1 Reis 17
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon on Elijah - He leaps into the arena, like a lion from the hills. Who he was, or what he had been, we are not told. He comes in thunder, and speaks lightning. The times were fit for an Elijah, and Elijah was fit for them. The fear of God had driven out Elijah’s fear of man, and thus he had the kind of spiritual boldness that is given only to those who linger in the presence of the living God. -- Philip Ryken James Smith - Before Whom I Stand - Sweet is the service that is rendered in the consciousness of His presence and done as standing before Him. Elijah could speak of "the Lord God of Israel before whom I stand" (1 Kings 17:1). Abraham walked before God. Serving before Him is the remedy for the fear of man, and the secret of deliverance from dishonouring God by presenting eloquent prayers to great audiences. J R Miller - Elijah defines his relation to God in the phrase, "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand." He meant that he was God's messenger, always standing before God's face, ready to go instantly on His errands. He never sat down in God's presence—but alwaysstood, girded and sandaled, ready for immediate running. Too many of us are slow in obeying. It takes us a long while to get ready to start on an errand on which God bids us go, and then we loiter or move languidly, as if scarcely half awake. Surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word - Because there was a spiritual famine for the Word (Amos 8:11), there would soon be a physical famine for want of water. Just one sentence from Elijah but it dropped like a bomb on Ahab. Yes, it as a word of judgment, but don't miss the fact that it was also a gracious word from God to turn Israel from Baal and back to following God. And it was God Who took the initiative in an attempt to draw Israel back. Elijah's prediction was a direct assault on Baal who the religious texts unearthed at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit), described as riding upon the storm and holding lightning bolts in his hand. While the text never literally says Elijah prayed for the drought, one can infer from James 5:17 that he almost certainly did. And when we combine that with the warnings (see above) in Deuteronomy, all Elijah was doing was praying the Word of God which was the will of God, a good pattern for all saints to pray. THOUGHT - God is always unwilling to leave us when we stray from Him and He always seeks to call us back. Have you strayed beloved child of God? Then take heart, that our God is the "hound of heaven" ever seeking to bring His straying sheep (Isa 53:6+) back into the fold. What might have given Elijah such assurance? One answer is that Elijah knew the word of God especially God's warning in Deuteronomy 11:13-17+. Elijah’s prophecy therefore was in line with God’s word. Given the wicked, godless state of the Northern Kingdom, God made sure His prophet would be authenticated by miracles, which would leave Ahab and Israel without excuse. Elijah is predicting a drought and underscores there will be neither dew nor rain unless he says so. Keep in mind Baal was the pagan weather god (rain and fertility), so we begin to see the battle of God's truth versus the devil's lies, the truth that God controls the rain against the lie that Baal controlled the rain. Furthermore, Elijah's claim about no dew or rain would substantiate he has been given authority by God to make such an incredible claim. As discussed below, he had prayed earnestly for drought, and in some way God had answered his prayer for drought affirmatively. And as they say, the proof is in the pudding, so if after Elijah speaks there begins to be no rain for days, weeks, and months, Ahab should realize he is dealing with a true prophet of God. Warren
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - There was a poor man who had no bread for his family, and they were almost starving. One of his children said to him, “Father, God sent bread to Elijah by ravens.” “Ah yes,” he replied, “but God does not use birds in that way now.” He was a cobbler, and a short time after he spoke these words there flew into his workshop a bird, which he saw was a rare one, so he caught it and put it in a cage. A little later, a servant came in and said to him, “Have you seen such-and-such a bird?” “Yes,” he answered, “it flew into my shop, so I caught it and put it into a cage.” “It belongs to my mistress,” said the maid. “Well then, take it,” he replied, and away she went. When the girl took the bird to her mistress, the lady sent her back to thank the cobbler for his care of her pet, and to give him half a sovereign. So, if the bird did not actually bring the bread and meat in its mouth, it was made the medium of feeding the hungry family although the father had doubted whether such a thing could be. The ravens owe their own meat day by day to God’s providing, and yet he employs them for the supply of his servant. So poor saints, deeply dependent on God for their humblest needs, he enables to help saints yet poorer still. His prophet shall be sustained by ravens, who, perhaps, have little ones that cry for their food. The Lord will provide. We know not how, but he has his own ways and methods. Os Hillman - GAINING DIRECTION THROUGH A LACK OF PROVISION TGIF for Men: 365 Daily Devotions for the Workplace - Page 23 You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.1 KINGS 17:4 The prophet Elijah pronounced a drought upon the land because of the sin of Ahab and the nation of Israel. There was only one problem. Elijah had to live in the same land as Ahab: 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.” Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there” (1 Kings 17:1-4). God provided for Elijah in a supernatural way. The ravens brought bread in the morning and meat in the evening. His water came from the brook. God often uses money to confirm His direction for our lives. Many times God uses a lack of provision to move us into new directions; it is often a catalyst to encourage new ideas and strategies. Many times a loss of job becomes the greatest blessing to our lives because it provides the catalyst to do things we simply would never do without taking the step to get out of our comfort zone. Friend, if you are fully following the Lord in your life, and if you are seeking direction from Him and have no un-confessed sin in your life, there is no way He will allow you to miss His provision for you. He has 1,000 ways to get the provision you need at the time you need it. Provision follows obedience. Today, consider that God can even send a raven to feed you if that is His plan. Springs in the Valley - I have commanded the ravens…a widow woman there. (1 Kings 17:4, 9) We must be where God desires. Elijah spoke of himself as always standing before the Lord God of Israel. He could as distinctly stand before God when hiding beside Cherith, or sheltering in the widow’s house at Zarephath, as when he stood erect on Carmel, or listened to the voice of God at Horeb. If we are where God wants us to be, He will see the supply of our need. It is as easy for Him to feed us by the ravens as by the widow woman. As long as God says stay here, or there, be sure that He is pledged to provide for you. Though you resemble a lonely sentinel in some distant post of missionary service God will see to you. The ravens are not less amenable to His command than of old: and out of the stores of widow women He is able to supply your need as He did Elijah’s at Zarephath. When God said to Elijah, “Hide thyself by the brook Cherith,” a carbon copy of the order was given to the ravens. They brought food morning and evening to the place of Divine appointment. When Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel,” He placed all the resources of heaven at the disposal of the going group. When I was ordered toward the front in France, I got permission to remain behind ten days for letters. None came. When I reached my objective, where men were dying without a Chaplain’s comfort, I found the last thirty days’ post. The commanding officer said: “In the army, the letters go where the orders read.” In the kingdom of God the blessings and equipment are found only where the orders read. Let us all go and tell the story. JOSIAH HOPKINS It is in the path of His appointment that we shall find His Presence. 