Title: Where Ravens Fly
Bible Book: 1 Kings 17 : 4-6
Author: Donnie L. Martin
Subject: Trust in God; Faith; Faithfulness; Provision, God's; Elijah
Objective:
Introduction
1 Kings 17:4-6
Elijah, the prophet of God, has excited my imagination since the early days of my biblical recollections. Actually, Elijah has long been one of my Bible heroes. This servant of God was a man’s man. When it came to preaching the truth of God, mousy he was not. One need not guess the deeper or obscure meanings of his messages, for Elijah was plainspoken and straightforward in his delivery. According to the late Dr. William Smith (1813-1893), “His [Elijah’s] one grand object was to awaken Israel to the conviction that Jehovah, Jehovah alone is God.” This was an extremely apropos (“fitting the occasion; relevant”[1]) ministry, since King Ahab, and his wicked wife, Jezebel, had single-handedly led Israel’s apostasy from Jehovah God to the worship of Baal.
Life was extremely difficult and miserable for Elijah, while living under such a depraved and murderous ruler as King Ahab. The king wanted nothing to hinder the total conversion of Israel to idolatry, and as long as the prophet Elijah was alive, he would be a painful thorn in the side of Ahab, as well as an obstacle to his plan. This situation placed Elijah in almost constant fear of his life. Nevertheless, Elijah’s agonizing circumstances taught the prophet that God was always faithful to watch over him, and to supply his needs in the most dangerous and devastating of times. Elijah learned that neither devilish characters nor desperate crises, in any way, diminished God’s ability to provide. The saints of today would do well to learn these same lessons.
Perhaps one of the most notable demonstrations of God’s power to provide for His faithful prophet, Elijah, is His use of ravens (1 Kings 17:4, 6). Twice a day, for three and a half years, the ravens, at the command of God, dutifully flew care missions to the brook Cherith. If one figures based on 365 days per year, for three and a half years, at two meals a day, that means these birds supplied approximately 2,555 meals. However, if figured based on 360 days per year, which likely was the way the Jews measured a year, 2,520 meals were delivered via “The Royal Raven Rescue Flights.” Others might come up with a different calculation, but this gives us some idea of the magnitude of the miracle involved. Consider also that ravens are not only curious birds, but that they are also selfish carrion eaters as well. The fact that the ravens willingly released the bread and meat, after reaching Elijah’s location, is in itself, a miracle. However, God is not limited to the natural order of things.
I want to use the ravens as somewhat of an analogy of the activity of God’s power to provide our needs. The only thing that can close God’s supply lines is unbelief. The ravens of God’s provision fly in the worst of circumstances. The question however, is do we believe it?
The ravens of God’s provision fly despite…
I. EVIL DETERMINATIONS
A. Ahab’s Perversity.
This man was wickedly brazen.
1 Kings 16:29 “And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. 30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.”
This man led Israel into the worship of Baal.
1 Kings 16:31 “And it came to pass, as if it had been a light things for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 32 And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. 33 And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.”
The term “Baal” signifies a general term used to refer to a number of national gods. The Baal referred to here is one that the Zidonians called Melkarth. One commentator notes:
Melkarth was the kind of god that required the burning of innocent children as oblations upon his altar. One of the underlying reasons why Baal was worshiped was that he was believed to be lord of the land. To induce him to send rain upon the earth, fertility cult practices were engaged in and sacrifices were offered.[2]
B. Elijah’s Preaching.
He preached God’s judgment against idolatry.
1 Kings 17:1 “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
[1] This particular judgment upon Israel lasted three and a half years, according to James 5:17. Drought was a form of judgment that God had promised to use against Israel if she forsook Jehovah God.
Deut. 11:16 “Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 17 And then the Lord’s wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.”
[2] This judgment was rather fitting, since the Baal worshippers believed that this god controlled the elements. It was necessary for God to remind the people of Israel that only Jehovah God could control the elements, fertility, and life itself. For this reason, God, through Elijah (“my God is Jahweh or Jehovah”[3]), warned Israel that drought was on the way. God, in His mercy, may delay judgment upon sin for a season, but it will come eventually. It may come when least expected, as someone points out in the following account:
It happened again! A mountain in Mexico that had lain dormant for a very long time suddenly came alive. It erupted with so much power that it became the world’s largest active volcano. The 7300-foot El Chichon giant had been quiet for hundreds of years before its explosive reawakening. It was a reminder of Mount St. Helens, which broke its long silence in 1980 when it transformed its majestic snow-covered peak and placid Spirit Lake into dust and vapor. In each case, it was unexpected. The people near the mountains had lived in complacency, never anticipating such drastic changes.
