Read 1 Kings 17 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
17:1 {s} Elijah said to Ahab, There shall be no rain except at my word
17:2-7 {s} YHVH provided for Elijah supernaturally at the Brook Cherith until it dried up
17: 8-16 {p} YHVH sent Elijah to a widow of Zarephath who provided for him supernaturally
17:17-24 {p} When the widow’s son died, Elijah prayed for him, and God raised him back to life
The Strong themes:
16:29-17:16 {sx3+p} Ahab king over Israel, did great evil, so Elijah the prophet commands drought
1 Kin 17:1-24 Chiastic structure:
Someone reading this account of Elijah for the first time might think, “How unfair, that God sent Elijah to a widow who didn’t even have enough to sustain herself or her son! He could have sent him to a great house which had plenty for everyone and to spare!”
But that is precisely the point. God showed Himself strong on the widow’s behalf, and provided for her and all her household, so that she would have enough and to spare, to provide for Elijah, the man of God. As she was herself on death’s doorstep when Elijah first came, no one could explain away the miracle by coincidence or chance or natural means.
We learn through the course of the Narrative, that the word of YHVH in Elijah’s mouth, is truth. He proclaimed a drought, and there was no rain in the land. He proclaimed the miracle of the flour and oil, and the flour and oil did not run out. He prayed for the soul of the widow’s son to return, and God restored the boy to life. No prophet had walked in such power since Moses.
By the way, this is the first instance in the Bible of someone being raised from the dead by the supernatural power of God.
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
Matthew 17, The Transfiguration – Christine Miller
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