Sovereign Over Death

"Then he cried out to the Lord and said, ‘Oh Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?" (1 Kings 17:20)

Many today would not pray as Elijah did. We are not accustomed to coming to God with such strong words. Is it right to say to God "you also brought tragedy?" or "you killed her son?" Are these words irreverent? Is Elijah blaming God for something He didn’t do?

Today we might be prone to say "yes." We would say death or disease, not God, claimed the son. We may assign the death to Satan in an attempt to say God had nothing to do with it. We might blame the death on an accident for which God had no desire to happen. From our perspective these things might seem correct but do they offer long term comfort?

To give these things too much credence is to ultimately claim that in some way God lost sovereign control. If God loses His power, we have no hope. Elijah knew this. He knew that God was greater. He understood that God was the primary authority over all things and that all the players and events were secondary causes in His hands. He knew that to have a God without control was not to have a God at all.

That is why he attributed the death of the widow’s son to the Lord. God brought tragedy. God "caused her son to die." (NIV). Therefore God could also raise him. Elijah prayed this way because he knew God, not because he was irreverent.

Our view of the sovereignty of God is small. One day we will all have to come to grips with the truth that God is the ultimate giver of life or death. His will is the primary consideration. All the players and events are secondary. Disease, death and Satan are all subject to God. He is never caught by surprise. Death does not slip through His fingers. He doesn’t just allow it; there is a way beyond our comprehension in which He actually ordains it.

Elijah knew that the "Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up." (1 Samuel 2:6). This is why he could entrust himself to the Lord and call upon him for a resurrection. He understood that the God who numbers the very hairs of our heads (Matthew 10.30) also numbers our days. He who counts our days can take life or give it again. God heard the voice of Elijah and the son was raised.

　

Is God Punishing Me?

"So she said to Elijah, "What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?" (1 Kings 17:18).

The widow’s son became so seriously sick that "there was no breath in him." This ancient statement referred to the fact that he was truly dead. God had breathed into Adam’s "nostrils the breath of life" (Genesis 2:7) and this son has lost his breath. It was beyond hope. He had died.

Under severe grief, the widow lashes out at Elijah with another Hebrew expression "what have I to do with you?" This phrase was used by Elisha repudiating the ungodly King Ahab (2 Kings 3:13), David distancing himself from the sons of Zeruiah (2 Samuel 16:10), and the demons rejecting the appearance of Jesus (Mark 5:7). The widow is turning herself against Elijah an is fiercely withdrawing from him.

She refers harshly to her sin coming to remembrance and accuses him even of killing her son due to her sin. Her response is not too far removed from the cry of most humans during great grief. Guilt can be very real to someone bereaved. Even the most godly can believe that God is punishing them. The character Job said of God "You write bitter things against me and make me inherit the iniquities of my youth." (Job 13:26).

Does God use death to punish people? We know that all death is ultimately due to sin (Romans 5:12) but in the midst of that curse on humankind is God singling out people who have sinned greater than others? Does He maliciously take family members or incur sickness on people because of personal sin?

Jesus’ disciples, reflecting the beliefs of their time, certainly thought so. Seeing a man who was born blind they asked Him "’Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus’ answer dispelled that notion "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." Jesus then healed him (John 9:1ff.)

We will see in the verses that follow that the Lord had a similar purpose for the Phoenician family. He had no vindictiveness in His plans for them at all. He would restore the son to life through the prophet Elijah and continue His supernatural provision for their food.

Is there anyone who has lost health or a loved one? Are any asking the question "is God punishing me?" It may simply be that God is revealing his works through you with a greater plan than you ever dreamed. He is that kind of God.

　

The Way Things Appear

Commanded to go to Zarephath, Elijah makes an 80-100 mile trip from Cherith to his new destination. Worn from travel and likely dehydrated, he carries a strong promise that a widow will provide for him there. He arrives at the city gate. There is indeed a widow there but she doesn’t seem to know he is coming.

She gathers a couple of sticks as Elijah asks her for a cup of water. As she goes for the water he further requests a small morsel of bread. We learn of her plight. She has only a handful of flour in her bin and a little oil in a jar. She will cook this final meal for herself and her son and then they will die.

