ELIJAH RAISES THE WIDOW’S SON
1 Kings 17:17-24
Introduction: One of the most colorful characters of the Old Testament is Elijah. God used him in a mighty way in a time when spirituality was at an all time low in the land of Israel. James tells us this about Elijah. James 5:17-18 “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” What is James telling us? He is telling us that Elijah was an ordinary man who knew how to get hold of the extraordinary God and answer prayers in his behalf.
In the opening of 1 Kings chapter 17 shows a dreadful condition existing in Israel. By the prayers of Elijah, a terrible drought is on. Remember the quote of R. G. Lee, I used last week. He preached that famous sermon “Pay Day, Some Day”. This drought is a punishment sent by God as result of the unlawful marriage of Ahab and Jezebel. Ahab was a Jewish king who married a gentile bride. Jezebel was no ordinary Gentile bride. She was wicked, idol worshipping woman. She had many of the priests of the living God put to death. She led the country in idol worship of Baal.
Elijah walked up to Ahab and gives the pronouncement of the drought. After he left, he went the brook Cherith. He was feed twice a day by the ravens. He did this until the brook dried up. God sent him to Zarephath. Here a widow with one son fed. Think of this. Here we have a man of God who was fed by the ravens and then to live with a Gentile must have been humiliating to him. But he is learning a lesson that is needed by many of us today. Power from God comes by humble submission. He simply obeyed God. In doing so, God used him mightily. While he is with the widow, the meal barrel never emptied and the oil never dried up. He also was used of God to raise the widow’s son died.
In this message, we will be looking at that miracle of raising the dead. The death bells have been ringing and had been for three thousand years from the first death of Abel until the death of this boy. No one had escaped death’s chilly waters. That is until you come to this passage. We see
I. THE TRIAL OF FAITH Vs. 17
“And it came to pass after these things, [that] the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.”
What things was this passage speaking? It was referring the oil and the meal. Here was a woman who had thought life was over. She had come out to get a few sticks to make a fire and prepare the final meal for her son and herself. Then the man of God came into their lives and life was able to go on. Every time she opened the meal barrel, there was meal. Every time she used her oil, there was plenty of oil. She had seen the Lord provide her needs. Philippians 4:19
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Her hopes for the future must have been brighter. I believe she believe that one day the man of God would go on and the crisis of the drought would pass. Her son would grown up and work in some field. But her son fell sick and was so sick that he died. Can you imagine the pain she felt? The meal and oil strengthened her faith but now it goes through a severe trial with the death of her son. Hence comes part of our lessons that we have come to glean from our series of miracles. Sickness, suffering and death will and does come even to those who are doing who are doing right for God. This is part of the unexplained events in God’s economy.
II. THE TOUCH OF AN AWAKENED CONSCIENCE
Vs. 18
“And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?”
The death of her had touched the hidden spring that opened wide the door of her conscience. Her conscience remembered her of some sin. It is not known what the sin was. It is not for us to try to guess either. But this seemingly tragedy event triggered this awakened conscience.
Hence lies the next lesson. Men sometimes seem to have no conscience until some great tragedy comes by and then they want to call upon the man of God for answers. A good Bible illustration of this is found in the lives of Joseph’s brothers. It was not until they came to the place that they knew their father would die if their brother Benjamin would die in Egypt land. This awakened their conscience. Genesis 42:21
“We are verily guilty concerning our brother”
It took hell itself before the rich man had awakened the door of the conscience. Luke 16:27-28
“Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”
He was only concern then that he did not want his brothers to go to this place called Hell.
III. THE TENDER REQUEST
Vs. 19
“And he said unto her, Give me thy son”
She was reacting normal under this situation. She had the normal dreams for her son. She wanted to see him grow up to manhood. She really wanted to die too. She is questioning God. She can not reach God so she hurls those hot jabs to the closest one to God, Elijah.
Had it not been for Elijah, she would already be where her son was not- dead. But it would have been by that slow painful death of starvation. Her bitter words revealed the evidence of the bitterness in her heart.
