Title: “Learning Lessons of Faith in Times of Trouble” Script: I Ki. 17:17-24
Type: Expository Series Where: GNBC 10-22-23
Intro: The one commonality in everyone’s life is: suffering. This past week the world was shocked to learn of the bombing of the Al-Alhi Baptist Hospital in Gaza. Immediately after the tragedy everyone was quick to point fingers at the other side. Hamas claimed IDF. The IDF claimed Islamic Jihad. Who knows the truth? Again, this past week, two Christian churches, one having served the community for 1000 years were destroyed by bombings with hundreds of Christians killed while seeking sanctuary. Again, each side blamed the other. In war, both sides are liars when it is convenient. I do know two things. 1. There is a special place in hell reserved for people who perform such tragedies. 2. There are now thousands more grieving individuals in this insane conflict. Trauma, trouble, and tragedy! Does God have an answer? Absolutely yes! But in the midst of the tragedy we must demonstrate faith.
Prop: In I Ki. 17:17ff a terrible tragedy will afford opportunity to learn lessons in faith.
BG: 1. Lot of time and material overlaps b/t I&II Ki, II Sam, I&II Chron.
2. I believe this is the first time in the Bible where recorded the raising of a dead person to life.
3. Troubles and traumatic disruptions in our lives afford us opportunity to learn lessons in faith.
Prop: Let’s look to I Ki.17 as we attempt to learn how to live out our faith in times of trouble.
I. Trouble Comes to the Widow of Zarephath v. 17
A. Catastrophe Strikes the Widow after the Time of God’s Miraculous Provision.
1. Troubles befall every individual under the sun.
a. Illust: I have known all sorts of people in my lifetime. I have known a lot of very wealthy people. I have known a lot of very poor people. I have known black people and white people and all the other colors by which we designate people ethnically. I have known highly educated and illiterate individuals. I have known very physically strong as well as physically disabled. You know what they all had in common? They all had troubles. No one is immune.
b. I suppose that may have been most troubling to the widow of Zarephath. As we saw last week, God had shown Himself powerful in preserving her and her son’s life through an awful drought and famine. Her flour and oil had been miraculously sustained through this crisis as she rejected her personal fear and put God first by agreeing to house and feed the Elijah! God had in her mind rewarded her obedience by allowing her to survive this potential devastating condition. Now, however, after having gone through that whole ordeal (Look at v. 17 – “after these things…”) that life takes a terrible turn. Illust: in 2014 Afghan War veteran, Francisco Garcia had safely returned home from tour of duty. Went to girlfriend’s for a welcome home party. Walking home a couple blocks after the party’s conclusion, a car pulled up alongside Garcia, and 18 yrs. old Vincent Estrada shot killed Garcia. "The ironies are obvious," said LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon in a statement. "To survive as a soldier in an overseas conflict, only to be killed in your old neighborhood upon your return." Certainly the widow did not appreciate the irony of her situation.
2. The Widow’s Precious Son’s Life is Taken from him.
a. The widow’s son becomes sick, it is so serious that sadly he dies. Now think, this was the son that originally the widow was going to cook final meal for when the prophet asked that he be fed first. V.13 (READ) She had been asked to put Elijah’s needs first. To trust God first. She had done that and now her reward is this! Her son makes it through the famine only to die in time of plenty!
b. Troubles and sufferings affect us all…or they certainly should! Especially in the body of Christ, the Church! We are to bear one another’s burdens. No greater burden asked to bear than the death of a loved one. In the past few months several in this church have lost loved ones. Funeral is over. Loved ones have returned. Life is lonely. Need support and love today.
B. It’s Important to Remember that In This World We Never Fully Pass the Test or Fully Finish Our Lessons in Faith in Times of Trouble.
