1 Kings 17:8-24

1 Kings 17:8-24

[8] And the word  of the LORD  came unto him, saying,  [9] Arise,  thee to Zarephath,  which belongeth to Zidon,  and dwell  there: behold, I have commanded  a widow  woman  there to sustain  [10] So he arose  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.  [11] to fetch  it, he called  to her, and said,  Bring  me, I pray thee, a morsel  of bread  in thine hand.  [12] And she said,  As the LORD  thy God  liveth,  I have  not a cake,  but an handful  of meal  in a barrel,  and a little  oil  in a cruse:  and, behold, I am gathering  two  sticks,  that I may go in  and dress  it for me and my son,  that we may eat  it, and die.  [13] And Elijah  said  unto her, Fear  not; go  and do  as thou hast said:  but make  me thereof  a little  cake  first,  and bring  it unto me, and after  make  for thee and for thy son.  [14] For thus saith  the LORD  God  of Israel,  The barrel  of meal  shall not waste,  neither shall the cruse  of oil  fail,  until the day  that the LORD  sendeth  rain  upon  the earth.  [15] and did  according to the saying  of Elijah:  and she, and he, and her house,  did eat  many days.  [16] 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.  [17] And it came to pass after  these things,  that the son  of the woman,  the mistress  of the house,  fell sick;  and his sickness  was so  sore,  that there was no breath  left  in him. [18] And she said  unto Elijah,  What have I to do with thee, O thou man  of God?  art thou come  my sin  to remembrance,  and to slay  my son?  [19] And he said  unto her, Give  me thy son.  And he took  him out of her bosom,  and carried him up  into a loft,  where he abode,  and laid  him upon his own bed.  [20] And he cried  and said,  my God,  hast thou also brought evil  upon the widow  with whom I sojourn,  by slaying  her son?  [21] And he stretched  himself upon the child  three  times,  and cried  unto the LORD,  and said,  O LORD  my God,  I pray thee, let this child's  soul  into him  again.  [22] And the LORD  heard  the voice  of Elijah;  and the soul  of the child  into him  again,  and he revived.  [23] And Elijah  took  the child,  and brought him down  out of the chamber  into the house,  and delivered  him unto his mother:  and Elijah  said,  See,  thy son  liveth.  [24] And the woman  said  to Elijah,  Now by this  I know  that thou art a man  of God,  and that the word  of the LORD  in thy mouth  is truth. 

What does 1 Kings 17:8-24 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

God had a very unusual ministry for Elijah to perform in which he would stand alone against hundreds of opponents ( 1 Kings 18:16-40). This section reveals how the Lord prepared him for it.
The site of Zarephath was between Tyre and Sidon in Phoenicia, the stronghold of the cult that Ahab had imported into Israel (cf. 1 Kings 16:31). Widows were poor in the ancient Near East and would have been the first to run out of food in a drought. [1] Elijah"s request for water and then bread ( 1 Kings 17:10-11) evidently identified the widow God had in mind (cf. Genesis 24:10-21). Her response revealed a Gentile believer in Yahweh ( 1 Kings 17:12; cf. 1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:26). Elijah asked the widow to put God"s interests-represented by himself, a prophet of Yahweh-before her own as the condition for her blessing ( 1 Kings 17:13; cf. Matthew 6:33; Mark 12:41-44). She responded obediently to the word Elijah gave her from God, showing she really believed that Yahweh, not Baal, was the God who could provide food and fertility ( 1 Kings 17:14). God honored her faith; He provided her need for food ( 1 Kings 17:15-16).
"In the absence of Baal who lies impotent in the Netherworld, Yahweh steps in to assist the widow and the orphan, and this is even done in the heartland of Baal, Phoenicia." [2]
This situation undoubtedly strengthened Elijah"s faith in God"s power and faithfulness, as well as the faith of the woman.
"The fact that Elijah had to sustain the widow and boy points not only to YHWH as provider for the needy but also as one who "trained" his prophet, as it were, to be obedient to him. Flour and oil signify life; they are the two common staples in any ancient, as well as modern, Near Eastern household." [3]
The sickness of the widow"s son corresponded to Israel"s spiritual condition at this time ( 1 Kings 17:17). The widow incorrectly blamed herself for her son"s predicament ( 1 Kings 17:18; cf. John 9:2-3). Elijah realized that only God could bring the boy back to life, so he called on God in prayer to do so ( 1 Kings 17:20-21). Often in cases of miraculous restoration, God"s servant placed his hand on the afflicted one. He did so to indicate that the power of God in him was passing to the needy individual (cf. Matthew 8:3). In this instance Elijah placed his whole body against the boy"s body for the same reason ( 1 Kings 17:21; cf. 2 Kings 4:34; Acts 9:31-43; Acts 20:10). This is the first restoration to life of a dead person that Scripture records. Elijah prayed shamelessly, one of the fundamental requisites for obtaining one"s petitions in difficult cases ( 1 Kings 17:21; cf. Matthew 7:7-8; Luke 11:5-13). God restored the lad"s life ( 1 Kings 17:22). In the process Elijah learned the power of God and the power of prayer. He applied both of these lessons in his contest with the Baal prophets ( 1 Kings 18:16-46). His confidence in his own ability as a channel of God"s blessing and word received added strength from the widow"s confession ( 1 Kings 17:24).
"The best proof of the effectiveness of Elijah"s preparation is that he was verified as an authentic man of God and the bearer of God"s word by a daughter of the very people he opposed ( 1 Kings 17:24)." [4]
If God could raise a dead Gentile boy back to life in response to believing prayer, He could also revive the chosen people of Israel who had become spiritually dead.
". . . the emphasis in this text [5] is not so much on Elijah as on the word of the Lord which is in Elijah"s mouth." [2]
1 Kings 17:17-24 display a chiastic structure that highlights Elijah"s control of the situation and his intimate relationship with Yahweh that resulted in the miraculous resuscitation of the boy.
"A"What have you against me, O man of God?"B"Give me your son!"CAnd he took him and brought him upDAnd he cried to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God."EAnd he stretched upon the boyD"And he called to the Lord and said, "O Lord my God."E"And the Lord heard the voice of ElijahC"And Elijah took the child and brought him downB""See your son lives!"A""Now I know that you are a man of God."" [4]
"The whole point of the story, however, seems to be paramountly a demonstration that YHWH, not Baal, has the power of life over death." [8]