The African King
The story is told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!" One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail. About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way. As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off. And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad of me to do this." "No" his friend replied, "This is good!" "What do you mean, "This is good?" How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?" "If I had NOT been in jail, I would have been with you when you were captured."
Situations may not always seem pleasant while we are in them, but the promise of God is clear. If we love Him and live our lives according to His precepts, even that which seems to be bleak and hopeless will be turned by God for His glory and our benefit.
1 Kings 17:17-24 Afterwards, the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. He got so sick that finally no life was left in him. [18] The woman asked Elijah, "What do you and I have in common, man of God? Did you come here to remind me of my sin and kill my son?" [19] He said to her, "Give me your son." Elijah took him from her arms, carried him to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. [20] Then he called to the Lord, "Lord my God, have you brought misery on the widow I’m staying with by killing her son?" [21] Then Elijah stretched himself over the boy three times and called to the Lord, "Lord my God, please make this child’s life return to him." [22] The Lord heard Elijah’s request, and the child’s life returned to him. He was alive again. [23] Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upstairs room of the house, and gave him to his mother. He said, "Look! Your son is alive." [24] The woman said to Elijah, "Now I’m convinced that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is true."
We have story here about how God treats in the best way for our good. We may want to be treated in a different way but God knows best for us.
This lady has had a close brush with death. She was preparing what she would be her last meal before she would die when a prophet came to her and asked her to prepare him a meal before hers. She did not know this man. She had the sense that he was special and did as she was asked. After that she had all she needed until it would rain again.
And it came to pass after these things. Not only after the conversation that passed between the prophet, and the widow, but after they had lived together many days, a year or years, upon the miraculous provision made for them: it was a sickness unto death.
I. The child dies.
He was her only son and the comfort for her widowed state. His food came miraculously, but that did not shelter him from sickness or death. “Your fathers did eat manna, and are dead, but there is bread of which a man may eat and not die, which was given for the life of the world.” The affliction was given to this widow so she would not be filled with pride with the favors that were done her and the honors that were put upon her. 1. She had become a helper to a great prophet, was employed to uphold him, and she a good reason to believe God would be good to her. Now she loses her son. We need not think it out of the ordinary if we meet with very piercing hardships, even when we are in doing as we believe God would have us to do. Even when we are in very important service to God things can be rough. The devil does not want us to be well off. 2. Think with me about her doing. She was experiencing a miracle with a food supply. She kept care of a stranger without charge or care, he was a blessing from heaven; yet in the midst of all this contentment she was in distress. When we have the clearest appearance of God’s favor and good-will towards us, we can still have trouble in our lives. Our mountain never stands so strong but it may be moved. While in this world we need to keep rejoicing for God is for us.
II. The widow cries.
It would seem that the boy died rapidly or she could have asked Elijah to help with a cure before he died. Lazarus died to show God’s glory. She states herself fervently, "What do you and I have in common, man of God? Did you come here to remind me of my sin and kill my son?" She was very calm when had she spoken of her own and her son’s death when she expected to die earlier. Now when her son dies and not by famine, she is exceptionally troubled by it. We may speak lightly of an affliction when it is at a distance. Job 4:5 “But trouble comes to you, and you’re impatient. It touches you, and you panic.” The death of her child was a surprise to her, and it is hard to keep our spirits calm when troubles come upon us suddenly and unexpectedly, and in the midst of our peace and prosperity. She calls him a man of God, and yet quarrels with him as if he had occasioned the death of her child, "What do you and I have in common, man of God?” "Wherein have I offended you, or been wanting in my duty? 2. Yet she expresses herself penitently: Did you come here to remind me of my sin and kill my son?" Perhaps she knew of Elijah’s pray against Israel, and, being conscious to herself of sin, perhaps her former worshipping of Baal she apprehends he had made prayer against her. This does not seem like God’s goodness but He wants us to repent and turn to Him and is willing to do whatever it takes to help us do that.
III. The prophet arises.
Did you take note that he did not answer her complaint, but took it to God, and laid the case before him? Can you believe like I do that he did not know what to say to this woman? He took the dead boy from the mother to his own bed. Perhaps he had become fond of this boy, and found the affliction was his own because he did not understand. He went to his room to be alone with God and the boy.
1. He reasoned with God about the death of the boy. He sees death striking by commission from God: "Lord my God, have you brought misery on the widow I’m staying with by killing her son?" I shall be revealed and others will be afraid of helping me, if I bring death into the house where I come. 2. He seriously requests God to bring back the child to life again. We do not read before this of any that were raised to life; yet Elijah, by a divine desire, prays for the resurrection of this child. David expected not, by fasting and prayer, to bring his child back to life. Elijah had a power to work miracles, which David had not. He stretched himself upon the child, to affect himself with the case and to show how much he was affected with it and how wanting he was of the restoration of the boy. It seems he would if he could put life into him by his own breath and warmth. This also would be a sign of what God would do by his power, and what he does by his grace, in raising dead souls to a spiritual life; the Holy Ghost comes upon them, overshadows them, and puts life into them. He is very particular in his prayer, which plainly supposes the existence of the soul in a state of separation from the body, and consequently its immortality.
IV. The boy revives.
We see the power of prayer and the power of him that hears prayer, who has power to kill and to make alive. This is the first instance of anyone being raised from the dead. Elijah brought him to his mother, who, we may suppose, could scarcely believe her own eyes, and therefore Elijah assures her it is her own. The good woman hereupon cries out, "Now I’m convinced that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is true."
Even though she knew it before, by the increase of her meal, yet the death of her child she took so unkindly that she began to question it but now she was abundantly satisfied that he had both the power and goodness of a man of God, and will never doubt of it again, but give up herself to the direction of his word and the worship of the God of Israel. Thus the death of the child, like that of Lazarus, was for the glory of God and the honor of his prophet.
Who can move the earth? Will He ever? When? Revelation 21: I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and earth had disappeared, and the sea was gone. Until then, no matter what happens nothing is going to happen to the earth. The only way anything can ever change is when God allows it. What, besides the world, is unmovable?
His Word--- His Promises----- His Presence--- His Power---- His Plans--- His permanent reign.
