Resources 1 Kings 17 - Elijah Take a look at this story ... looking at the three main characters. Israel - As a nation Elijah - God’s prophet Widow - A foreigner Then finally applying each of these ‘characters’ to us. Israel After the death of Solomon - the kingdom of Israel is split in two. Rehoboam ( Solomon’s son is in charge of the south - Judah ) Jereboam an official of Solomon’s becomes King of the northern Kingdom - Israel. Full scale civil war was averted, but intermittent skirmishes would continue to take place for many years. Our thoughts are based around what happened in the southern Kingdom of Israel. Jereboam didn’t follow after God - he set up idols, built shrines on high places, he appointed his own priests, he made two golden calves for the people of Israel to worship. 1 Kings 13 : 33 - 34 tells us of the exact position of the house of Jereboam. ( Read ) Over the next sixty years each of the six kings following Jereboam failed to turn to God - and continued to follow after Jereboam. So we come to the reign of Ahab. This is the description of his reign - 16 : 30ff ( Read ) This is the position of the people of Israel. They had as a nation turned away from God. They not only made their own gods, they followed the gods of the people around them. Their sin was not just one of idolatry and wickedness, they no longer heard the Word of the Lord or obeyed it. They went their own way, appointing their own choices of people to act as their priests. It is true to add, that the corruption of the priesthood was critical to the downfall of the nation. It was openly declared by the people and Kings of Israel that Baal lived and that Jehovah ceased to be. The King and priests in Israel were supposed to be God’s anointed - God’s official representative - leading the people. This had failed totally - the system was in a terrible state and along comes God’s man - a Prophet - a servant on to the scene. Elijah arrives. We no nothing about his parental background, his training, his previous history - all we know is were he came from and that according to 1 Kings 19 : 10 he had God’s glory and honour at heart and God’s name meant more to him than anything else. And from James 5 : 17 that he was a man of prayer. He arrives on the scene - Goes directly to the King and pronounces the judgement of God upon the nation. Perhaps Elijah had in mind those verses of scripture from Deut 11 : 16 -17 ‘Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.’ Famine was to come upon the people of Israel. - The god they had turned to - Baal; the god of fertility and lord of the rain clouds - was rendered powerless by the Almighty, Creator God! Elijah, this man of God was acquainted with the Word of God; He prayed in accordance with the Word of God that he would honour His Word and in so doing, protect His own Name and bring glory to Himself - Jehovah; the God of Israel. He was God’s servant, who was faithful and obedient to God, even in the face of insurmountable obstacles - death itself and deliverers God’s Word. We see also, something more of Elijah in the following verses as he relies totally on the Lord for provision and strength. The birds fed him, he drank from a brook and when the brook had dried up, God sent him into the heart of Baal territory to be provided for by a widow woman. Elijah, was being asked to leave the land of his fathers and dwell in the very place that Jezebel originated from and it was from here that he would have his needs met by a widow woman. Elijah got up and went. He was obedient. So to the widow woman ... A native of Zarephath in Sidon - the home of Baal worship. A foreigner to the people of Israel and yet one used by God in bringing about his purpose. A woman who was poor, who had no servant to help her, who had no one to care for her as she was now a widow and left alone with her son. A woman who no doubt was feeling the effects of the famine spreading out in to the surrounding areas and resulting in her having virtually nothing left. A woman who was ready to die. She was out and about collecting fire wood and planning the last meal for her son and herself. A strange person for Elijah to come across and have his needs met through her and yet, he does not doubt and little did this woman know what was about to happen ... This woman meets Elijah, she recognizes him as an Israelite and knows of Elijah’s God. Elijah brings her God’s word ( : 14 ) - My God will provide. But some time later her son dies and with it all her future hope of life and provision and care. Why have you brought this upon me? What have you got against me man of God? Have you come to remind me of my sin? Elijah, takes the son and cries out to the Lord his God - the Lord hears Elijah’s prayer and the son is brought back to life again. The widow responds - ‘the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.’ The widow now has new hope - new life through her son being raised back to life. Her confession about the truth of God and his word was being made in the very heartland of Baal territory. It was a truth that Israel as a nation failed to make in that day. And so to us ... what is the application for you and me? There are many things we could dwell on and make mention. Let’s look at Israel ... What about our failure and turning away from God - as a nation ( are we praying for our nation? ) Idolatry had set in, other things had been placed there instead of God - What about us? What about the word of God - do we know it and ignore it? Are we refusing to listen to the judgements that God pronounces? Have we hardened our heart to the word of God that even after severe famine we fail to turn to him? What about us and Elijah... ? Are we :- Servant; faithful; obedient; God’s messenger; zealous for God’s name; concerned about the honour of God’s name; a man of prayer; humble? ( Elijah ) faced death at the hand of a King, through starvation, through residing in Baal territory and even resting with a widow woman who had virtually nothing ..... But in all these he trusted in his God - that he would keep, sustain, provide, deal with all the detail in spite of massive obstacles. Or what about us and the widow ... ? A stranger to God’s word - but yet knows of him. Some one who acknowledged their sin and that judgement of sin is the result. Some one who in seeing her son brought back to life - had a new hope and a confession of trust in the God of Israel. What about us? ( re above paragraph ) So many lessons to be learned from this chapter - as we look at the 3 main characters. But what about us? Back to top of page

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