In addition to not knowing he would come, she also does not seem to have God’s promised supplies. Was Elijah shaken, even tempted to ask the Lord if he really arrived at the right place? Things appear very different between what God had told him and the way things were.

Despite appearances Elijah remembers how God had supplied at Cherith. Having experienced that strengthens him to trust God for the impossible situation before him. Elijah does not wait long before God’s word comes. He instructs the widow not to fear, but to make a small cake for him first and afterward to feed herself and her son. A test of faith for him also means a test of faith for her. He promises "the bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth." (1 Kings 17:14).

God’s assurances often test our faith. Our perception does not always match what we believe He has said to us. These continuous examinations throughout life reveal our heart’s state. Elijah’s life points us to the attitude we must have. Will we trust the Lord or the way things appear? 
　

　

Before Whom I Stand

"As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand." (1 Kings 17:1).

Elijah and his successor Elisha used this oath. It was spoken during times when they encountered evil influence. Each time courage was necessary and compromise could be possible. They reached back to their Lord’s commission, invoking the name of their invisible Master and their loyalty to Him.

"Before whom I stand" was the assertion of a slave declaring his allegiance and servitude to his master. When the Queen of Sheba visited Solomon she referred to his servants as those "who stand before you and hear your wisdom." (1 Kings 10:8). God’s Old Testament priests were "to stand before the Lord to minister to Him." (Deut. 10:8). They were the ones who "shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood." (Ezek. 44:15).

Elijah uses the expression while beginning his public ministry. Delivering his unpopular pronouncement of God’s judgment to Ahab, he declared this allegiance--"As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years, except at my word." (1 Kings 17:1).

Returning to Israel from Zarephath he meets with Obadiah, the king’s fearful servant. Elijah assures Obadiah that he will meet Ahab. "As the Lord God of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today." (I Kings 18:15).

Kings from Israel, Syria and Judah came to Elisha to inquire about a battle. Elisha wanted no part of it and replies as such. "As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you." (2 Kings 3:14).

Naaman, a commander of the army from Syria came to seek healing from the prophet Elisha. Offered a reward for the healing he received, Elisha responds, "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing." (2 Kings 5:16).

Retreating for his life and discouraged after the threat of Jezebel, Elijah receives a new dictate from the Lord. God returns him to his calling through similar words, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." (1 Kings 19:11). There "standing before the Lord" Elijah receives a fresh vision of God and a new assignment to serve Him.

We are called slaves or servants throughout Scripture. We serve our Master just as these two prophets did. When we face opposition throughout our lives, we must return to our living God and reaffirm the same conviction of God being the one "before whom I stand." There we will find our strength and vision to walk faithfully as they did.
　

　

　

　

　

A Widow?

"See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." (1 Kings 17:8).

Widows were among the most vulnerable in Bible times. The many commands throughout the Old Testament (Ex. 22:21-24, Deut. 16:11, 14, Jer. 7:5-7) to provide for them shows just how often they could be taken advantage of. The loss of the man in a patriarchal society meant hardship. Their plight was often poverty. It was difficult for them to find employment and often they were left to beg. Sometimes their great hope was found in their son who could earn a trade and then support them.

Further optimism might be found through the kindness of others. Job was a man who had "caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy" (Job. 29:13). Harvesters were instructed to leave grapes, grain and olives for them to glean (Deut 24:19-21). Tithes were to be given to them every third year (Deut 14:27-29). The wicked were stopped from taking their garment as a pledge (Deut. 24:17).

Far too often, however, evil people oppressed widows (Isa. 1:23, 10:2, Ps. 94:6, Ezek. 22:7, Mal. 3:5). Even in Jesus’ day the scribes devoured widow’s houses and in exchange for it made long prayers (Mk. 12:40).

With God’s care for the stranger, fatherless, and the widow laid out so clearly in the law, Elijah may have been surprised, even embarrassed that God would tell him to seek provisions from a widow. God did not say "I have commanded you to take care of a widow" but " I have commanded a widow to provide for you." Further amazement may have been his when he heard that this was not an Israelite widow but one from a country steeped in idolatry. Her country did not obey the Lord’s precepts regarding the widow’s treatment and she may have been poorer because of that.

