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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Wednesday, 24 September 2025:
1 Kings 17:1 — Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe 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.”
Elijah bursts onto the scene suddenly, standing boldly before Ahab with a word of judgment from the Lord. This prophet is introduced not with pedigree or credentials but with faith, declaring that he stands before the living God. His confidence is not in his own authority but in the word of the Lord. The drought was not only a judgment on Israel but a direct confrontation with Baal, the so-called storm god. By Elijah’s word, the heavens would be shut, proving that Israel’s idols were powerless.
“It was a crucial time in the history of Israel. It looked as if the worship of the true God might be completely eliminated in the northern kingdom. ‘The land swarmed with the priests of Baal and of the groves — proud of Court favour; glorying in their sudden rise to power; insolent, greedy, licentious, and debased. The fires of persecution were lit, and began to burn with fury…. The whole land seemed apostate. Of all the thousands of Israel, only seven thousand remained who had not bowed the knee or kissed the hand to Baal. But they were paralyzed with fear; and kept so still, that their very existence was unknown by Elijah in the hour of his great loneliness.’” (Guzik & Meyer).
“James 5:17-18 makes this clear: Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (Guzik)
1 Kings 17:2-4 — And the word of the LORD came to him: “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
God immediately sends Elijah into hiding, not only to preserve him but to train him in trust. The provision of ravens was miraculous, unclean birds by Jewish law, now instruments of God’s care. He shows that He can use any part of creation to provide for His children. “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1). When God calls us to step into the unknown, He also promises to sustain us in ways we could never arrange for ourselves.
1 Kings 17:5-7 — 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. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
“God led Elijah one step at a time. He did not tell him to go to Cherith until he first delivered the message to Ahab. He did not tell him to go to Zarephath until the brook dried up at Cherith. God led Elijah by faith, one step at a time, and Elijah followed in faith.” (Guzik) Likewise, we must learn to walk in complete faith one step at a time, trust God’s word over our perceptions and feelings. What do you do when God’s word doesn’t seem to make sense with your perceived reality? Sin always starts with questioning God and His word and then convincing ourselves we have to disobey God to be safe, satisfied or secure.
Elijah obeyed and experienced God’s daily provision, but eventually the brook dried up. God did not prevent the brook from drying; He allowed Elijah to feel the weight of the drought too. This reminds us that faith is not about avoiding hardship but trusting God through it. God provides, but He also moves us forward when circumstances change, teaching us to rely not on the provision itself but on the Provider.
1 Kings 17:8-10 — Then the word of the LORD came to him, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath.
Again Elijah hears and obeys. This time, however, God sends him into foreign territory — Sidon, Jezebel’s homeland, the very center of Baal worship. It seems like the last place one would expect provision, yet God had prepared a widow to care for him. When God speaks, obedience opens the door to His miraculous arrangements. He moves circumstances and even hearts to fulfill His word, though others may never recognize the supernatural hand behind it.
“She does not appear to have been at all aware that she was to feed a prophet. She went out that morning to gather sticks, not to meet a guest. She was thinking about feeding her son and herself upon the last cake; certainly she had no idea of sustaining a man of God out of that all but empty barrel of meal. Yet the Lord, who never lieth, spoke a solemn truth when he said, ‘I have commanded a widow woman there.’ He had so operated upon her mind that he had prepared her to obey the command when it did come by the lip of his servant the prophet” (Spurgeon).
- Luke 4:24-26 — And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
1 Kings 17:11-12 — And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 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.”
The widow’s situation was desperate — down to her last meal with no hope of survival. Yet God had chosen her as His vessel of provision for the prophet. Often God calls us to give out of our scarcity, not abundance. She had nothing left to offer except her all, but in God’s economy, surrender is the gateway to blessing. Like the boy with five loaves and two fish (John 6:9), she had little to give, but God’s power multiplies what is surrendered to Him.
1 Kings 17:13-14 — 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. 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.’”
The test was radical: use her last portion to feed Elijah first, trusting God’s promise. Faith requires stepping out without a safety net, trusting God when everything in reason says it won’t work. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith takes God at His word, even when obedience looks like certain loss. Elijah calls her not to fear but to trust, and her obedience unlocked the miracle.
1 Kings 17:15-16 — And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 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.
Her obedience was met with God’s faithfulness. The jar and jug never emptied, a daily reminder that God provides abundantly for those who trust Him. Faith is not a one-time act but a daily dependence on God’s word. Just as the Israelites gathered manna in the wilderness, the widow and Elijah lived each day by the miracle of God’s provision.
1 Kings 17:17-18 — 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. 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!”
Even after experiencing God’s provision, trials came. The death of her son was devastating, and she assumed it was punishment for her sins. In grief she questioned God’s servant, showing how fragile faith can feel under suffering. Yet even in this, God was preparing to reveal His glory in an even greater way. Sometimes God allows us to reach the breaking point, not to destroy us but to reveal His power and deepen our faith.
1 Kings 17:19-22 — 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. And he cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the LORD, “O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
Elijah’s intercession was intense and personal. He carried the boy, cried out in prayer, and pleaded earnestly for God to restore life. This miracle was the first recorded resurrection in Scripture, pointing forward to Christ, who is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). God honored Elijah’s faith-filled prayer, not for Elijah’s glory but for His own. It shows that God hears the prayers of His people, and nothing is beyond His power.
1 Kings 17:23-24 — And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.”
The widow’s faith was deepened through personal experience. At first, she acknowledged Elijah’s God but not her own. Now she confesses confidence in the word of the Lord as truth. The miracles were never just about provision or even resurrection; they were about revealing the glory of God and confirming the truth of His word. In fact, though the sin miraculously lived, his life on this earth was still beyond brief compared to eternity. What ultimately matters is the eternal life of knowing Him and abiding in Him (John 17:3). God’s aim is always that people would know Him and trust Him fully.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 24 September 2025: 1 Kings 17 shows us what it looks like to live by faith — Elijah obeying God’s commands even when it meant hiding in the wilderness, the widow giving her last meal in trust, and both experiencing God’s miraculous provision. Faith does not mean avoiding hard times; the brook still dries, the flour still runs low, and sometimes even tragedy strikes. But faith means taking God at His word, obeying when it costs everything, and discovering that His promises never fail. Today, take stock of your life: where have you been holding onto a “safety net” instead of giving God your all? Offer Him your time, your talents, and your treasures without reservation. Trust Him with your needs, your relationships, and your future. Step into the place where faith has no backup plan, and watch God reveal His faithfulness.
Pray: “Father, You are my Provider and Sustainer. Forgive me for the times I have treated obedience as optional and tried to secure myself by my own plans. Teach me to trust You completely, to give without fear, to forgive freely without resentment or fear of loss, to obey without hesitation, and to rest in Your promises even when my brook dries up. Fill me with the faith that pleases You, so that my life may bring You glory and reveal to others that Your word is truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
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