1 Kings 17:1-6 GOD AND THE RAVENS I [God] have commanded the ravens to feed thee. 1 Kings 17:4 The Associated Press carried this story under the heading "Crow Feeds Dog": "For six days a puppy, trapped in an animal snare, was kept alive by a crow. Both animals belong to a couple living at a road construction camp. After the dog disappeared recently, the pet crow stopped eating normally. It would take a bit of food in its beak, fly off and return a short time later to fetch another scrap. One day they followed it and were led to the spot where the dog lay trapped." The article then concluded, "The earliest reference to this type of thing was the feeding of Elijah by the ravens." The provision of bread and flesh for the prophet Elijah was certainly a marvelous thing. As children of the Heavenly Father we can know something even more wonderful—God's daily sup-ply of all our needs. In 1 Kings 17:4 the Lord said to Elijah, "I have commanded the ravens to feed thee." And the apostle Paul writing to believers at Philippi declares, "God shall supply all your need." He may not actually use birds for this purpose today, but He does have His "ravens" whereby His bountiful provisions are delivered to us. Say not, my soul, "From whence shall God relieve my care?" Remember, Omnipotence Has servants everywhere! —Anon. God ever has His "ravens" for the righteous, but He has no loaves for the loafer!—Bosch Spurgeon - “I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.” God has the power to make all creatures obedient to his will. These ravens never croaked out a single objection but did as they were commanded. Their instincts did not rebel, but they submitted absolutely to God’s will and, I daresay, were as diligent and as happy in carrying the bread and meat to Elijah as they would have been if they had been taking it to their own young or feasting on it themselves. The whole world is obedient to God. He spoke once to the great floods of water, and up they sprang from the vast caverns where they slept, and down they dashed. And when God just whispered to them and bid them go back to their resting places, back they went, and the waters were removed from the earth. Nor were the floods of earth merely obedient, for celestial bodies have confessed his power, for Joshua made the sun and the moon stand still while the Lord’s warriors struck their foes. Nor are inanimate things his only sway. The lions crouch at Daniel’s feet, and the monster fish swallows but does not destroy the wayward Jonah. Nor do only great things obey him. The worm at God’s command struck the root of Jonah’s gourd, the locusts came on Egypt, and he sent all manner of flies and lice in all their quarters. Is it not a sad, strange thing that humans are the only creatures that refuse to obey their Creator? I know that even Judas fulfills that to which he was appointed, but so far as his will is concerned, man remains a stout rebel against God. The raven, commanded to carry bread and meat, does it; but the unbeliever commanded to believe in Christ, to repent of his sins, and to produce the fruit of repentance, refuses to do it. Oh, the stubbornness of human nature! We are worse than ravens. “The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s feeding trough, but Israel does not know; my people do not understand” (Is 1:3). A W Tozer - Dependence on God - see Tozer for the Christian Leader: A 365-Day Devotional - Page 21 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. —1 Kings 17:4 We can learn important lessons by considering God’s disciplines in dealing with Elijah. As Elijah fled to the wilderness following his first confrontation with King Ahab, God said to him, “Elijah, go to the brook Cherith, and I will feed you there.” God sent big, black buzzards—ravens, scavenger birds—each morning and evening with Elijah’s meals. What humiliation! All his life Elijah had been self-sufficient. Now he waited on scavenger birds to deliver him his daily bread.… Elijah was like so many faithful preachers of the Word who are too true and too uncompromising for their congregations. “We don’t have to take that,” the people protest. And they stop contributing to the church. More than one pastor knows the meaning of economic strangulation. Preach the truth, and the brook dries up! But the Lord knows how to deal with each of us in our humiliations. He takes us from truth to truth. MMG096 Lord, I commit myself anew today to never compromise the truth, even if it costs me my job. Amen. C H Spurgeon - There was a poor man who had no bread for his family, and they were almost starving. One of his children said to him, "Father, God sent bread to Elijah by ravens." "Ah yes," he replied, "but God does not use birds in that way now." He was a cobbler, and a short time after he spoke these words there flew into his workshop a bird, which he saw was a rare one, so he caught it and put it in a cage. A little later, a servant came in and said to him, "Have you seen such-and-such a bird?" "Yes," he answered, "it flew into my shop, so I caught it and put it into a cage." "It belongs to my mistress," said the maid. "Well then, take it," he replied, and away she went. When the girl took the bird to her mistress, the lady sent her back to thank the cobbler for his care of her pet, and to give him half a sovereign. So, if the bird did not actually bring the bread and meat in its mouth, it was made the medium of feeding the hungry family although the father had doubted whether such a thing could be. The ravens owe their own meat day by day to God's providing, and yet he employs them for the supply of his servant. So poor saints, deeply dependent on God for their humblest needs, he enables to help saints yet poorer still. His prophet shall be sustained by ravens, who, perhaps, have little ones that cry for their food. The Lord will provide. We know not how, but he has his own ways and methods. Spurgeon - God is a good master, and never suffers his servants to starve. He will provide for his own, even if all the land be wasted by drought. F B
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - He had plain but sufficient fare, but what unlikely providers! Ravens are rather robbers than caterers, yet they forgot their own hunger and the cries of their young to feed the prophet. Perhaps they fetched the bread and meat out of Ahab’s larder; there was very little to be found anywhere else. Well does an old writer observe, “O God! thou that providest meat for the fowls of the air, wilt make the fowls of the air provide meat for man, rather than his dependence on thee shall be disappointed: O let not our faith be wanting to thee, since thy care can never be wanting to us.” More likely to rob than to feed, Were ravens, who live upon prey, But when the Lord’s people have need, His goodness will find out a way. He lions and ravens can tame, All creatures obey his command: Then let me rejoice in his name, And leave all my cares in his hand. ILLUSTRATION - God always stays with his people. He will care for us, too, even if he has to use ravens to do it. In a sermon called “Elijah by the Brook,” Al Martin tells of a cold, snowy winter night in a German village when a boy and his mother were in desperate straits. They had run out of food. The fire was out, and there was nothing left to burn to keep their cottage warm. So the mother was shocked, as they prayed, to hear her son walk across the room and fling the cottage door wide open to the cold night air. “My son, why are you opening the door on such a cold night?” she cried out. “It’s for the ravens, Mother,” the little boy simply replied. He knew the story of Elijah by the brook. He remembered how God had provided for his prophet and trusted that God would send his ravens, snow or no snow. It so happened that the burgomaster was walking about that snowy night to see that all was well in the village. He was amazed to see an open door at the tiny home, so he went to investigate. He met the woman at the door and asked what was the matter. When she explained that she and her son were waiting for God to send his ravens, the burgomaster replied, “I will be your raven, both now and ever.” (Philip Ryken 1 Kings Quoted in a sermon by Albert N. Martin, from F. B. Meyer, Elijah: And the Secret of His Power, 25–26.) Joni Eareckson Tada - The Two Crows The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.—1 Kings 17:6 The morning of my trip dawned. As I got ready to leave, I couldn’t shake the blues. I felt ashamed for being down—what did I have to be discouraged about? I prayed, “Lord, please brighten my spirits. Grab me by the scruff of the neck and show me your goodness.” We packed up and headed to the airport. We flew to Dallas and after our plane landed, I sat by the curb, waiting for my friend to get the van. I heard a “caw!” behind me. When I turned my wheelchair around, two ugly, big crows were sitting on the roof’s ledge. They remained there for at least five minutes, looking down at me. It was so odd, I stared back at them. As I did, God brought to mind the story of Elijah. The prophet had become depressed just one day after he performed spectacular miracles. Elijah had announced the end of a drought and was the people’s best friend. Still, he had a bad case of the blues. The record shows that the Angel of the Lord touched Elijah and even agreed that “the journey is too much for you” (1 Kings 19:7). Elijah rested and had something to eat and drink. At another point God sent ravens to feed Elijah. All the Lord’s provision came to mind as I stared at those old crows. I knew God had placed them right there when I needed to be reminded that the Lord wanted to give me rest and refreshment. The lesson of those crows and of Elijah is for all of us. The Lord gives us gentle reminders of his intimate concern over every detail of our lives. We just have to open our eyes to recognize that, yes, he may even use a couple of crows to make his point. God, give me physical rest and spiritual food. Enable me to recognize your signs of encouragement even when they come in strange forms. (See More Precious Than Silver: 366 Daily Devotional Readings) I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.