The Lord often uses those who have little to support his messengers. As a missionary evangelist some years ago I was often sobered to see the names of my supporters printed out on the donation sheet. While I know God also uses the wealthy to give, so often it was through those who didn’t have much that I paid my bills.

Elijah’s next benefactor would not be ravens but a Phoenician widow. With God’s word revealed to him, he left Cherith and began his journey to Zarepheth. 
　
　

The Refining Fires of God

"Many shall be purified, made white, and refined" (Daniel 12:10)

The name Zarephath means "refinement, fuse metal, smelting-place, crucible." While certainly that definition referred to the actual historical activity associated with the town, it also reflects a new phase of Elijah’s life. Elijah still has much to learn in God’s school. He will face greater trials and be forced to trust God in new ways. He will see miracles but only after facing the impossible.

Having passed his first examination at Cherith, he will now graduate to another level at Zarephath.

God’s work in Elijah’s life is a mirror to show us how God will operate in ours. The Apostle Peter described the process in the New Testament--"that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7).

The refining fires of God spare no Christian. God compares Himself to a master gold worker. He heats the metal. He hammers it. He molds it. He scrapes off all of the impurities. He has a purpose in mind. He will make a beautiful article of the gold, ultimately of us. Historically, the ancient Eastern goldsmith was said to have fired the ore until he could see his own face reflected in the liquid. Even so, God keeps us in the furnace until He can see the face of His Son Jesus Christ shining in us.

This He does not once but many times. Even when we hope it will stop, He applies the heat again. Despite the pain we feel, He knows what particular trial will shape us into His image.

Using a more modern illustration, Warren Wiersbe said, "When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. If we rebel He may have to reset the clock; but if we submit, He will not permit us to suffer one minute too long. The important thing is that we learn the lesson He wants to teach us and that we bring glory to Him alone."1

Elijah was purified by God’s testing. Will we also surrender to that process?

1. Wiersbe, Warren W.   The Bible Exposition Commentary, Vol. 2.  Wheaton: Victor, 1989, p. 393.

The Changing Times

"Arise, go to Zarepheth," (1 Kings 17:9).

The name Zarepheth means "refinement, fuse metal, smelting-place, crucible." Some 60-80 years before Elijah’s time King Solomon brought a man from Tyre named Hiram who was a bronze worker. He "was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work." (1 Kings 7:13). The ships of Hiram brought gold from the African country of Ophir (1 Kings 10:11). "The weight of that gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents." (1 Kings 10:14). That was 25 tons of gold yearly.

History records that Zarepheth was noted as a producer of fine glassware, made from the same sand which was found near Sidon. It was also a producer of the same famous dyes that other parts of Phoenicia produced. The Bible does not specifically say that Zarepheth was one of those supply cities but one can make a reasonable guess that it was.

Times have changed. Instead of a golden reign by a wealthy and wise king, Israel had turned sour towards God. The country had divided into two kingdoms. The northern part of that kingdom had not honored God in its short history and would not until Assyria finally destroyed it and took its residents into captivity.

Hiram’s descendants had been murdered by Ethbaal. There was still a relationship between Phoenicia and Israel but it was not a godly one. Ahab was married to Jezebel and evil prevailed. It was into this time, context, and these circumstances that Elijah had been born. It is in this time that he lives and serves the Lord God of Israel.

We, too, are born into a time period in which we must minister. The old memories often are forgotten as history defines us and shapes our uncertain affairs. As Elijah was equipped for a certain time frame, we today are also called to live our days with God’s particular anointing upon us. As we live in a specific era, we also have a distinct calling for that era.

The promise that God will care for us resounds throughout all history—"As your days, so shall your strength be." (Deut. 33:25). Our days may be wicked. Our generation may be rebellious but God fits us with strength to deal with it. Let us prepare ourselves to minister in our age. We may then find as Queen Esther did "who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:12).