Hence comes the next lesson. Every one who ever helped someone especially in the ministry has seen him or her turn on him or her. Even our Lord Jesus had some to turn on him. I am sure that some even heaped some very bitter words on Him.
But Elijah shows true Christian character. He does not blast her. He does not answer her charges. He makes a tender request to her. He wanted the privilege of helping the one in need. I am sure that Elijah had grown attached to the boy. And I am sure that the boy had grown attached to this man of God. What does she think of this request?
III. THE TRAVAIL OF POWER
Vs. 19
“And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.”
This was mostly likely a small room on the second floor of the house. This is a poor widow’s house. It was a place of poverty everywhere. That is, except in this room. This was the place where Elijah had an audience room with the King of Glory. Because the power of God sought in this room, the meal barrel was never empty and the oil flowed freely. It was here that the man of God had met with the God of man many times. Someone has said that you can go to each great victories and revivals and take it one place- a secret place of prayer. The great victories of faith are first hammered out on the anvil of prayer in the secret place.
We see this truth in the life of our Lord Jesus.
Matthew 14:23
“And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”
Mark 6:46
“And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.”
Luke 6:12
“And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”
May we heed this lesson also? Many of our battles would turn into victories when we seek out that secret place of prayer.
IV. THE TRUTHS ABOUT PRAYER
Vs. 20-21
“And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.”
There are several truths found in this passage. He shows the truth of the work and prayer. Prayer that gets the job done is work. Work and prayer go hand in hand many times.
Another truth found here is that he was not relying on past victories for a miracle. He was relying on the God who could and does answer prayer.
We wonder what we do not see God answer our prayers at times? Could it be we are guilty of what Christ said in Luke 6:46? (“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”)
When our brand of Christianity does not affect our head, hearts and heels, then there is something wrong with our brand. That is one reason why we are a “Christian Nation”. Most people’s Christianity does even last until they get out of the parking lot.
Look at what happened when he prayed! God raised the child from the dead. Nothing like that had happened before in the three thousand years of human history before that day.
V. THE TRIUMPH OF FAITH
Vs. 23-24
“And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.”
Elijah most likely had told them of the feeding twice a day by the ravens. This woman knew of the unfailing supply of oil and meal. Now she is seeing the crowning miracle performed by God through his servant. She sees with her eyes her son alive standing before her. I can imagine how she felt when she saw him. I know moms very well. She probably ran and hugged him tightly. There was no question in her mind any longer that this was a man of God. I know that there was not question in her mind that there was a God in Heaven who cared about her. One of the most remarkable parts of this account is that this was a Gentile woman.
What the church needs is not more buildings. It does not need greater music programs. It needs to see souls who are dead in trespasses and sins raised to newness of life. To hear the testimony of how God changed a life is better than all the offerings or gifts given to a church.
Conclusion: The woman and her son are not mentioned anymore in the Bible. Their lives may seem not to be important. One of the laws of Bible study is the law of first mention. Is there some important truth that we can glean from this first mention of a physical resurrection? The months turned into years and years stretched into centuries. The centuries turned into a millennium later. It was that millennium later. The resurrection of Christ is found in that millennium. It was three days after his death that Christ arose from the dead.
Unbelief abounded in the days of Christ. The unbelief of His own people was so great that Christ had his apostles’ turn to the Gentiles. The multiplied billions who have been saved are proof of the Gentiles being grafted into the olive tree of God’s family.
The God of Elijah lives still. He is still as powerful as He was on that day that He raised that child from the dead. He is still rising folks who are dead in trespasses and sins. God is still in the saving business. The writer of Hebrews said it so marvelously in Hebrews 7:25. It says “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Two great lessons need to be reviewed before I completely conclude this message.
1. God wants believers to be people who believe Him enough to pray expecting God to work. There are two results of prayer: Pray, believe and receive or pray, doubt and do without.
2. God wants people to saved. He sent His Son to die in our stead. Let me give these last few verses to illustrate my point. John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
