1 Kings 17 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

1 Kings 17

Elijah Predicts a Drought

17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe¹ in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the LORD came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

The Widow of Zarephath

8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed 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. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 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. 14 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.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 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.

Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son

17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 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!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life² come into him again.” 22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” 24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.”

Footnotes

[1] 17:1 Septuagint; Hebrew of the settlers
[2] 17:21 Or soul; also verse 22

Commentary

v1: God showed His grace and faithfulness to His people, in continuing to speak to a rebellious nation. The Lord God of Israel still lived, whatever the spiritual condition of Israel; He is not dependent upon us. Through the years of drought, God provided for Elijah.

The prophecy concerning rain was significant. Baal was the rain god. A three year drought was a direct challenge to Baal. And a prelude to the confrontation on Mount Carmel.

v2-6: Elijah stayed at the Brook Kerith (Cherith), where God fed him daily, using ravens. Elijah was called to bring the word of God, but also to live a life of faith,, modelling the type of life that God commanded.

v7-9: God sent Elijah to Zarephath. God provided in a different way. He said, "I have commanded", so it must happen. The widow lived outside of Israel, see Luke 4.25-26; God was never limited by national boundaries.

The widow was near to starvation; she was making a meal for her son and herself, "that we may eat it - and die"(v12): this was her last food. God sent His prophet to a starving widow outside Israel; such is His power and grace.

v10-14: The widow had to learn to put God first; in this instance, it meant providing for Elijah; he had her water, and oil, and flour (Prov 3.9-10). The picture is of the work of God in our lives, through Christ (flour; a grain of wheat) and the Holy Spirit (oil), and the Word of God (water). God is truly all we need.

The familiar 'still small voice' might be translated 'sheer silence,' as some versions have. The Hebrew is difficult to translate exactly - and that is the point. 'Yahweh met Elijah in a quiet, inarticulate breathing - God's breath, Gods life.' (Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way)

v15-16: The widow obeyed Elijah. God honoured His word, and there was sufficient food for them.

v17-18: At a later time the widow's son was taken ill, and he died. The woman saw this as a punishment from God for her sins.

v19-21: Elijah took the matter to God in prayer. This is his first recorded prayer, although evidently he was a man of prayer, truly in touch with God.

v22-24: Further proof that Elijah was truly a man of God. The words from his mouth were consistent with his actions.

Even though Elijah usually lived in seclusion, his testimony to Israel was powerful.