1. As Christians we need to Remember that this World is Neither Eden for the Millennium.
a. If we are to learn a lesson from this passage it is that we should never expect that life in a fallen world can give us what it was never designed to give us. The world is fallen. Sin has left its curse. Sickness, death, and disease are the norm. Satan is active. The very earth groans under the curse of sin (Rom. 8:18-22). This is not our eternity. God desires that we long for Him and His presence in eternity.
b. We often forget that Scripture sets our sufferings in the light of important lessons to be learned not irritations to be avoided. Ultimately it is not good for us to simply float along in life without testing or trials. Illust: Sitting on the couch Saturday afternoons snoozing while watching the Hawks may seem idyllic to some, but to do so everyday would make us fat, sluggish, dull, and lazy. Prosperity, more than hardship, often causes us to become prideful, independent and self centered as we seemingly have no “need” to rely upon God.
c. Illust: When I was in Northern Ireland in the late 1980’s, Belfast had the highest concentration of evangelical churches of any city in the world. Massive churches to back alley congregations, Iron Halls to Salvation Army. Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Elim, Free P, Brethren. Majority of churches had an evangelical preacher. Sectarian violence was a constant threat and most people had experienced tragedy of a friend or family member who had been murdered or maimed. Churches were full. Last 25 yrs. peace and prosperity.
2. We Need to Be Reminded that God Has a Purpose in our Troubles and Sufferings.
a. The sudden, tragic turn of events in the death of the widow’s son was not by accident. Yes, we do have accidents, we stumble and fall, we accidentally run a red light or stop sign with traumatic results, an unattended stove catches fire, yet still, from God’s perspective there are no accidents in the life of the believer. The death of the widow’s son was no accident either. This happened as a result of God’s sovereign will and He was about to glorify Himself in these events and work them for the good of those who loved Him! (Rom. 8:28)
b. Tests are a normal part of physical and spiritual life. (Illust – I Pet. 4:12: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.”
C. Applic: Trouble comes to every life. It came to the life of the widow of Zarephath. How would she respond to trouble? How do you?
II. The Widow’s Response to Her Trouble v. 18
A. We witness the Distraught Widow’s Reaction.
1. The wounded widow responds in brokenness and bitterness. Illust: There is probably no harder thing to do than bury one’s son or daughter. Illust: My grandfather was still living when my mother died. “Chris, it’s not supposed to be this way.” I agree, it’s not. But if the world is as the evolutionists and materials claim with chance and time being the controllers of our destiny, then not a one of us has a reason to complain if someone’s life is cut down in the flower of youth, and you cannot assail God if you are the byproduct of natural selection. (??of the Species?)
2. V.18 is a reaction of bitterness. “When a child dies, dreams go up in smoke. Long-held expectations are shattered. The future we planned on is gone. Part of us died with our child. We’re shocked, stunned. We get sad, and angry. In some cases, the anger in us festers and spreads. We grow bitter. Like anger, bitterness leaks. Similar to a slow but raging infection, it seeps into our souls and then pours out of our hearts and into our lives – and onto the lives of those around us.” (Grief Toolbox, April 26, 2017) Bitterness is so easy to indulge in, but choosing to remember that loved one by loving is much more satisfying.
B. The Widow Demonstrated Unbiblical Thinking in her Time of Crisis
1. Its very important we guard against worldly thinking in our time of crisis.
a. I believe this widow may have had a steady diet of Christian cable TV. She thought that having a prophet in her home she would be immune from sufferings and problems. Certainly, that’s how it had worked in the past, wouldn’t it always work that way in the future?
b. We need to be reminded what is God’s highest purpose in the life of the believer? It is Christlikeness, nor Comfort and Convenience. I have already quoted Romans 8:28, but 8:29 goes on to state: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” If you believe in the perseverance of the saints then you have to believe that God is in the business of perfecting His saints and that is often through the classroom of strife, suffering and sadness. It’s very easy as Christians to live for the blessing rather than live for the Blessor. We get caught up in the pursuit of the blessing rather than fall madly in love with the Blessor.
