ELIJAH: The Widow's Son
The churches of Christ Greet
You
(Romans
Text: 1 Kings
Introduction
After the day the
Prophet
made his proclamation before King Ahab, Elijah's work and ministry was
dramatically
changed. He had been removed from what he thought was his primary
calling
as a prophet of the Lord and was sent to minister to a poor widow and
her
son outside the
Instead, into this
woman's
life comes the prophet Elijah and her life takes on a sudden and
dramatic
change. Instead of physical starvation and death there is now food and
life
provided daily by a miracle of God. How exciting it must have been to
live
with such a daily miraculous supply, just as the prophet had promised,
until
rain according to the Word of Lord God of Israel (1 Kings 17:14, 16).
In place
of having no true understanding of the living God, there was in her
home a
man of God with the knowledge of God who surely taught her and her son
about Yahweh, the God of Israel. Rather than spiritual starvation and
death, there was the opportunity to feed on the truth of God.
Application: We have the privilege of feeding on the gift
of
God's daily provision as we likewise feed on the living Word (Christ)
in
the written Word (the Bible) which is our Bread of Life. With the
universal
indwelling of the Spirit of God in children of God during this
Christian
age, we may also experience daily Christ’s work and ministry.
Furthermore,
we can also experience God's daily supply of our physical needs. Just
as
Elijah promised the bowl of flour would not be exhausted, so we have
the
promise, "my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in
glory
by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).
Question: How well are we handling God's daily supply?
Are
we presuming on the Lord or taking Him for granted? Are we growing in
our
walk with Him? Is He our source of trust and joy or is it in the supply
-
in what we get from Him? We don't mean just in the food on the table,
but
even in our spiritual experiences with God? It seems some people must
have
incredible experiences, little daily “miracles,” for God to be real or
for
them to see God working in their lives. That's not spiritually healthy.
Let's
look at what happens next in the life of Elijah to see what we can
learn!
Removal
of
Life From the Son - Death (
"Now it came about
.
. ." (cf. 1 Kings
First, with these
words
the text introduces us to a tragic turn of events in the life of the
widow
- the very one to whom Elijah was sent to minister. It's an event that
affected
both the widow and the Prophet. That's the way life is. Suffering
affects
all of us - or should. Your suffering may not be directly mine, but God
has
called us to be ready to minister and be there for one another (cf.
Rom.
Second, this sudden
turn
of events, the death of the son, was not by accident. While we have
accidents,
we stumble, we fall, we can walk or drive out in front of an on-coming
automobile
because we are preoccupied, etc., still, from God's perspective there
are
no accidents in the life of a Christian or with anyone for that matter.
What
happened here was the result of the sovereign will and purpose of God
who
works all things together for good (cf. Rom.
How, then, should
this
knowledge affect us? Well, that's precisely the point of this passage.
Compare
Psalm 138:8 with 139:1-12. Psalm 138:8 concerns God's purpose for one's
life.
The NIV has, "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me." What a
wonderful
truth to undergird our hearts and strengthen our faith as we go through
the
ups and downs of life.
"Now it came about
after
these things"
After
what things? Let's not
miss
this! The death of the widow's son occurred after the blessings and
miraculous
daily provisions mentioned in 1 Kings 17:13-16. His death occurred
after
the appearance of the Prophet to help the widow. After
the faith and response of the woman. And after the continuous
miraculous
supply of the flour and the oil by which they were all sustained and
which
were symbolic of God's spiritual provision. In other words, after
everything
seemed to be okay, God placed a bend, a turn in the road.
Now, how was the
woman
to deal with this? Indeed, how would we deal with this? Here God had
miraculously
supplied her needs and kept both her and her son alive. Now, suddenly,
her
son dies. Can you imagine what her thoughts were? Probably something
like,
"I don't understand this, God! You provided all of these blessings, and
now
you take away my son?" In itself, this doesn't seem to make sense. It
doesn't
seem fair. Have you ever felt like this? Of course, and you will feel
like
this again.
Application:
First: Quite
unexpectedly,
in the midst of a period of God's supply and relative ease and quiet,
disaster
strikes. The widow's son is taken sick and actually dies - with the
Prophet
of the living God living right in her home! Elijah had most likely been
teaching
this lady and her son the truth of God. She, however, like so many
people
today, may have been more interested in the physical blessings, in the
interesting
elements of the spiritual nourishment and in the daily miracle than in
really
getting to know God. The Lord, however, was more concerned that she get to know Him because He was her real need (cf.