—His bread will be given him; his water will be sure.—The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.—My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.—Be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna . . . that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”—Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Matt. 6:11; Ps. 37:25; Isa. 33:16; 1 Kings 17:6; Phil. 4:19; Heb. 13:5; Deut. 8:3; John 6:32–34 Greg Laurie - BY THE BROOK The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. (1 Kings 17:6) When the Bible says that ravens brought Elijah food, it doesn’t mean they took his order, flew through the local fast food restaurant, and then delivered his meal. Ravens are scavengers. They brought little bits of meat and bread to Elijah. What’s more, the water in the brook from which he drank would have been somewhat polluted. It was not an easy situation. How easily Elijah could have said, “Well, Lord, I don’t really want to be in this crummy little place. I kind of like being in front of people. I like the limelight.” But the Lord was preparing Elijah for something beyond his wildest dreams. Not long after this, Elijah would be standing on Mt. Carmel in that great showdown with the false prophets (see 1 Kings 18:20–39). Sometimes we don’t like where God has put us. We say, “Lord, I don’t like this situation. I don’t like where I am. I want to do something great for You. I want to make a difference in my world.” Maybe the Lord wants you to be effective right where you are. Maybe He wants you to take advantage of the opportunities in front of you and be faithful in the little things. Who knows what God has in store for you? If God has you by some muddy little brook, so to speak, just hang in there. Be faithful, do what He has already told you, and wait on Him and on His timing. God will do something wonderful for you or with you. Just be available and open to do what He would have you to do. (See Every Day with Jesus: Forty Years of Favorite Devotions - Page 88) James Smith - EVERYTHING OBEYS THE LORD. 1. ORBS OF LIGHT (Josh. 10:12-14). Sun stood still. 2. MIGHTY OCEAN (Matt. 8:27). "Even the winds and seas obey Him." 3. EVIL SPIRITS (Mark 1:27). "With authority com-mandeth He even the unclean spirits." 4. BIRDS OF AIR (1 Kings 17:4). "I have commanded the ravens to feed thee." Did we say "Everything?" Ah, there is one exception—man. What will be the end of the disobedient ones? Joshua 5:6 tells us, Israel "were consumed because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord." ELIJAH FED BY RAVENS - W Harris “And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.”—1 Kings 17:6. I.—The prophet was sure of sustenance, because the command to feed him was given to creatures incapable of disobedience. “I have commanded the ravens to feed thee.” God is said to command the earth (Psa. 33:9), the heavenly bodies (Isa. 45:12), the waters of the sea (Prov. 8:29), etc., because He uses them to fulfil His will, as the engine-driver may be said to command his engine, or the electrician his battery, when they set free the power of the steam, or the electric fluid. With this great difference, that God originates the forces with which He works. In this sense He is said to have commanded the ravens to feed Elijah, thereby making sure the sustenance of the prophet, because the creatures were not moral agents. II.—The manner in which Elijah was fed was miraculous. 1. Because the birds who ministered to him were birds of prey, and would, therefore, be inclined to eat the flesh which they brought. 2. Because they brought it to one man in particular, and they brought it at stated and regular intervals. III.—Although the manner in which Elijah was fed was miraculous, it was in accordance with the idea of creation. Man was created “to have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air” (Gen. 1:28); “all things were put under his feet” (Psa. 8:6). They were intended to be his servants, and although he has forfeited his right to rule them by refusing to acknowledge God’s right to rule him, yet, when he returns to his allegiance, he may expect in some degree, to return to his position as king of the creatures beneath him, and to be ministered to by them. LESSONS I.—Our inferiors may, in the hands of God, be greater blessings than our equals or superiors. The ravens were better friends to Elijah at this time than the king of Israel or any of his subjects. II.—The servants of God may learn a lesson from the ravens and restrain their natural and lawful desires when, by so doing, they can serve a higher purpose. SELECTED—I I.—Notice the strange caterers for Elijah. I know not whether it had been more miraculous to preserve him without meat, or to provide meat by such mouths. He that could have fed Elijah by angels will feed him by ravens. Thus God gives His prophet and us a proof of His absolute command over all His creatures to win our trust in all extremities. II.—God gives orders for competency, not for wantonness. Those of God’s family may not be curious, nor disdainful. It ill becomes them to be slaves to their palate. Yet the munificence of God will have Elijah’s table better furnished than that of his fellows in the cave of Obadiah. Doubtless, one bit from the mouth of the raven was more pleasing to Elijah than a whole tablefull of Ahab’s. III.—It is no unusual thing with God to suffer His own children to be enwrapped in the common calamities of offenders. The brook Cherith shall not, for Elijah’s sake, be exempt from the universal drought; he himself must feel the smart of that which he had denounced. God makes difference in the use and issue of their stripes, not in the infliction. The corn is cut down with the weeds, but to a better purpose.—Bishop Hall. SELECTED—II Notice— I.—What a task is here for Elijah’s humility. A lowering thing indeed for so mighty a prophet to be fed by little birds. “Consider the ravens,” said our Lord, “how much more are ye better than the fowls!” Yet Elijah was to be beholden to these fowls. He was to be boarded by them day by day, and must sit down patiently till they came to feed him. II.—What an exhibition of the gracious care of God. The Lord careth for His people’s bodies as well as their souls. Surely this incident teaches us that if they “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” all other necessary things shall “be added unto them.” The Lord’s poor are the Lord’s care. “Trust in the Lord, and do good; … and verily thou shalt be fed” (Ps. 37:3). III.—How the most unlikely instruments sometimes minister to the needs of the godly. How unlikely were ravens to feed the prophet. Birds whose instincts would have prompted them rather to snatch his food away. So how unexpectedly at times do even the enemies of godliness promote the interests of the godly. The ravens of the world, its cruel, covetous, rapacious men, have often, one way or other, been purveyors to His church. The brethren of Joseph contributed to Joseph’s exaltation, and Haman had to hold the bridle for the man whose life he aimed at.—Adapted from A. Roberts. 