2. The Widow Felt Guilt and Blame for Her Son’s Death. V.18
a. V.18 – “my iniquity” – my sin, my lawlessness. Possibly this woman had skeletons in her closet. Everyone does. Possibly there was something in her past and here in time of crisis in an attempt to explain her loss, her past sin comes to mind. Illust: Since beginning of time people have struggled with two responses to tragedy: 1. It’s meaningless and senseless. 2. It has happened because of my sin. And yes, my sin can cause my sufferings sometimes. Illust: Jerry was a semi-homeless man who used to visit the church 10 yrs ago. Absent for spell. I went to look for him. Found him. Slurping big bottle of Mt. Dew and smoking a cigarette. Smoked cigs all around his wheelchair on the ground. Complexion was ashen, lost weight. I asked him how was doing. “I’m dying pastor.” My diabetes is out of control and I’ve got advanced lung cancer.” “How long have you been smoking? Since I was 7yrs. old.” “Would you like to pray?” “No, I am mad at God for giving me cancer!” (I prayed with him anyways. Last time I saw Jerry before he died.)
b. The widow took her eyes off of God in time of despair and suffering. Guilt and pain took the form of despair, anger, resentment and blame. She takes her anger out on the very person that God has sent to minister to her in her time of trouble. Illust: You haven’t been in ministry long if no one has expressed anger at you or the God you serve because of the loss they have experienced. No different here: Read v. 18 again.
C. Applic: We get the word “tribulation” from the Latin word for a Roman cart (Tribulum) that was used in threshing grain. One person would throw sheaves of grain on the ground and another man would run over the grain with a cart that had rollers attached with iron and stones instead of wheels. No thresher ever hooked up his tribulum to merely destroy sheaves. Rather, he did it to remove the chaff and expose the precious grain inside. Even so the Lord Jesus Christ never puts us through sorrow or pain needlessly. He has a purpose.
III. The Prophet’s Response to the Trouble. Vv. 19-21
A. We See Elijah’s Response to the Woman’s Trauma v.19
1. The Prophet Acts in Faith in this time of trauma.
a. I have some questions related to this event. Why didn’t Elijah call on the Lord to heal the son before he died? Is it possible that in fact he did? Had Elijah been away for some time and now returned? I do not know. Scripture does not say.
b. Illust: In chaplaincy training they often talk about “the ministry of presence”. A chaplain, whether in the military or 1st responders or even hospital, etc., are to bring a visual embodiment of the Person of Christ to the presence of everyday life. Christian, DON”T shy away from the grief, sufferings, or traumas of others. SHOW UP! African Christians have a wonderful tradition. When someone loses a loved one, friends and family from church come to the house and sit and cry with the bereaved. (In America: Don’t want to be awkward. Don’t want to infringe on privacy. Elijah showed up! Was it awkward? Yes! Was he the target of some of the widow’s bitter venom? Yes! Did his presence give God the glorious opportunity to work? YES!
2. Elijah Requests the Widow’s Son’s Corpse.
a. Now I want you to think about something. Elijah has asked a lot of this previously pagan Sidonian, widowed woman. He asked her for a drink of water during time of drought. He asked for the last morsel of food the woman and son had to eat from. Each time there was a fear response that had to be overcome by faith. Now, the prophet asks for her dead son’s body. Fear again was gripping the heart of this woman. In faith Elijah picks up the boy’s limp and lifeless body and carries it up to his room and lays it on his bed.
b. In each instance the widow was requested to give to the Lord that which was most precious to her. Her drink. Her sustenance. Her home. Now, her son! Illust: Dear one, don’t believe you will have the faith to go thru your greatest trials of life if you haven’t trusted Christ in the smaller trials of life. This woman was going thru graduate school of faith, and Elijah was unphased by her caustic comments.
B. We See Elijah’s Unusual Request. Vv.20-21
1. As the Widow is Stunned in Shock and Grief, Elijah acts.
a. As I said previously, I believe this is the first recorded incident in Scripture of a dead person being raised back again to life. So far, to the best of our knowledge, no one had ever been brought back to life from death. Death was death. Man’s ultimate enemy and most feared and unforgiving foe. This widow had no hope. No solace. No consolation.
b. V.20 – Look at Elijah’s prayer. The prophet expresses his knowledge that God’s sovereignty extends to every area of life, including death. Friend, the Bible declares in Ps. 139:16 “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” The day of our death may be a surprise to us but God is aware.