John
6:23-27; Matt. 12:38-39; 16:1-4).
Second: As we
experience
God's blessing and provision, especially after some kind of test or
trial,
there is always a subtle temptation for us to think we have passed the
test
and everything is going to be easier from now on. The worst is past.
The
storm is over. From here on it's going to be smooth sailing. But such
an
attitude ignores some basic truth:
This world is
neither
We tend to forget
the
necessity of suffering with the many reasons for suffering that we find
set
forth in the Scripture. The Lord knows that it is simply not good for
us
to float along without times of testing because so often we can't seem
to
stand prosperity. We so easily become independent and self-centered.
With
prosperity comes the temptation to forget the Lord. We live to be
comfortable,
rather than to know God and grow in His character. Note the warnings of
Deuteronomy
6:10-13 and the repeated warnings against forgetting or the call to
remember
(Against forgetting: Deut. 4:9, 23; 6:12; 8:11, 14, 19; 9:7; 25:19; To
remember:
5:15; 7:18; 8:2, 18; 9:7, 27; 15:15).
We treat the tests
of
life as something foreign and strange. Either we forget or we ignore
both
the Lord's warning and Peter's that we should never be surprised by
trials
nor think them strange (John 15:18; 16:33; 1 Pet. 4:12). Peter reminds
us
that trials are sometimes "necessary."
“In this you
greatly
rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have
been
distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more
precious
than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found
to
result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ”
(1
Peter 1:6-7, NASB)
Illustration: There was a man who received a call from an
old
friend. He had previously counseled his friend regarding his marriage
to
which he responded and things really turned around for them. But just
as
this dear couple began to experience some wonderful improvement in
their
marriage, he was fired and it was apparently not his fault at all.
Loved
ones, life is filled with similar stories.
Though
life is full of pain we often live our lives oblivious to it, but a
thin
membrane which can break in on us suddenly and without warning always
only
separates us from it.
The
Reaction
of the Widow - Distress and Bitterness (
It is interesting
to
note the definite change in attitude between 1 Kings
It appears she
thought
that with the prophet in her home she was immune to problems. A lot of
people
think like this and they are helped in their thinking by the prosperity
gospel
that we hear from a number of radio and tele-evangelists. Some people
think
if they do the right things, follow the right principles, listen to the
Bible,
live around other Christians – life will flow along smoothly. But such
an
attitude is usually void of developing any real relationship with God
wherein
God alone becomes the sole source of strength and joy.
What is the primary
good
God wants for us? We believe it is Christlikeness. He is committed to
transforming
our lives into the image and likeness of His Son (Rom.
Principles:
Even though the
Lord
has richly blessed us in Christ, and though He may meet our needs in
marvelous
ways, it never means we are immune to trials down the road or around
the
next corner. He knows our hearts and the hearts of those around us. He
certainly,
therefore, knows what we all need.
However, the fact
and
presence of trials or irritations never means God has removed His grace
and
love. If anything, as the biblical analogy of God as our heavenly
Father
and Vinedresser illustrates, it is the evidence of His love and
faithful care.
It proves He is at work preparing us for heaven and using us in His
plan even
now (Rom. 8:28-29; John 15:2; Phil. 1:6; Heb. 12:5ff).
As the One who knows our hearts better than we ourselves, God must often engineer suffering, or allow it after times of great blessing, because it is necessary for one or more obvious reasons: (a) We may begin to take Him for granted, to presume on Him. We can begin to treat the Lord as though He owed us something. (b) Or we may begin to live for His blessings (like the flour and the oil of this story) rather than for Him. We become occupied and caught up with the blessings rather than the Blessor. (c) In the process of all this, we may begin to live independently, seeking our happiness, security, and joy from other sources.
The
Second
Problem With Her Thinking
Her reaction and
words
to Elijah suggest another aspect of her thinking which is so common.
She
felt guilt and thought perhaps that she was to blame for the child's
death.
Because she did not understand what the Scripture teaches about
suffering,
she may have thought all suffering was caused by sin. Perhaps there
were
some skeletons in her closet. Surely the question, "what do I have to
do
with you, O man of God?" followed by the statement, "You have come to
me
to bring my iniquity to remembrance, and to put my son to death!" most
likely
means something like: "What have I done to displease you or your God."
