Ac 9:40 Heb 11:19 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries ELIJAH INTERCEDES FOR CHILD'S LIFE Then he stretched himself upon the child three times - The literal Hebrew is "measured himself." Why 3 times? The text does not answer this question. Some propose this foreshadows Christ's resurrection after 3 days. Warren