1 Kings 17:7 It happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land. the brook: Isa 40:30,31 54:10 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Isaiah 33:15-16 (GOD PROVIDES FOR HIS PEOPLE) He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; 16 He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure. THE BROOK CHERITH RUNS DRY It happened after a while (Hebrew = ""And it came about at the end of days") that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land - Elijah begins to experience the effects of his own prophecy. And keep in mind that theoretically he could have prayed for rain to begin, but he kept the purposes of God foremost (to make a statement to apostate Israel) rather than to opt for his own well-being and even potentially his survival. THOUGHT - There is an interesting lesson for us in the passage. Was Elijah in the will of God? Yes, clearly he had obeyed Yahweh's specific instructions and yet now there was no water. One can be in will of God, but that does not mean that our circumstances will be perfect. They may be times of training and growing our faith as they were for Elijah. Remember the principle that... The will of God will never lead us where the grace of God cannot keep us and care for us! C T Lacey - Elijah was not immune from the consequences of the drought for which he had called. Many saints down the centuries have known what it is for “the brook to dry up”, but the Lord was still there to provide. The Lord could have sustained Elijah by the brook if He had chosen so to do; however, it was in His purposes to move His servant on. Elijah did not panic, but waited patiently for the Lord. He did not allow himself to be dictated to by circumstances, but waited for a word from the Lord before he moved. (What the Bible Teaches – 1 and 2 Kings.) Charles Swindoll - One morning Elijah noticed that the brook wasn’t gushing over the rocks or running as freely as it had in days past. Since that single stream of water was his lifeline, he checked it carefully. Over the next few days he watched it dwindle and shrink, until it was only a trickle. Then one morning, there was no water, only wet sand. The hot winds soon siphoned even that dampness, and the sand hardened. Before long, cracks appeared in the parched bed of the brook. No more water. The brook had dried up. Does that kind of experience sound familiar to you? At one time you knew the joy of a full bank account, a booming business, an exciting, ever-expanding career, a magnificent and exciting ministry. But the brook has dried up. At one time you knew the joy of using your voice to sing the Lord’s praises. Then a growth developed on your vocal chords, requiring surgery. But the surgery removed more than the growth; it also took your lovely singing voice. The brook has dried up. Your partner in life has grown indifferent and has recently asked for a divorce. There’s no longer any affection and no promise of change. The brook has dried up. I’ve had my own times when the brook has dried up, and I’ve found myself wondering about the things I’ve believed and preached for years. What happened? Had God died? No. My vision just got a little blurry. My circumstances caused my thinking to get a little foggy. I looked up, and I couldn’t see Him as clearly. To exacerbate the problem, I felt as though He wasn’t hearing me. The heavens were brass. I would speak to Him and heard nothing. My brook dried up. That’s what happened to John Bunyan in seventeenth-century England. He preached against the godlessness of his day, and the authorities shoved him into prison. His brook of opportunity and freedom dried up. But because Bunyan firmly believed God was still alive and at work, he turned that prison into a place of praise, service, and creativity as he began to write Pilgrim’s Progress, the most famous allegory in the history of the English language. Dried-up brooks in no way cancel out God’s providential plan. Often, they cause it to emerge. (See Great Days with the Great Lives) Spurgeon - “After a while, the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land.” Although Elijah was mighty in prayer and could prevail with God, yet he did not therefore escape from suffering; his prayer brought him into suffering. If there should be a drought throughout all the land, he himself must feel the pinch as well as the rest of the people. If the brooks are dried up, they will be dried up for him; and if there is no food in the land, there will be no food for him unless God will be pleased to intervene on his behalf. The highest degree of grace cannot save us from affliction; it even includes it. We may grow in grace until our faith never staggers. But the impartial hand of trial will knock at our door as well as at the door of the chief of sinners. We must still walk the path of sorrow. The child of God cannot escape the rod even though he is an Elijah. He may call down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice, but no fire from heaven can consume his trouble. He must pass through it as well as the weakest and most common of God’s people. Let us, therefore, settle it in our hearts to be resigned to this. If the Prince himself once went through the Valley of Humiliation, why should we murmur at following in his footsteps? God had one Son without sin but never a son without affliction. Let us not ask to be the first but be content to share the position of those whose inheritance is to be ours forever in the paradise of our God. Donald Cantrell - The Brook Dried Up 1 Ki 17:7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Elijah has been enjoying his stay at the brook of Cherith. Every day the birds dropped him meat to eat and the brook supplied all the water he needed to drink. One day maybe he noticed that the brook seemed to be losing its swift current. It could be that he drove a stake into the side of the brook and measured its depth; it wouldn’t have taken a lot of calculation for him to realize that this brook would soon be dry. The thing that a lot of God’s children fail to realize is that the sun rises on the just and the unjust. I dare say that many of God’s people to see God deal with issues, just not at their expense. Often we will be placed in tough situations. Elijah was about to find out that Gods path often goes in different directions. 1. The Enrichment of Cherith “His Liking” 2. The Education of Cherith “His Learning” 3. The End of Cherith “His Leaving” Cyril
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - The Widow of Sarepta (full sermon) ‘And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.’ 1 Kings 17:8–9 There are some who say, ‘If I am to be saved I shall be saved.’ Did they ever hear of a certain Ludovic, an Italian philosopher, who had imbibed the idea of predestination to the exclusion of every other truth? He could see nothing but fate and thought religious activity useless. A physician, a godly man, who attended him during his sickness, desiring to convince him of his error, said to him as he stood by his bedside, ‘I shall not send you any medicine; I shall not attend to you; in fact, I shall not call any more, because if you are to live you will live, and if you are to die you will die; therefore, it is of no use my attending to you.’ He went his way, but in the watches of the night Ludovic, who had been the slave of a notion, turned it over and saw the folly of it; he saw that there were other truths besides predestination and he acted like a sane man. As God accomplishes the healing of the sick by the use of medicines, he usually accomplishes also the saving of souls by the means of grace; and as I, not knowing whether I am elected to be healed or not, yet go to the physician, so I, not knowing whether I am elect to be saved or not, yet will go to Jesus as he bids me go, and put my trust in him, and I hope I shall be accepted in him. Dear hearer, do not trifle away your soul by thrusting your head into doctrinal difficulties. Do not be a fool any more, but go to Jesus as you are and put your trust in him, and you will not find this knotty point a terror to you; it will indeed become like butter in a lordly dish to you; it will be to you savoury meat. 1 Kings 17:9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” Zarephath: Ob 1:20 Lu 4:26, which belongs: Mt 15:21,22 widow: 1Ki 17:4 Jdg 7:2,4 Ro 4:17-21 2Co 4:7 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Luke 4:25-26+ (THIS DECLARATION BY JESUS INCENSED THE JEWS TO SEEK TO STONE HIM) “But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ELIJAH COMMANDED TO GO INTO THE "CRUCIBE" Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there - Note God does give option 1 or option 2, but gives two command to Arise, go to Zarephath. This destination is of no small import to Elijah for several reasons. Zarephath in Sidon was on the coast was a journey of about 100 miles (so this was a very long journey in a time of drought!) Furthermore it was a Gentile city which would be a challenge to Elijah. It is no accident that Sidon was the home country of Jezebel (1Ki 16:31) and was the heart of Baal worship. As we discover in subsequent passages Sidon was also suffering from the divine drought that afflicted Israel for their worship of Baal. When God sends us, we must obey and leave the rest to Him, for we don't live on man's explanations—we live on God's promises. -- Warren Wiersbe The name Zarephath (derived from tsaraph = to refine or test) means "smelting, smelting place, refinery." Elijah would be going to a place that would test and refine his faith. God was sending him into the CRUCIBLE to refine his faith in preparation for the coming battle with spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. Elijah knew it was enemy territory, so this would be another test of Elijah's trust in God's Word.