"What
did I do to deserve this?" "Why has your God done this? Haven't I given
you
shelter?"
People tend to see
suffering
either as a product of random, meaningless pain, or as caused by some
sin.
This results in living in a world of guilt and fear. Yes, sometimes
suffering
is discipline or because we have broken the principles of Scripture. In
other
words, it is often self-induced misery, but this is only one of the
several
causes of suffering or trials.
Because her eyes
were
not on the Lord, because her expectations were wrong, and because she
felt
guilty thinking maybe she was to blame in some way, her guilt and pain
took
the form of despair, anger or resentment, and then blame. She took the
downward
process. Pain is never wrong. It is only natural and God expects and
allows
us to feel pain. The problem comes when we allow our pain to twist and
deform
us and cause us to react rather than respond to what God is seeking to
do
in us or in others.
How
typical and how ironic.
When
things take a turn we are not expecting, rather than looking up to the
Lord
to draw upon His resources and learn what He is seeking to teach us, we
so
often take out our anger on the very person or persons whom God has
used
to bless and minister to our lives.
One man said, "O,
do
not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for tasks
equal
to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of
your
work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle."
Illustrations:
In the pictures of
the
ancient Roman method of threshing grain, one man is always seen
stirring
up the sheaves while another rides over them in a crude cart equipped
with
rollers instead of wheels. Sharp stones and rough bits of iron were
attached
to these cylinders to help separate the husks from the grain. This
simple
cart was called a tribulum - from which we get our word "tribulation."
When
great affliction comes to us, we often think of ourselves as being torn
to
pieces under the cruel pressures of adverse circumstances. Yet as no
thresher
ever yoked up his tribulum for the mere purpose of tearing up his
sheaves
but to disclose the precious grain, or remove the chaff from the grain,
so
our loving Savior never puts us under the pressure of sorrow and
disappointment
needlessly.
The Scriptures
exhorts
us to be filled with the Spirit and by the Spirit's strength to be
filled
with the fruit of the Spirit - various godly virtues (cf. Gal.
The
Response
of Elijah - Discernment, Compassion, Faith (
Why didn't Elijah
call
on the Lord to heal the child before he died? Had Elijah been away a
day
or so only to arrive to find the child dead? Or was this like the
healing
of the man blind from birth whom Jesus healed "that the works of God
might
be displayed" (John 9:1-3), or like the raising of
Lazarus
in John 11? Remember what
the
Lord told the disciples before hand. He said, "Lazarus is dead, and I
am
glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but
let
us go to him" (John
Our need is to
learn
to see the problems of life and the sudden intrusions of pain on our
world
from the standpoint of the Almighty and His purpose in our lives.
Though
her tone was somewhat caustic, it is important to see that Elijah did
not
react to what she said. Rather he responded with positive compassion
and action.
Let's note what he did:
He did not take
this
personally. He had compassion for her hurt. He knew her need was to
know
the Lord and believe His Word. He put her spiritual and emotional needs
above
his own longings for appreciation (Phil. 2:3-4). He was secure in the
Lord.
He sought his sense of significance, his security, and his joy in the
Lord,
and not in the responses of people. He wasn't seeking to defend his
turf as
a prophet (John 13:1ff; 1 Cor. 4:1-5).
Because he was
secure
through his relationship with the Lord, he didn't give excuses or turn
to
defense tactics with the woman. Instead, he reached out to her need and
then
took the matter directly to the Lord. He knew he was there to minister
and that the Lord was in charge, in control, and working out His
purposes (cf.
Mark
To show that this
was
so with Elijah, note verse 20a: "O LORD, my God." He rested his needs
in
God and concentrated on this woman's plight rather than her retort. (a)
With
the words "O LORD" he was fervently reaching out to God, but as Yahweh,
the
covenant God of Israel, the independent and sovereign God and the God
of
revelation and redemption. By this title, he showed he had a true
knowledge
of God and stood in a covenant relationship with Him. (b) With the
words
"my God" he was acting from his own personal relationship, trusting in
the
power and multiplicity of God's character as Elohim of the Old
Testament.