Elijah’s message having been delivered, he left the area, as God had instructed.
1 Kings 17:2 “And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.”
God knew that Elijah’s life would be in danger, because Jezebel had already killed a number of the prophets of God.
1 Kings 18:4 “For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.”
C. Ahab’s Persistence.
For three years, Elijah remained hidden.
1 Kings 18:1 “And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.”
All that time, Ahab had a posse out hunting him.
1 Kings 18:7 “And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? 8 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here. 9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 10 As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. 11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.”
Ahab was an extremely ruthless and wicked king, who was leading God’s people into idolatry. Elijah, in obedience to God, pronounced judgment upon the land. As a result, Ahab and Jezebel were out for Elijah’s blood. Actually, Ahab was mad at God, but he planned to take it out on God’s man. However, in spite of Ahab’s evil determination to kill Elijah, God preserved His obedient servant.
D. God’s Provision.
1 Kings 17:3 “Get thee hence, and turn eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.”
[1] Though it did not necessarily happen this way, I suspect that those ravens of God’s provision may have gotten Elijah’s meals from Ahab’s own table, since the king would be the last person in the kingdom to go without food, even in a famine.
[2] A thought-provoking question is in order here: Would Elijah’s needs still have been met if he had decided that he was tired of waiting by the brook Cherith, and moved to another location? I can conceive of the fact that the ravens of God’s provision would have flown to the brook Cherith, but Elijah would have missed their arrival, due to being in the wrong place. In the dire situations of life, obedience and waiting on God are vitally important to the provision of God.
[3] Remember, one of Satan’s tactics against God’s people is to get them to act impatiently with God, so that they move from the place of obedience and provision. One of the devil’s means of accomplishing this is by creating fear and faithlessness in the saint’s heart, via a crisis, or a series of crises. If we will remain in obedience and faith toward God in the crises of life, the ravens of God’s provision will show up.
II. EXTREME DILEMMA
A. The Brook Goes Dry.
1 Kings 17:7 “ And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”
[1] What would have been your response if this had happened to you? Would it have sounded something like this: “Well, I knew it was too good to last. God really seemed to come through for me for a while, but now I guess He’s forgotten me.”
[2] Is it not strange that even when God has so obviously delivered us in the past, we still tend to accuse Him of unconcern when bad things happen? Folks, we need to realize that when God permits one source of supply to dry up, it is usually so that He can point us in a different direction. Dilemma is often the predecessor of divine direction. Such was the case with Elijah. However, even as his water source was drying up, God was giving the ravens of His provision new flight plans.
1. Elijah Gets God’s Directions.
1 Kings 17:8 “And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”
[1] It is not likely that the brook Cherith dried up suddenly. It likely dried up over a period of time, due to the drought. Elijah could see the brook diminishing day-by-day, and week-by-week. However, there is a principle we should notice here. Elijah had to be willing to stay put until God told him otherwise. Had he moved based on sight alone—the way things looked—he would have missed God’s instructions—he would have missed the next raven flight of provision. We must avoid the tendency to make impulsive decisions based on our senses. We must learn to wait on God’s timing.
Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.[4]
[2] The whole scene here is miraculous. God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, where He had “…commanded a widow woman…” (v. 9b) to sustain him. That might not mean much at first glance. However, you must understand that widows were perhaps among the poorest people of the land, even in good times. This widow woman seems a most unlikely candidate to sustain God’s prophet during a drought and famine. Nevertheless, “…God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Cor. 1:27-29). At the end of this whole situation, one fact would be quite clear: God was responsible for preserving and providing for Elijah.
2. God Grants Deliverance.
The widow’s faith was phenomenal.
1 Kings 17:10 “So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake [explanation: not a morsel of baked bread in the house], but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.”