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - When one door shuts, another opens. God is not confined to one method of supplying his servants. It was wonderful that Elijah was fed by ravens; it was a new wonder to find him fed by a poor widow, and she a foreigner. Behold (02009) hinneh is an interjection meaning behold, look, now; if. "It is used often and expresses strong feelings, surprise, hope, expectation, certainty, thus giving vividness depending on its surrounding context." (Baker) Hinneh generally directs our mind to the text, imploring the reader to give it special attention. In short, the Spirit is trying to arrest our attention! And so hinneh is used as an exclamation of vivid immediacy (e.g., read Ge 6:13)! Hinneh is a marker used to enliven a narrative, to express a change a scene, to emphasize an idea, to call attention to a detail or an important fact or action that follows (Isa 65:17, Ge 17:20, 41:17). The first use of hinneh in Ge 1:29 and second in Ge 1:31 - "And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" QUESTION - What is the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath ANSWER - First Kings 17 introduces the prophet Elijah and gives the account of his dealings with a widow from Zarephath. The chapter notes that the Lord was withholding rain from Israel (verse 1). The drought was in judgment of the nation’s rampant idolatry, led by the royal couple Ahab and Jezebel. In verse 8, the Lord commanded Elijah to go to Zarephath, a town outside of Israel, where a widow would provide food for him. He obeyed, finding a woman gathering sticks. He said to her, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink,” and, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand” (verses 10–11). The widow, however, was in great need herself. She responded, “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” (verse 12). She expected the meal she was about to fix to be the last for her family. She had no other prospect than to die of starvation. Elijah’s answer was surely a test of her faith. He told her that she was to make some food for him, anyway, using the last of her ingredients for him. He added a promise: “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’” (1 Kings 17:14). The widow’s faith was evident in her obedience. And God was faithful to His promise: “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” (verses 15–16). The widow’s food supply was supernaturally extended, as promised. Elijah stayed there for some time, living in an upper room of the widow’s house. The woman’s son later died of an illness and, in her anger and grief, she blamed Elijah for his death—she assumed God was judging her for her sin (1 Kings 17:17–18). But Elijah cried out to God: “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!” (verse 21), and the child was restored to life. When the woman saw this, she said, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth” (verse 24). 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. Related Resources: What is the significance of the city of Sidon in the Bible - Excerpt - The wicked Queen Jezebel was a Sidonian who married King Ahab caused Israel much trouble (1 Kings 16:31). The city of Zarephath, near Sidon, was where a widow took care of Elijah, and the Lord provided oil and flour for her through the famine; later, the widow’s son became ill, and Elijah raised him from the dead (1 Kings 17:8–24). Donald Cantrell - There 1 Ki 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. Upon being told to leave Cherith, God instructs Elijah towards his new place, the city of Zarephath. The instructions are twofold, he is to dwell in there and woman has been instructed to sustain him there. The key to this passage is God is “there” and if we want to be in his will, we must find our “there.” It should be a goal of each one of us to operate in the will of God. This can be achieved if we locate where our there is. We cannot live selfishly or haphazardly and find our there. God often leads us from place to place. It is on us to be sensitive to his leading; we must have ears that hear. God is now about to expand the faith of his man. 1. Elijah’s Place of Progression 2. Elijah’s Person of Desperation 3. Elijah’s Promise of Multiplication There” 1 Ki 17:4—And it shall be, [that] thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 1 Ki 17:9—Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which [belongeth] to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 1 Ki 17:10—So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman [was] there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. In this passage and these verses we find a word that could be overlooked and ignored were it not the nudging of the Spirit. The Spirit often times sets off a spiritual alarm, stop, look, be careful, you are about to overlook something needful. The little word that I want to focus on is “there”. In this passage it is used no less than four times, the ravens will feed you there, arise and go to Zarapheth and dwell there, a widow will sustain you there, the widow was found “there”. I can imagine that you are asking what the importance of this little word, there? The Lord commanded the prophet to go to the brook, there is where he would be taken care of by the Lord, when the brook dried up the Lord commanded the prophet to move yet again, when he moved over there, there is where the Lord would continue sustaining his prophet. As he arose and went and got to Zarapheth, he found the widow woman there, there was where he found the abiding presence and abundant blessings of his God. As we go from day to day, we must always find out where our there is, we must realize that often our “there” is subject to change!!! It may be here today, somewhere else next year, another place in the future. The most important place that you and I need to be is the place that God has chosen as our “there”. 1. There Is Where He Abides Personally 2. There Is Where He Provides Powerfully 3. There Is Where He Confides Privately 4. There Is Where He Presides Pointedly I wonder if we understand the importance of fervently finding, faithfully filling the place of our there. As we find our there, we will find that in this place dwells all of the fullness, all of the fellowship of our Christian joy. Lord please guide me to where my there is: 1 Kings 17:10 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, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.” Please get me a little water: Ge 21:15 24:17 Joh 4:7 2Co 11:27 Heb 11:37 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries ELIJAH OBEYS AND GOES TO SIDON So - Term of conclusion. Once again we see Elijah come to a conclusion that God said it and that settles it. A good rule of thumb (life)! He arose and went to Zarephath - Elijah had suddenly appeared on the scene and now disappears as quickly as he came (but he will return in 3 years in 1Ki 18)! Elijah manifests unhesitating obedience again. He does not question God or complain or grumble. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks - How Elijah knew this woman was THE woman who was the widow God had commanded to help him we can only surmise that God had given him a "stick sign," but we cannot be dogmatic. Spurgeon - “You learn this from the fact that she had not even firewood. Now, there was no reason why she should not have had that even in time of famine of bread, for there was no famine of wood, unless she had been extremely poor.”...He did not question the command, but obeyed it; this is the walk of faith.
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - “She does not appear to have been at all aware that she was to feed a prophet. She went out that morning to gather sticks, not to meet a guest. She was thinking about feeding her son and herself upon the last cake; certainly she had no idea of sustaining a man of God out of that all but empty barrel of meal. Yet the Lord, who never lieth, spoke a solemn truth when he said, ‘I have commanded a widow woman there.’ He had so operated upon her mind that he had prepared her to obey the command when it did come by the lip of his servant the prophet” And he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink - Elijah's action here is clear manifestation of his faith in the truth of God's word that this was the widow who was to help him. After walking from the dry Brook Cherith, his first need was water. F W Krummacher - Let it be equally said of you to whatever duty the Lord may call you away, “He arose and went!” Be the way ever so laborious or dangerous, still arise, like Elijah, and go. Go cheerfully, in faith, keeping your heart quietly dependent on the Lord, and in the end you will assuredly behold and sing of His goodness. Though tossed on a sea of troubles, you may anchor on the firm foundation of God, which standeth sure. You have for your security His exceeding great and precious promises, and may say with the psalmist, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God!” J H Jowett - THE HANDFUL OF MEAL 1 Kings 17:8-16. WHAT marvellous “coincidences” are prepared by Providential grace! The poor widow is unconsciously ordained to entertain the prophet! The ravens will be guided to the brook Cherith! “I have commanded them to feed thee there.” Our road is full of surprises. We see the frowning, precipitous hill, and we fear it, but when we arrive at its base we find a refreshing spring! The Lord of the way had gone before the pilgrim. “I go to prepare ... for you.” But how strange that a widow with only “a handful of meal” should be “commanded” to offer hospitality! It is once again “the impossible” which is set before us. It would have been a dull commonplace to have fed the prophet from the overflowing larder of the rich man’s palace. But to work from an almost empty cupboard! That is the surprising way of the Lord. He delights to hang great weights on apparently slender wires, to have great events turn on seeming trifles, and to make poverty the minister of “the indescribable riches of Christ.” The poor widow sacrificed her “handful of meal,” and received an unfailing supply. And this, too, is the way of the Lord. “Whatever, Lord, we lend to Thee, Repaid a thousand fold will be.” 1 Kings 17:11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” as she was going: Ge 24:18,19 Mt 10:42 25:35-40 Heb 13:2 a piece of bread: 1Ki 17:9 18:4 Ge 18:5 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries ELIJAH MAKES A SECOND SECOND REQUEST FOR BREAD As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand - Again his request for bread reflects his belief that God had said this widow would provide.