The
Request
of the Prophet - Dependence on the Lord (
His question, "Hast
Thou
also brought calamity . . ." expresses his knowledge of God's
sovereignty
over all that happens in life, but the fact he connected this death
with
his presence in the home of the widow suggests the realization of some
special
purpose of God for him in this tragedy. He was focusing on the Lord in
terms
of the revelation of God in Scripture. God had placed another bend in
the
road and he was considering what God had done and what the Lord might
want
to do through him. Many of the reasons for suffering apply here.
Based on the
widow's
need and that of her son, Elijah takes action and goes to the Lord with
the
need. But what was he to do? The boy had died. He was dead. No one, in
the
record of Scripture up to this point, had ever been raised from the
dead
before that. Elijah did was a first. Here was tremendous faith, but he
knew
nothing was impossible with the Lord, nothing (cf. Matt.
Why did he stretch
himself
over the child three times? The text does not tell us, but this was
undoubtedly
symbolic, in some way, perhaps of his faith, of his willingness to
identify
himself with this child, and an evidence of his humility. But above
all,
the repetition with the repeated prayer reminds us that it is
persistence
in prayer that often leads to desired answers to our prayers. It is
important
to note that it was the prayer of faith - the voice of Elijah crying
out
to God - and not the symbolic acts that brought about the answer to
this
prayer. As James tells us in James
The
Return
of Life to the Son - Resurrection (
Can you just
imagine
the joy and excitement of this event? Note Elijah's words, "See, your
son
is alive." It's like he was saying, "You see, the God of Israel is not
only
the only true and mighty God with whom nothing is impossible, but He is
also
loving, forgiving, and merciful."
Today our evidence
is
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. His resurrection which declares Him
to
be both God's eternal Son and the only One who can take away our sin,
give
us eternal life, and give life abundantly or the capacity for real life
(compare
Romans 1:4; 4:24-25 and note the context of the religious, the moral,
and
the immoral man).
At death, the soul
and
spirit depart and the body begins the process of decay. It is only the
body
that dies. The immaterial part of man continues either in torments, the
abode
of the unsaved dead (Luke
For resurrection to
occur,
two things must happen. (1) The physical body must be rejuvenated even
to
the point of recreation as when the body has decayed. For our
resurrected
body of the future, the Apostle calls this the transformation of the
body
of our humble state, this earthly and perishable body, into conformity
with
the body of his glory - a glorified resurrection body like the Lord's.
But the resurrection in this passage, like the resurrection of the body
of Lazarus, was not a glorified resurrection body. It was a rejuvenation to a perishable body that would
again die. It required miraculous rejuvenation that reversed the
processes of death like decay. (2) The soul and spirit
or the immaterial part of man must be reunited with the body, the
physical
part. Our passage tells us the life (soul) of the child returned to his
inward
part.
This was a great
miracle,
a supernatural act that had the fingerprint of God on it since only God
has
the power of life and death. Miracles in the Bible are the exception,
not
the norm, and the miracles of the Bible contain the fingerprint of God.
They
are completely successful; they are immediate; they can heal any
disease
or problem, and they give confirmation of God's messenger and his
message.
All of these apply here. Thus, what happens next takes us to the goal
of
the passage and the goal of the Christian life.
The
Recognition
of the Prophet's Message - Confirmation (
Here is one of the major reasons for this
incident. Certainly, God was concerned for this widow, but He did not
do this for every widow who lost her son. This miracle was designed to
teach important truth.
It shows the general purpose of miracles in the Bible. They occurred to
confirm God's messengers and thus God's message of grace (
But in the process
(by
way of application to us) it reminds us again of our purpose and of one
of
the major purposes for suffering. Suffering gives God an opportunity to
manifest
His power and the power of His Word through the production of godly
character.
When we consider fallen humanity, this is a blessing. Because of this,
Christlikeness
is likened to resurrection in the New Testament (cf.
True godly
character,
not just external conformity, is always the result of the Word of God
in
one's life. It is the work of faith, the result of fellowship with the
living
God. Godly character, whether in the form of stability in the midst of
suffering
or in the form of loving ministry in the home, office, with a neighbor
or
friend, authenticates the message of Jesus Christ. It also demonstrates
that
we are truly the people of God and we are walking in fellowship and in
faith
with God who is alive. Godly character is always much more than simply
religious
conformity to a set of do's and don'ts. It means the capacity to
respond,
as did Elijah. From the standpoint of the overall lesson of this heroic
narrative,
this story demonstrates Elijah's God was the true God. For who but God
can
bring the dead back to life?
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