Matthew Henry Commentary 1 Kings 17
Matthew Henry Commentary
1 Kings 17
Matthew Henry Commentary
1 Kings 17
"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of Jehovah; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land." — 1 Kings 17:1-7 (ASV)
God wonderfully equips people for the work He designs them for. The times were suited for an Elijah; an Elijah was suited for them. The Spirit of the Lord knows how to prepare people for the occasions. Elijah let Ahab know that God was displeased with the idolaters and would discipline them by a lack of rain, which it was not in the power of the gods they served to bestow.
Elijah was commanded to hide himself. If Providence calls us to solitude and retirement, it is fitting for us to go: when we cannot be useful, we must be patient; and when we cannot work for God, we must sit still quietly for Him. The ravens were appointed to bring him food, and did so. Let those who live from hand to mouth learn to depend on Providence and trust it for the bread of the day, in the day.
God could have sent angels to minister to him; but He chose to show that He can serve His own purposes by the humblest creatures, as effectively as by the mightiest. Elijah seems to have continued this way for over a year. The natural supply of water, which came by common providence, failed; but the miraculous supply of food, assured to him by promise, did not fail. If the heavens fail, the earth fails as a consequence; such are all our earthly comforts: we lose them when we most need them, like brooks in summer.
But there is a river that makes glad the city of God, that never runs dry, a well of water that springs up to eternal life. Lord, give us that living water! (1 Kings 17:8–16)
"And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee. 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, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the 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. 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 forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat [many] days. The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Elijah." — 1 Kings 17:8-16 (ASV)
Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, and some, it is likely, would have welcomed him to their houses; yet he is sent to honour and bless with his presence a city of Sidon, a Gentile city, and so becomes the first prophet to the Gentiles. Jezebel was Elijah's greatest enemy; yet, to show her how powerless her malice was, God will find a hiding place for him even in her own country. The person appointed to entertain Elijah is not one of the rich or great men of Sidon, but a poor widow, in need and desolate, who is made both able and willing to sustain him.
It is God's way, and it is his glory, to make use of and to honour the weak and foolish things of the world. O woman, great was your faith; one has not found the like, no, not in Israel. She took the prophet at his word, that she would not lose by it. Those who can venture on God's promise will not hesitate to expose and empty themselves in his service, by giving him his part first. Surely the increase of this widow's faith, enabling her so readily to deny herself and to depend upon the divine promise, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace as the increase of her meal and oil in the kingdom of providence.
Happy are all who can thus, against hope, believe and obey in hope. One poor meal this poor widow gave the prophet; in return for it, she and her son ate for over two years during a time of famine. To have food from God's special favour, and in such good company as Elijah, made it more than doubly sweet. It is promised to those who trust in God, that they shall not be ashamed in evil time; in days of famine they shall be satisfied.
"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. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son! And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, I pray thee, let this child`s soul come into him again. And Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 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. And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth." — 1 Kings 17:17-24 (ASV)
Neither faith nor obedience shuts out afflictions and death. The child being dead, the mother spoke to the prophet, rather to give vent to her sorrow than in hope of relief.
When God removes our comforts from us, He remembers our sins against us, perhaps the sins of our youth, though long past. When God remembers our sins against us, He intends to teach us to remember them against ourselves and to repent of them.
Elijah's prayer was doubtless directed by the Holy Spirit. The child revived. See the power of prayer, and the power of Him who hears prayer.
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