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - “The choice of this woman, while it brought such blessedness to her, involved service. She was not elected merely to be saved in the famine, but to feed the prophet. She must be a woman of faith; she must make the little cake first, and afterwards she shall have the multiplication of the meal and of the oil. So the grace of God does not choose men to sleep and wake up in heaven, nor choose them to live in sin and find themselves absolved at the last; nor choose them to be idle and go about their own worldly business, and yet to win a reward at the last for which they never toiled. Ah, no! The sovereign electing grace of God chooses us to repentance, to faith, and afterwards to holiness of living, to Christian service, to zeal, to devotion” 1 Kings 17:12 But she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.” As the LORD: 1Ki 17:1 1Sa 14:39,45 20:3,21 25:26 26:10 2Sa 15:21 Jer 4:2 5:2 but an handful: 2Ki 4:2-7 Mt 15:33,34 that we may eat it: Ge 21:16 Jer 14:18 La 4:9 Eze 12:18,19 Joe 1:15,16 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE WIDOW"S LITTLE WOULD SOON BE A LOT But - Term of contrast. She said, “As the LORD your God lives - This manner of address shows she recognizes Elijah as Jewish. It also shows she had some awareness or understanding of Yahweh even in the pagan land of Sidon. And she somehow recognizes Yahweh as Elijah's God. Her statement also indicates God was Elijah’s God and not her own. Ryrie feels that the widow's "oath shows that she worshiped the God of Israel. God sent Elijah to a Gentile widow to rebuke the apostasy of Israel (Luke 4:24-26)." I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die - She was not just a poor widow, but she was desperately poor! I might have said "God look who you are sending me to!" To be sure, the widow's response may have challenged his faith, but Elijah was up for the challenge. The God of providence of course (it's easy for us to see now) was behind the scenes orchestrating the acts of this dramatic play. He was preparing both the widow and the prophet for evidence of His supernatural provision in what otherwise were dire, dismal circumstances. There is a principle here and it is that... Our extremity is His opportunity. 1 Kings 17:13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. BGT 1 Kings 17:13 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὴν Ηλιου θάρσει εἴσελθε καὶ ποίησον κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου ἀλλὰ ποίησον ἐμοὶ ἐκεῖθεν ἐγκρυφίαν μικρὸν ἐν πρώτοις καὶ ἐξοίσεις μοι σαυτῇ δὲ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις σου ποιήσεις ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτου LXE 1 Kings 17:13 And Eliu said to her, Be of good courage, go in and do according to thy word: but make me thereof a little cake, and thou shalt bring it out to me first, and thou shalt make some for thyself and thy children last. NET 1 Kings 17:13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go and do as you planned. But first make a small cake for me and bring it to me; then make something for yourself and your son. CSB 1 Kings 17:13 Then Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid; go and do as you have said. But first make me a small loaf from it and bring it out to me. Afterward, you may make some for yourself and your son, ESV 1 Kings 17:13 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. NIV 1 Kings 17:13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. NLT 1 Kings 17:13 But Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you've said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what's left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. NRS 1 Kings 17:13 Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. NJB 1 Kings 17:13 But Elijah said to her, 'Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make a little scone of it for me and bring it to me, and then make some for yourself and for your son. NAB 1 Kings 17:13 "Do not be afraid," Elijah said to her. "Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. Do not fear: Ex 14:13 2Ki 6:16 2Ch 20:17 Isa 41:10,13 Mt 28:5 Ac 27:24 make: Ge 22:1,2 Jdg 7:5-7 Mt 19:21,22 Heb 11:17 1Pe 1:7 first: Pr 3:9 Mal 3:10 Mt 6:33 10:37 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries ELIJAH'S FAITH IN ACTION Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear - Elijah prefaces his commands with calming words for her distraught spirit. In the Septuagint Elijah gives her a command "Be of good courage." Go, do as you have said - Elijah gives two commands to the widow. but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me - Elijah adds an "order" for bread to the widow's already scanty menu. Surely she was confused by this instruction but there is no record that she balks or complains. She was to exercise obedient faith first, and then her needs would be supplied. Many try to reverse this order -- Spurgeon and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son - So feed the stranger first and then your family. Elijah in making this statement clearly believes there will be sufficient provision for all three. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. Spurgeon: God indeed chose this woman, but He chose her for more than a miracle. He chose her for service. “The choice of this woman, while it brought such blessedness to her, involved service. She was not elected merely to be saved in the famine, but to feed the prophet. She must be a woman of faith; she must make the little cake first, and afterwards she shall have the multiplication of the meal and of the oil. So the grace of God does not choose men to sleep and wake up in heaven, nor choose them to live in sin and find themselves absolved at the last; nor choose them to be idle and go about their own worldly business, and yet to win a reward at the last for which they never toiled. Ah, no! The sovereign electing grace of God chooses us to repentance, to faith, and afterwards to holiness of living, to Christian service, to zeal, to devotion.” 1 Kings 17:14 “For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.’” thus says: 2Ki 3:16 7:1 9:6 The bowl of flour: 1Ki 17:4 2Ki 4:2-7,42-44 Mt 14:17-20 15:36-38 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries GOD PROMISES PROVISION FOR THE DROUGHT For - Term of explanation. The widow surely had questions and Elijah provides an explanation to her unspoken questions. thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth - Yahweh has communicated to His prophet that the widow's meager provision would be a sufficient supply signifying Yahweh's miraculous intervention is the widow's otherwise dismal state. Here again we see in this divine provision the confrontation of the All Sufficient God versus the absolute inadequacy of the false god of Baal to provide for his worshipers. Elijah's present faith was fortified by God's past faithfulness. C T Lacey - Having already seen the ravens arrive every morning and evening for a year with bread and meat, Elijah was confident that the Lord could easily sustain him, the woman, and her son with a handful of meal and a cruse of oil for two further years. It was not that they would be multiplied, but that they would not fail. To her credit she obeyed. (What the Bible Teaches – 1 and 2 Kings.) 1 Kings 17:14 Dwindling Resources The barrel of meal shall not be used up, neither shall the cruse of oil fail. 1 Kings 17:14 At some point in life most of us face the problem of dwindling resources. The story of the widow of Zarephath should encourage us to trust the Lord to supply our needs at all times. 1 Kings 17:15 So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days. did according: Ge 6:22 12:4 22:3 2Ch 20:20 Mt 15:28 Mk 12:43 Joh 11:40 Ro 4:19,20 Heb 11:7,8,17 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Genesis 6:22+ Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did. (THIS IS OUR PATTERN TO FOLLOW DAILY - GOD'S COMMANDS OBEYED WITHOUT HESITATION). THE SIDONIAN WIDOW BELIEVES ELIJAH'S WORD So - Term of conclusion. The Sidonian widow acts on Elijah's promise from God. Gotquestions has an interesting thought writing "The widow’s miracle only came after she prepared a meal for Elijah—an act of sincere faith on her part." She went and did according to the word of Elijah, and she and he and her household ate for many days - The widow's obedient actions demonstrate an element of faith in God's Word spoken through Elijah. Her obedience was richly rewarded by God's grace. God always rewards our obedience in one way or another. The length of time signified by for (many) days is not stated, just that the provisions were sufficient. I like Dale Ralph Davis' comment - And don’t forget that there was something continuous about this miracle (vv. 15b–16). It’s not as though there were suddenly several twenty-five pound bags of meal slouching against the wall of the widow’s kitchen. Instead it was a quiet daily drama of the jar and the jug. When she went to the cupboard on Monday there was enough meal in the jar and still some oil in the jug for that day. And so it went on through the weeks. Every morning was a fresh episode of the faithfulness of Yahweh to his promise. He had not said ‘the jar of meal will overflow’ but only that it ‘will never come to an end.’ Spurgeon - “Why did not God give her a granary full of meal at once, and a vat full of oil instantly? I will tell you. It was not merely because of God’s intent to try her, but there was wisdom here. Suppose he had given her a granary full of meal, how much of it would have been left by the next day? I question whether any would have remained, for in days of famine men are sharp of scent, and it would soon have been noised about the city, ‘The old widow woman who lives in such-and-such a street, has a great store of food.’ Why, they would have caused a riot, and robbed the house, and perhaps, have killed the woman and her son. She would have been despoiled of her treasure, and in four and twenty hours the barrel of meal would have been as empty as it was at first, and the cruse of oil would have been spilled upon the ground.” Philip Ryken - This was daily bread demanding daily faith in the providence of God. Every day that Elijah stayed in Zarephath, the widow went to her barrel of flour and her jar of oil and had just enough to make bread for one more day. (ILLUSTRATION) The Dutch Christian Corrie ten Boom had a similar experience in the German concentration camp at Ravensbrook. Corrie and her sister Betsie were captured by the Nazis for hiding Jews during World War II. Betsie became ill during their long imprisonment. Here is how Corrie describes giving her sister life-preserving vitamins: Another strange thing was happening. The bottle was continuing to produce drops. It scarcely seemed possible, so small a bottle, so many doses a day. Now, in addition to Betsie, a dozen others on our pier were taking it. My instinct was always to hoard it—Betsie was growing so very weak! But the others were ill as well. It was hard to say no to eyes that burned with fever, hands that shook with chill. I tried to save it for the very weakest—but even these soon numbered fifteen, twenty, twenty-five.… And still, every time I tilted the little bottle, a drop appeared at the tip of the glass stopper. It just couldn’t be! I held it up to the light, trying to see how much was left, but the dark brown glass was too thick to see through. “There was a woman in the Bible,” Betsie said, “whose oil jar was never empty.” She turned to it in the Book of Kings, the story of the poor widow of Zarephath.… It was one thing to believe that such things were possible thousands of years ago, another to have it happen now, to us, this very day. And yet it happened this day, and the next, and the next, until an awed little group of spectators stood around watching the drops fall onto the daily rations of bread. Many nights I lay awake in the shower of straw dust from the mattress above, trying to fathom the marvel of supply lavished upon us. “Maybe,” I whispered to Betsie, “only a molecule or two really gets through that little pinhole—and then in the air it expands!” I heard her soft laughter in the dark. “Don’t try too hard to explain it, Corrie. Just accept it as a surprise from a Father who loves you.” Then Corrie writes about the day that another prisoner brought some treasure back to the barracks: a piece of newspaper, a slice of bread, and a small sack of vitamins! “Back at the bunk I took the bottle from the straw. ‘We’ll finish the drops first,’ I decided. But that night, no matter how long I held it upside down, or how hard I shook it, not another drop appeared.” (BORROW Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place PAGE 184) Corrie ten Boom was encountering the same God that Elijah knew. Ravensbrook turned out to be aptly named, for there the ten Booms experienced the same providential care that Elijah received at his “raven’s brook,” and afterward. Elijah had enough to drink from the Brook Cherith—every day—until he licked the very last drop from the riverbed. Then the Lord sent him to the widow’s home in Zarephath, where he had enough to eat—every day—until the day rain fell on the earth again. This is the same God we serve today—the God who gives his servants daily bread. The Lord provides what we need every day. He gives us more than enough to survive and thrive. Therefore, we can offer the same testimony as the psalmist: “Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!” (Ps. 34:9). (1 Kings) J R Miller - "So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her son continued to eat from her supply of flour and oil for many days." 1 Kings 17:15 That is, she took the handful of flour she had and the little oil, and made a cake for her hungry guest first, and then for herself and her son. Then she found that there was as much meal and oil left—as she had before. There are several things to commend in this woman. One is her faith. She believed what was told her, and acted on it. It is when we do God's commandments, that he blesses us. His promises are conditional, depending upon the fulfillment of our part. Had this woman not believed and obeyed, the wonderful two or three years miracle in her house, would not have been wrought. The woman's unselfish generosity must also be commended. She had enough only for a meal for herself and son—but she fed the stranger first. Had she prepared a meal for herself and son, and left the hungry prophet unfed, there would have been no miracle of increase. We must be ready to share our little with others who need, if we would have the blessing on ourselves. J R Miller - "So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her son continued to eat from her supply of flour and oil for many days." 1 Kings 17:15 Had not the prophet come to the widow's door, she and her household would probably have perished in the famine. Or had the woman refused the prophet's request, saying, "I cannot spare anything for a stranger; charity begins at home, and I must look first after my own," she and her son would have starved before the rain fell. The meal wasted not, because she shared it with another. The lesson is plain. There is a withholding that tends to poverty; there is a giving that enriches. The way to make sure of spiritual blessing is—to seek to be a blessing. If your love is growing cold, help someone, and it will become warm again. We cannot afford to shut our doors in the face of those whom God sends to us for sympathy and for the ministries of love. Such serving brings to us blessings which we must not miss. 1 Kings 17:16 The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah. The bowl of flour Mt 9:28-30 19:26 Lu 1:37,45 Joh 4:50,51 according: 1Ki 13:5 spoke through Elijah 1Ki 16:12 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries GOD'S PROMISE FULFILLED The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah - Elijah's confidence that the flour and oil would last was based on God's Word to him. God's Word once again is proven true and reliable for provisions did not cease. It is as if every day was a miracle and thus a testimony to the widow (and Elijah) of God's faithfulness. THOUGHT - Is God's holy Word your "daily bread," the Source of your confidence and hope (hope sure, not hope so)? It can be if you go to His Word daily as a beggar seeking bread, in this case the bread of life. And beloved, you can be sure this bread will never run out, for the Word of God abides forever. Ps 119:89 says "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." Henry
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - Thus shall our little always be enough. We shall often scrape the bottom of the barrel, but there will always be a handful left. It may be that we shall never have much in hand, but this is no evil, for then our provision will never grow stale, but come to us fresh from our heavenly Father’s hand F B
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - The Inexhaustible Barrel (full sermon) --or listen to this sermon “And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.” 1 Kings 17:16 If God saves us, it will be a trying matter. All the way to heaven, we shall only get there by the skin of our teeth. We shall not go to heaven sailing along with sails swelling in the breeze, like sea birds with their fair white wings, but we shall proceed with sails torn to ribbons, with masts creaking, and the ship’s pumps at work both by night and day. We shall reach the city at the shutting of the gate, but not an hour before. O believer, thy Lord will bring thee safe to the end of thy pilgrimage; but mark, thou wilt never have one particle of strength to waste in wantonness upon the road. There will be enough to get thee up the hill Difficulty, but only enough then by climbing on your hands and knees. You will have strength enough to fight Apollyon, but when the battle is over your arm will have no strength remaining. Your trials will be so many, that if you had only one trial more, it would be like the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. But, nevertheless, though God’s love should thus try you all the journey through, your faith will bear the trying, for while God dashes you down to the earth with one hand in providence, he will lift you up with the other in grace. You will have consolation and affliction weighed out in equal degree, ounce for ounce, and grain for grain; you will be like the Israelite in the wilderness, if you gather much manna, you will have nothing over; while blessed be God, if you gather little you shall have no lack. You shall have daily grace for daily trials. Here are some more quotes from this sermon Be ye then confident, when ye hear of wars, and rumours of wars. Let no agitation distress you. Whatsoever cometh upon the earth, you, beneath the broad wings of Jehovah, shall be secure. Stay yourself upon his promise; rest ye in his faithfulness, and bid defiance to the blackest future, for there is nothing in it direful for you. I propose to take the case of the poor widow of Sarepta as an illustration of divine love, as it manifests itself to man; and I shall have three things for you to notice. First, the object of divine love; secondly, the singular methods of divine love; and, then, in the third place, the undying faithfulness of divine love—“The barrel of meal did not waste, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord.” Our Saviour himself teaches us when he says, “I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.” Here was divine sovereignty. When God would make choice of a woman it was not one of his own favoured race of Israel, but a poor benighted heathen, sprung from a race who of old had been doomed to be utterly cut off. Here was electing love in one of its sovereign manifestations. But because he chooses to take the base things of this world, the things that are despised, and the things that are not; because he takes these things to bring to nought the things that are, therefore is God hated of men None can guess the reasons of divine election. This great act is as mysterious as it is gracious. Throughout Scripture we are continually startled with resplendent instances of unlimited sovereignty, and the case of this widow is one among the many. Electing