Pastor Rusty Milton
"A Drought of Water and the Word"

1 Kings 17 ESV

When we look at the world, and it seems our commander is not with us, does this mean God was caught off guard? No, God is working both grace and judgment through the presence of his word. In 1 Kings 17, God sends Elijah with a message to Ahab: no rain will fall for 3 1/2 years (vs. 1). At this time, Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, had made Baal worship the state religion. To demonstrate his power of Baal's supposed domain (i.e. storms, fertility, etc.), God acts in accordance with his prophecy and withholds rain from the country. During this time, God sends Elijah into the wilderness (Vs. 2) as a demonstration that he was withdrawing his blessing and word from Israel nationally. After his time of isolation, God then sends Elijah to Zarapheth--to the Gentiles--along with his word, power, and provision (vv. 7-9). How do we apply this to our lives? Hold fast to the Word of God, use the Spirit's discernment to recognize God's judgment on our nation, and remind ourselves that God never "dries up" his presence or his Word for the true believer, but meets us in the wilderness with encouragement, life, and provision. 

Elijah Predicts a Drought

17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

The Widow of Zarephath

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah. 

Elijah Raises the Widow's Son

17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” 19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 An