[1] Notice that this widow did not complain when Elijah asked for a drink of water, in spite of the fact that water was scarce, due to the drought. However, when the prophet asked something to eat, she felt compelled to make known the extent of her poverty. She said, “Sir, I do not have even a morsel of baked bread. The truth is I have but a handful of meal (flour), and a little oil. I have so little left that it will only take two sticks to cook it. After we eat what is left, my son and I will likely die of starvation.” It is obvious, from this woman’s statement, that she was destitute. Yet, the ravens of God’s provision were about to fly into this woman’s life.
[2] In light of what the widow of Zarephath had just told him, Elijah’s response seems amazing. He says, “Fear not” (v. 13a). This was a call to faith. It is akin to the command of the resurrected Christ to Thomas: “…be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27c). Notice also that Elijah told this woman to “…make me…a little cake first” (v. 13b). This dear woman would not only have to choose to trust God, via His prophet, but she would also have to act upon her faith. Simply put: “Faith professed is not necessarily faith possessed.” We must actualize, or act upon our faith, for faith actualized is faith realized. The fact that this lady was to give Elijah the first portion of bread reminds one of the biblical exhortation to, “Give, and it shall be given unto you…” (Luke 6:38a). The exhortation of Matthew 6:33 also reminds us, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
[3] Do not miss the fact that this woman’s faith rested squarely upon God’s Word. Elijah laid the foundation for her obedience and faith by saying, “For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail…” (v. 14a). True faith is not a shot in the dark. Rather, it is a choice to trust and rest upon what God has said He would do. Paul, speaking of the faith of Abraham, mentions this truth in his letter to the Romans, in which he said, “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (Rom. 4:21). The widow of Zarephath took God at His Word, and reaped the reward of her faith. Out of poverty, God produced plenty.
1 Kings 17:15 “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.”
Make no mistake; God is not short on cash, nor the supplies of His storehouse diminished or strained by our privations and problems. God can supply all our needs (Phil. 4:19). The only prerequisite to God’s supply is faith. Hudson Taylor, founder of the Inland China Mission, once said the following:
There are plenty of ravens in China, and the Lord could send them again with bread and flesh…He sustained three million Israelites in the wilderness for forty years. We do not expect Him to send three million missionaries to China, but if He did He would have ample means to sustain them all…Depend upon it, God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.[5]
B. EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
1. Elijah’s Life Was In Danger.
1 Kings 19:1 “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them [the executed priests of Baal] by tomorrow about this time.”
After God, through Elijah, demonstrated on Mt. Carmel, His great power over Baal to the Israelites, Elijah ordered the execution of all the priests of Baal. Rather than seeing her need to repent, Jezebel rebelled, and swore to kill God’s prophet. This threat no doubt weighed heavily upon Elijah.
2. Elijah Becomes Physically and Emotionally Drained.
1 Kings 19:3 “And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”
[1] Elijah had traveled from the Northern Kingdom to the southernmost city of Judah. He was now completely exhausted, depressed, and filled with self-pity. Lest we look too harshly upon Elijah, let us remember that we all are in danger of getting in this frame of mind when we get physically and emotionally exhausted. The reasons are simple: (a) A certain degree of depression is the natural result of physical and emotional exhaustion; (b) Under the circumstances just mentioned, one tends to become self-focused rather than God-focus. Self-pity is simply feeling sorry for oneself, due to focusing inward. This truth reveals itself with the words, “…he requested for himself that he might die…” (v. 4b). One must never make major decisions in such a state of mind.
[2] If the story stopped here, it would be a sad ending to a powerful ministry. However, even though Elijah tells God that life did not seem to be worth the trouble anymore, and that he was tired of being on the run, God does not leave him high and dry. The Lord orders another mission for the ravens of provision. In my mind’s eye, I see that tired, worn out prophet, lying under that ole juniper tree, asleep. But wait; on the horizon a flock of ravens are winging their way to Elijah. They are on a mission of mercy from God.
3. An Angel Refreshes Elijah With A Heavenly Delivery.
1 Kings 19:5 “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.
7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.”
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[1] Webster’s New World Dictionary of American English, eds. Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief and David B. Guralnik, Editor in Chief Emeritus, (New York, NY: Webster’s New World Dictionaries, 1988), p. 68
[2] Wycliffe Bible Commentary, eds. Charles F. Pfeiffer and Everett F. Harrison, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1987), p. 330
[3] Ibid, p. 331
[4] G. Campbell Morgan (1863-1945)
[5] Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, nd), p. 120