love passes by the thousands of widows that dwelt in God’s own land, and it journeys beyond the borders of Canaan, to cherish and preserve a heathen woman of Sarepta. Some men hate the doctrine of divine sovereignty; but those who are called by grace love it, for they feel, if it had not been for sovereignty they never would have been saved. Ah, if we are now his people, what was there in any of us to merit the esteem of God? How is it that some of us are converted, while our companions in sin are left to persevere in their godless career? How is it that some of us who were once drunkards, swearers, and the like, are now sitting here to praise the God of Israel this day? Ah, my dear friends, this is just where sovereign grace finds us all—in the depth of poverty and misery. I do not mean, of course, temporal poverty, but I mean spiritual distress. So long as we have a full barrel of our own merits, God will have nothing to do with us. So long as the cruse of oil is full to overflowing, we shall never taste the mercy of God. For God will not fill us until we are emptied of self. Spurgeon - Morning and Evening See the faithfulness of divine love. You observe that this woman had daily necessities. She had herself and her son to feed in a time of famine; and now, in addition, the prophet Elijah was to be fed too. But though the need was threefold, yet the supply of meal wasted not, for she had a constant supply. Each day she made calls upon the barrel, but yet each day it remained the same. You, dear reader, have daily necessities, and because they come so frequently, you are apt to fear that the barrel of meal will one day be empty, and the cruse of oil will fail you. Rest assured that, according to the Word of God, this shall not be the case. Each day, though it bring its trouble, shall bring its help; and though you should live to outnumber the years of Methuselah, and though your needs should be as many as the sands of the seashore, yet shall God’s grace and mercy last through all your necessities, and you shall never know a real lack. For three long years, in this widow’s days, the heavens never saw a cloud, and the stars never wept a holy tear of dew upon the wicked earth: famine, and desolation, and death, made the land a howling wilderness, but this woman never was hungry, but always joyful in abundance. So shall it be with you. You shall see the sinner’s hope perish, for he trusts his native strength; you shall see the proud Pharisee’s confidence totter, for he builds his hope upon the sand; you shall see even your own schemes blasted and withered, but you yourself shall find that your place of defence shall be the munition of rocks: “Your bread shall be given you, and your water shall be sure.” Better have God for your guardian, than the Bank of England for your possession. You might spend the wealth of the Indies, but the infinite riches of God you can never exhaust. THE INCREASE OF THE WIDOW’S BARREL OF MEAL AND CRUSE OF OIL - W. Harris “And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah.”—1 Kings 17:16. I.—There are laws in God’s universe by which bread can be given to the eater without multiplying the seed of the sower. The ordinary laws in operation in the world for the supply of food are those by which increase is made to depend upon growth through life. Whatever sustains human life grows, by reason of indwelling life, and is multiplied by reproduction. But in the narrative before us we have the revelation of a method of increasing food without growth. God may have as many ways of producing bread, as He has kinds of bread-stuffs. As minerals are added to from without, so God can add to vegetables in the same manner when He pleases. II.—Human faith is needed to bring into operation the law by which miracles are wrought. The ordinary wonders of creation connected with growth are wrought without the co-operation of human faith. The sun shines upon the infidel’s corn-field as effectively as upon the Christian’s, and the ungodly man partakes of the bountiful gifts of God’s ordinary providence as well as the holiest man. But the operation of extraordinary laws demand certain conditions of mind on the part of man. In the case before us, the faith of the prophet is shown in his confident declaration, “Thus saith the Lord;” and that of the widow in her obedience to His command (verse 13). III.—Self-denial springing from faith in God, will bring Divine interposition and an increase of blessing. The widow of Zarephath denied herself the gratification of appetite when she was doubtless suffering from want of food; more than that, she delayed to appease the hunger of her son and made a cake first for God’s prophet. Her self-denial in the matter of her son was of the same kind as that of Abraham, although not in the same degree. She was willing to make her child’s life of secondary consideration when God so commanded, and, like Abraham, she received a most abundant reward. God will be under obligation to no man. “A cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple” (Matt. 10:42) shall in “no wise lose its reward.” If we give unto Him, He will give us back “good measure and running over.” LESSONS I.—God may send His servants where His and their enemies have most power, in order to manifest His power to preserve them. Zarephath was a city of Zidon, the native home of Jezebel (ch. 16:31), Elijah’s bitterest enemy. She possessed power there, doubtless, and could probably have compassed his death there more easily than in the land of Israel. Yet he dwelt there peacefully for “many days,” or “a full year.” II.—The most unlikely people may be used by God to help our need. There must have been many people both in Israel and Zidon who possessed abundant means to help Elijah, but his help came through a poor widow on the brink of starvation. “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.” III.—We must use what we have in order to receive the increase which God intends we shall have. The seed-corn must be used if we are to receive the increase, the little strength of the man recovering from sickness must be used in order to obtain more; the knowledge of things human or divine must be brought into exercise that more may be acquired, as certainly as the Zidonian widow must use every day the meal and oil needed for the sustenance of herself and her household if they were to increase. “Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury” (Matt. 25:27). SELECTED—I I.—How hard precepts doth God lay where He intends bounty. We are wont to put hard questions to scholars whom we would promote to higher forms. If God had not meant the widow’s preservation He would not have required of her to see her last morsels go down another’s throat. In all achievements the difficulty of the enterprise makes way for the glory of the actor. II.—Giving, not getting, not saving, is the way to abundance. Who can fear want by a merciful liberality, when he sees the Sareptan had famished if she had not given, and by giving, abounded?—Adapted from Bishop Hall. SELECTED—II I.—In regions most unexpected those may be found who know God. In a heathen land Elijah finds in a poor widow what he had sought in vain in Israel: faith in the living God. II.—When the need is greatest, then is God nearest. On the very day when the widow comes to her last supplies, her distress comes to an end, and she has thenceforth her daily bread. III.—The same God who spoke the promise by Elijah has promised us, that so long as the earth lasts, seed-time and harvest shall not cease (Gen. 8:22). We are astonished at the little miracle at Sarepta, but we pass over with indifference the large miracle which is repeated year by year for the whole world.—Lange’s Commentary. Spurgeon - The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the LORD he had spoken through Elijah.” In the midst of wrath, God remembers mercy. Divine love is rendered conspicuous when it shines in the midst of judgments. God had sent an all-consuming famine on the lands of Israel and Sidon. The two peoples had provoked the Most High, the one by renouncing him and the other by sending their queen Jezebel to teach idolatry in Israel. God therefore determined to withhold both dew and rain from the polluted lands. But while he did this, he took care that his own chosen ones would be secure. If all the brooks are dry, yet there will be one reserved for Elijah. And if that should fail, God will still preserve for him a place of sustenance. And God had not simply one Elijah, but he had a remnant according to the election of grace, who were hidden by fifties in a cave. Though the whole land was subject to famine, these in the cave were fed even from Ahab’s table—by his faithful, God-fearing steward, Obadiah. Come what may, God’s people are safe. If the world is to be burned with fire, among the ashes there will not be found the relics of a saint. And if God cannot save his people under heaven, he will save them in heaven. 1 Kings 17:17 Now it came about after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. the son of the woman: Ge 22:1,2 2Ki 4:18-20 Zec 12:10 Joh 11:3,4,14 Jas 1:2-4,12 1Pe 1:7 4:12 there was no breath left in him: Job 12:10 34:14 Ps 104:29 Da 5:23 Jas 2:26 1 Kings 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries WIDOW'S SON EXPIRES Now it came about after these things - What things? The provision of supplies for days just as God had promised through Elijah. Of course things just don't "come about" by accident but by the sovereign will of God. Once again we see that He is behind the scenes orchestrating the events in this drama. that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him - God is in control of life and death and it follows that his death was allowed by God. The mother knew her son was not just unconscious but was definitely dead, which sets the stage for the miracle. David
1 Reis 17
Spurgeon - We are all too apt to mistake the grounds of our afflictions, and to blame second causes. The child had been preserved from starving by the prophet, how then could the woman blame him for his death? Sorrow makes us hasty. Elijah knew this, and was very tender towards her. Bob