1 Kings Chapter 17 in Simple English

Read 1 Kings Chapter 17

1Elijah the Tishbite, who lived in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As surely as the LORD God of Israel lives, the God I serve, there will be no dew and no rain in these years, except at my word."

2Then the word of the LORD came to him:

3"Leave this place. Turn east, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan."

4"You will drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

5So he went and did what the LORD said. He went and stayed by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan.

6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

7After a while the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

8Then the word of the LORD came to him:

9"Get up and go to Zarephath, which belongs to Zidon, and stay there. Look, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you."

10So he got up and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the city, there was the widow, gathering sticks. He called to her and said, "Please bring me a little water in a jar, so that I may drink."

11As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand."

12She said, "As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread baked. I have only a handful of flour in a barrel and a little oil in a jar. Look, I am gathering two sticks, so that I may go in and cook it for myself and my son. Then we will eat it, and die."

13Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid. Go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake from it and bring it to me. After that, make some for yourself and your son."

14"For this is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'The barrel of flour will not be used up, and the jar of oil will not run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.'"

15She went and did as Elijah said. She and he and her household ate for many days.

16The barrel of flour was not used up, and the jar of oil did not run dry, just as the LORD had said through Elijah.

17After this the son of the woman who owned the house fell sick. His sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.

18She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to mind, and to kill my son?"

19He said to her, "Give me your son." He took him out of her arms and carried him up to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.

20He cried out to the LORD and said, "LORD my God, have you also brought trouble on this widow I am staying with, by killing her son?"

21Then he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the LORD and said, "LORD my God, I pray you, let this child's soul come into him again."

22The LORD heard Elijah's voice, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he lived.

23Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, "See, your son is alive."

24The woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth."

Explanation

1 Kings 17

In short

Elijah, a prophet of God, pronounces judgment on the king of Israel, then flees to hiding. God sustains him through ravens, and later through a widow who receives a miracle of endless food. When the widow's son dies, Elijah revives him through prayer, and the widow comes to believe that Elijah speaks God's truth.

Context

This chapter opens the main story of Elijah. He appears suddenly to King Ahab with no introduction. Ahab has led Israel away from worshipping the LORD and toward other gods. Elijah's declaration of drought is an act of judgment in God's name. After speaking to the king, Elijah receives instructions from God to hide himself. The chapter shows God protecting his prophet and working miracles through him to display his power and faithfulness.

What the text says

Elijah tells Ahab there will be no rain or dew except by his word (verse 1). God then tells Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith east of the Jordan, where he will drink from the brook and God has commanded ravens to feed him (verses 2-4). Elijah obeys, and the ravens bring him bread and meat twice daily (verses 5-6).

When the brook dries up from the drought (verse 7), God sends Elijah to Zarephath to a widow (verses 8-9). He finds her gathering sticks and asks for water and bread. She answers that she has only a handful of meal and a little oil left, and is about to make a final meal before she and her son starve (verses 10-12). Elijah tells her to make him a cake first, then make food for herself and her son, promising that her meal barrel and oil jug will not run out until rain comes (verses 13-14). She obeys, and the food supply does not fail (verses 15-16).

Later her son becomes severely ill and dies (verse 17). She accuses Elijah of causing this to punish her sin (verse 18). Elijah takes the boy to an upper room, stretches himself over the child three times, and prays for the child's life to return (verses 19-21). The LORD hears him and the child revives (verse 22). Elijah returns the living son to his mother, and she declares that now she knows Elijah is a man of God and that the LORD's word in his mouth is truth (verses 23-24).

Takeaways

God provides for his prophet in a hostile land through unexpected means, showing his care and power.
A widow's faith grows from witnessing God's provision and his power over death itself.
Elijah's authority comes not from his own power but from speaking and acting according to God's word.

1 Kings 17 - Simple English