In an attempt to open the eyes of his prejudiced countrymen, Jesus spoke of this Sidonian woman who obeyed God’s command and physically sustained His prophet. This widow not only provided for her own needs in a time of great distress but provided for others an example of great faith. Because she passed the test, Elijah’s promise that her barrel of flour and cruse of oil would not fail for the duration of the famine was fulfilled. Wooden barrels are not suitable for storing flour in the Middle East because they do not protect the flour from insects.Įlijah’s request for the widow to prepare his food was not a selfish request but rather a test of her faith. Her barrel would have been an earthen jar and her cruse a clay bottle. The poor widow had only a little flour with which to make a patty to fry. Zarephath was on the coast of the Mediterranean between Tyre and Sidon, in what is now Lebanon and was then Phoenicia, outside the boundaries of Israel. The fact that Elijah was in hiding makes it unlikely that merchants or traders would come to him twice a day, and the tone of the writer suggests that it was miraculous care rather than a normal interaction between Elijah and other men. They insist that the Hebrew word is properly translated just as it stands. Some scholars insist that the word raven is a mis-translation and that merchants or traders is the correct rendering. It was also a desolate place where no animal life existed, therefore Elijah was completely dependent upon the Lord for his sustenance.” (W. “We do not know which of the Jordan tributaries the brook Cherith might have been, but apparently it was an obscure and isolated place where Elijah could hide safely without being accidentally discovered by soldiers, shepherds or passersby. Follow me again closely: ‘As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’ The reason I put emphasis upon this is to impress you with the sealing power by which Elijah was able to close the heavens, that there should be no rain or dew until he spoke.” ( Doctrines of Salvation, 2:102.) (5-4) 1 Kings 17:3. “There is something very significant in that edict. “The first appearance of Elijah we read of is in the 17th chapter of 1st Kings, when he came before the king and said, ‘As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’ Elijah Sealed the Heavens against Rain by Priesthood PowerĮlder Joseph Fielding Smith found a special significance in verse 1: Whichever is correct, it is clear that the title Tishbite refers to the place from which Elijah came. Elijah came, he said, from Gilead beyond the Jordan in the land given to the tribe of Gad (see The Holy Bible … with a Commentary and Critical Notes, 2:452). Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, 3:1:234). What Is a Tishbite?Įlijah is here called “the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead.” Some scholars say that Elijah came from Tishbeh, in upper Galilee (see C. F. ![]() ![]() ![]() Notes and Commentary on 1 Kings 17–2 Kings 2 (5-2) 1 Kings 17:1. (Individual-study students should complete all of this section.) Use Notes and Commentary below to help you as you read and study 1 Kings 17 through 2 Kings 2.Ĭomplete Points to Ponder as directed by your teacher. This assignment deals with the reasons Elijah is one of the greatest prophets of all time and why he was rejected by the people of his own day. Small wonder, too, that in Jewish households a place is set for him at every Passover feast in anticipation of his return as predicted by the prophet Malachi (see Malachi 4:5–6). Small wonder that Elijah became one of the great heroes in Israel’s history. What would you think about a man who had the power to raise the dead, call down fire from heaven, cause the heavens to withhold rain, and render a barrel of flour inexhaustible?Įlijah was such a man, a man of power, a man of miracles, a prophet so worthy that he was translated and taken from the earth in a chariot of fire.
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