2. How do you and I respond to the Tragedy we or others Face?
a. Elijah responded in faith. As I said, no one had ever done this before. Yet, Elijah had lived by the brook and been fed by the ravens. He had seen the cruz of oil and jar of meal never empty. He had seen God provide and in faith trusted Him to provide for the miraculously impossible!
b. Friend, can I say that when we are faced with setbacks, stress and suffering, can we look to Christ to provide for our needs and trust that just as He has provided in the past He can provide in the future.
C. Applic: Trauma and tragedy will always afford the opportunity for God’s people to act differently than the world. Make the most of that opportunity.
IV. God’s Ultimate Solution to Every Person’s Trouble vv.22-23
A. God’s Marvelous Provision for the Widow’s Trouble: Resurrection!
1. The Widow’s Son is Brought to Life from Death.
a. V.21 – By faith the prophet takes the corpse to his room and lays him out on his bed. He stretches himself out on the lad 3x, and prays. Some people want to get all caught up in the drama. Was it a magic bed. NO! Was there something magical in Elijah’s prostration 3x? Magical No. Symbolic? Absolutely! Was there power in the prophet’s prayer? Yes! Yes! Yes!
2. Symbolic? What do you mean, symbolic, Pastor? Well, in the Bible, 3 is the number often associated with God. Only God, the Holy Trinity, can raise the dead! As Elijah lay upon the child, he identified with the boy’s death. Our great Savior, Jesus Christ, personally identified with His creation and died to redeem it and a people for Himself. In order to accomplish our salvation and our eternal life, God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, stayed in the tomb three days so the power and curse of sin and death could be broken over His redeemed people. This boy’s lifeless body was redeemed, not by the work of Elijah, but by faith in the future saving grace of Jesus Christ.
B. God’s Marvelous Provision for Man’s Ultimate Trouble: Resurrection!
1. The unbeliever has no hope of life after death.
a. Did we not see this with the poor, grieving widow in vv. 17&18? First she was bereft of her husband and now her son! What is her response: “We see how the widow responded to the death of her son. Instead of trusting the God who had faithfully provided for her needs through the prophet, she accused Elijah (and by implication God) of punishing her, reminding her of the sins she committed, and killing her son. Unfortunately, when many people encounter a trial or difficult situation, instead of responding in faith by praying to God and trusting him, they get mad at God and mad at others.” Why the response of anger and blame? Because there is no hope!
b. The widow needed to hear the Apostle Paul on this matter: I Thes. 4:13-18 (READ). By the way, the word “asleep,” koima to cause to sleep, is the word from which we get our word cemetery, which it was the early Christians optimistic name for a graveyard. It really meant a sleeping place. It really was a synonym for a dormitory, a place where people sleep. Not soul sleep. No such thing. The 2nd Coming of Christ with those who have died in Him and the rapture of the Church shall happen! We have hope because of Christ.
2. Elijah’s Actions were But a Precursor of the Resurrection of all Believer’s to Eternal Life Through Christ.
a. Read vv. 21-24 – The child’s life is restored. Today, our evidence is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus 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 capacity for real life. (Compare Rom. 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 which dies. The immaterial part of man continues either in torments, the abode of the unbelieving dead (Luke 16:22-23), or in paradise, which today is in God’s presence
b. Illust: As frightening and foreboding as death may seem, it can neither hurt nor destroy the person who has trusted Christ for salvation. In his book Facing Death, Billy Barnhouse, relates an experience of Donald Grey Barnhouse, one of America’s leading Bible teachers in the first half of the 20th century. Cancer took his first wife, leaving him with three children all under 12. The day of the funeral, Barnhouse and his family were driving to the service when a large truck passed them, casting a noticeable shadow across their car. Turning to his oldest daughter, who was staring sadly out the window, Barnhouse asked, “Tell me, sweetheart, would you rather be run over by that truck or its shadow?” Looking curiously at her father, she replied, “By the shadow, I guess. It can’t hurt you.” Speaking to all his children, he said, “Your mother has not been overridden by death, but by the shadow of death. That is nothing to fear.”
C. Applic: God has provided a solution for mankind’s ultimate trouble: Death! Turn to Christ!
