*1 Kings 17:1-24
Elijah prophesies a drought in Israel as punishment from God, and God miraculously sustains him by ravens and a widow at Zarephath.
- Elijah’s Prophecy:
- Elijah’s Provision by the Brook:
- Following the prophecy, God commands Elijah to retreat to the Kerith Ravine, where he drinks from a brook and is fed by ravens, experiencing supernatural provision during the drought.
- Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath:
- As the brook dries up due to the prolonged drought, God instructs Elijah to go to Zarephath, where a widow will provide for him.
- Upon encountering the widow, Elijah asks for water and bread. The widow, destitute and with only a handful of flour and a little oil left, expresses her dire situation.
- God’s Miraculous Provision:
- Despite the widow’s lack, Elijah assures her that God will not let her resources run dry until the drought ends.
- Miraculously, the widow’s jar of flour and jug of oil remain full, providing sustenance for Elijah, the widow, and her household throughout the famine.
- The Death and Resurrection of the Widow’s Son:
- Tragically, the widow’s son falls ill and dies, leading her to confront Elijah in anguish.
- Elijah takes the boy, prays earnestly to God, and God mercifully restores the child’s life, affirming Elijah’s prophetic authority and demonstrating God’s compassion even in the face of death.
- The Widow’s Response:
- Overwhelmed by the miracle, the widow acknowledges Elijah as a true prophet of God and professes her faith in God’s presence with Elijah.
In 1 Kings 17:1-24, God provides for Elijah and a widow in unexpected ways, showing that He cares for our needs even in difficult times. This teaches us to trust God, even when we don’t see a clear way forward. Just as the widow shared what little she had and saw God’s blessings, we can learn to be generous and have faith that God will take care of us. When we face struggles, we should remember that God can work through ordinary people and situations to bring help and hope.
1 Kings 17:1-24 (WEB)
17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”2 Then the LORD’s word came to him, saying, 3 “Go away from here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the LORD’s word, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith that is before the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. 7 After a while, the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.8 The LORD’s word came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.”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. He called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.”11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”12 She said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you have said; but make me a little cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make some for you and for your son. 14 For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of meal will not run out, and the jar of oil will not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.’ ”15 She went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, he, and her household ate many days. 16 The jar of meal didn’t run out and the jar of oil didn’t fail, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by Elijah.17 After these things, 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. 18 She said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, you man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son!”19 He said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the room where he stayed, and laid him on his own bed. 20 He cried to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, have you also brought evil on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”21 He stretched himself on the child three times, and cried to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, please let this child’s soul come into him again.”22 The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the room into the house, and delivered him to his mother; and Elijah said, “Behold, your son lives.”24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the LORD’s word in your mouth is truth.”