1 Kings 17:1-6
Chapter 17
1
Elijah: The Drought
Now Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, whom I serve, lives, neither dew shall drop nor rainfall except at my command.”2
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah:
3
“Leave this place and go eastward. Hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan.
4
You shall drink from the brook and, for your food, I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
5
So Elijah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to live by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan.
6
There the ravens brought him bread in the morning and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Commentaries
Elijah: The Drought.
The name Elijah, which means “the Lord is my God,” best summarizes his life and ministry; for Elijah is, above all, the champion of the Lord. The crisis of Yahwism had escalated to a life-and-death situation. In the Northern Kingdom, this crisis reached its peak during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. The marriage of the king of Israel to this Phoenician princess proved disastrous for the Yahwist cause. Not only did he build a sanctuary to Baal in the capital, Samaria, but he also implemented a policy that was openly opposed to Yahwism, putting its prophets to death. It is within this dramatic context that Elijah’s mission unfolds. The drought itself is a fairly common occurrence in Palestine. Still, in this narrative, it serves as a sign of God’s displeasure with the anti-Yahwist offensive that has been unleashed in the Northern Kingdom, orchestrated and encouraged by the monarchy.
In the miracle at Sarepta, the widow symbolizes and embodies the Gentiles called to faith. The miracle also emphasizes the trust of Elijah and the widow. Despite all appearances to the contrary, Elijah remains confident in the Word of God and maintains his faith until the very end. Similarly, the widow obeys, relying on Elijah’s word. The miracle at Sarepta, like that of the brook Cherith (cf. 17:1-6), demonstrates God’s care and providence for His prophets.
The resurrection of the widow’s son, like the other miracles attributed to Elijah, serves as a critique against the Canaanite religion, which worshiped the god Baal. The woman, probably the widow of Sarepta and a foreigner, shows a confession of faith in Elijah as a man of God and a messenger for the Lord: “Now I am certain that you are a man of God, and that your words come from the Lod” (24).