1 KINGS 17 - God supports Elijah 

NOTES BY VERSE

Note: each ** comment in this document is listed in numerical order according to the verse(s) from this chapter

** Elijah’s name means ‘the Lord is God’ and represents Israel

• Elijah was sent by God to confront Israel and their departure from Him

• Baal was originally a god of storms, worshiped for his supposed ability to bring rain and make the land fertile  <R1795>

• Elijah spoke directly to the king warning that God would prevent rain for their crops which struck at the strength of the pagan deity

• Elijah prayed for drought as punishment of Israel’s wayward ways and God answered him as God warned the Israelites centuries before

• The drought proved that Baal, the god of rains and fertility, was impotent before the Lord  <M130>

1 Kings 17:1-2 NIV

[1] Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” [2] Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah:

Leviticus 26:18-19 NIV

[18] “ 'If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. [19] I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze.

James 5:17 NIV

[17] Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

** Contrary to popular opinion in Christian circles, God wants us involved in current political affairs to live out His ways and stand against evil when needed  <J1093>

God provides examples of people confronting with authority in Scripture:

• Elijah warning the king of the upcoming drought

• Moses confronting Pharaoh threatening plagues so he would release the Israelites out of Egypt's grip

• Nehemiah approaching King Artaxerxes so he could return to rebuild Jerusalem

• We don’t advocate a political party, but we advocate a Biblical worldview

1 Kings 17:1 NIV

[1] Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

Exodus 3:11-12 NIV

[11] But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” [12] And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain. ”

Nehemiah 2:4-5 NIV

[4] The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, [5] and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

** The Lord instructed Elijah to go to a remote area of a ravine where ravens would bring him food; God later instructed Elijah to go to a widow who would also provide for him

1 Kings 17:2-6 NIV

[2] Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: [3] “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. [4] You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” [5] So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. [6] The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

1 Kings 17:7-9 NIV

[7] Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. [8] Then the word of the Lord came to him: [9] “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”

** God rewards those who are obedient to His commands and puts Him above their own perceived needs

1 Kings 17:10-16 NIV

[10] So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” [11] As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” [12] “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don't have any bread---only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it---and die.” [13] Elijah said to her, “Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. [14] For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.' ” [15] She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. [16] For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

** Elijah prayed that God would return life to a dead boy; the miracle proved to his mother and countless others that Elijah spoke God’s truth

1 Kings 17:17-24 NIV

[17] Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. [18] She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” [19] “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. [20] Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” [21] Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy's life return to him!” [22] The Lord heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. [23] Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!” [24] Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”