Lièwángjìshang 17

1 Jīliè jìjū de tí sī bǐ rén Yǐlìyà duì yà hā shuō , wǒ zhǐ zhe suǒ shìfèng yǒngshēng Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén qǐshì , zhè jǐ nián wǒ ruò bù dǎogào , bì bù jiàng lòu , bù xiàyǔ .

2 Yēhéhuá de huà líndào Yǐlìyà shuō ,

3 Nǐ líkāi zhèlǐ wǎng dōng qù , cáng zaì Yuēdànhé dōngbiān de jī lì xī páng .

4 Nǐ yào hē nà xī lǐ de shuǐ , wǒ yǐ fēnfu wūyē zaì nàli gòng yǎng nǐ .

5 Yúshì Yǐlìyà zhào zhe Yēhéhuá de huà , qù zhù zaì Yuēdànhé dōng de jī lì xī páng .

6 Wūyē zǎo wǎn gĕi tā diāo bǐng hé ròu lái , tā yĕ hē nà xī lǐ de shuǐ .

7 Guō le xiē rìzi , xī shuǐ jiù gān le , yīnwei yǔ méiyǒu xià zaì dì shàng .

8 Yēhéhuá de huà líndào tā shuō ,

9 Nǐ qǐshēn wǎng Xīdùn Desǎ lè fǎ ( sǎ lè fǎ yǔ lùjiāfúyīn sì zhāng èr shí liù jié tóng ) qù , zhù zaì nàli . wǒ yǐ fēnfu nàli de yī gè guǎfu gōng yǎng nǐ .

10 Yǐlìyà jiù qǐshēn wǎng sǎ lè fǎ qù . dào le chéng mén , jiàn yǒu yī gè guǎfu zaì nàli jiǎn chái , Yǐlìyà hūjiào tā shuō , qiú nǐ yòng qìmǐn qǔ diǎn shuǐ lái gĕi wǒ hē .

11 Tā qù qǔ shuǐ de shíhou , Yǐlìyà yòu hūjiào tā shuō , yĕ qiú nǐ ná diǎn bǐng lái gĕi wǒ .

12 Tā shuō , wǒ zhǐ zhe yǒngshēng Yēhéhuá nǐde shén qǐshì , wǒ méiyǒu bǐng , tán neì zhǐyǒu yī bǎ miàn , píng lǐ zhǐyǒu yídiǎn yóu . wǒ xiànzaì zhǎo liǎng gēn chái , huí jiā yào wèi wǒ hé wǒ érzi zuò bǐng . wǒmen chī le , sǐ jiù sǐ ba .

13 Yǐlìyà duì tā shuō , búyào jùpà . kĕyǐ zhào nǐ suǒ shuō de qù zuò ba . zhǐyào xiān wèi wǒ zuò yī gè xiǎo bǐng ná lái gĕi wǒ , ránhòu wèi nǐ hé nǐde érzi zuò bǐng .

14 Yīnwei Yēhéhuá Yǐsèliè de shén rúcǐ shuō , tán neì de miàn bì bú jiǎnshǎo , píng lǐ de yóu bì bù quē duǎn , zhídào Yēhéhuá shǐ yǔ jiàng zaì dì shàng de rìzi .

15 Fùrén jiù zhào Yǐlìyà de huà qù xíng . tā hé tā jiā zhōng de rén , bìng Yǐlìyà , chī le xǔduō rìzi .

16 Tán neì de miàn guǒ bú jiǎnshǎo , píng lǐ de yóu yĕ bù quē duǎn , zhēng rú Yēhéhuá jiè Yǐlìyà suǒ shuō de huà .

17 Zhè shì yǐhòu , zuò nà jiā zhǔ mǔ de fùrén , tā érzi bìng le . bìng dé shén zhòng , yǐzhì shēn wú qìxī .

18 Fùrén duì Yǐlìyà shuō , shén rén nǎ , wǒ yǔ nǐ hé gān . nǐ jìng dào wǒ zhèlǐ lái , shǐ shén xiǎngniàn wǒde zuì , yǐzhì wǒde érzi sǐ ne .

19 Yǐlìyà duì tā shuō , bǎ nǐ érzi jiāo gĕi wǒ . Yǐlìyà jiù cóng fùrén huái zhōng jiāng háizi jiē guō lái , bào dào tā suǒ zhù de lóu zhōng , fàng zaì zìjǐ de chuáng shàng ,

20 Jiù qiúgào Yēhéhuá shuō , Yēhéhuá wǒde shén a , wǒ jìjū zaì zhè guǎfu de jiā lǐ , nǐ jiù jiàng huò yǔ tā , shǐ tāde érzi sǐ le ma .

21 Yǐlìyà sān cì fú zaì háizi de shēnshang , qiúgào Yēhéhuá shuō , Yēhéhuá wǒde shén a , qiú nǐ shǐ zhè háizi de línghún réng rù tāde shēntǐ .

22 Yēhéhuá yīngyún Yǐlìyà de huà , háizi de línghún réng rù tāde shēntǐ , tā jiù huó le .

23 Yǐlìyà jiāng háizi cóng lóu shàng bào xià lái , jìn wūzi jiāo gĕi tā mǔqin , shuō , kàn nǎ , nǐde érzi huó le .

24 Fùrén duì Yǐlìyà shuō , xiànzaì wǒ zhīdào nǐ shì shén rén , Yēhéhuá jiè nǐ kǒu suǒ shuō de huà shì zhēn de .

Lièwángjìshang 17 Commentary

Chapter 17

Elijah fed by ravens. (1-7) Elijah sent to Zarephath. (8-16) Elijah raises the widow's son to life. (17-24)

Verses 1-7 God wonderfully suits men to the work he designs them for. The times were fit for an Elijah; an Elijah was fit for them. The Spirit of the Lord knows how to fit men for the occasions. Elijah let Ahab know that God was displeased with the idolaters, and would chastise them by the want of rain, which it was not in the power of the gods they served to bestow. Elijah was commanded to hide himself. If Providence calls us to solitude and retirement, it becomes us to go: when we cannot be useful, we must be patient; and when we cannot work for God, we must sit still quietly for him. The ravens were appointed to bring him meat, and did so. Let those who have but from hand to mouth, learn to live upon Providence, and trust it for the bread of the day, in the day. God could have sent angels to minister to him; but he chose to show that he can serve his own purposes by the meanest creatures, as effectually as by the mightiest. Elijah seems to have continued thus above a year. The natural supply of water, which came by common providence, failed; but the miraculous supply of food, made sure to him by promise, failed not. If the heavens fail, the earth fails of course; such are all our creature-comforts: we lose them when we most need them, like brooks in summer. But there is a river which makes glad the city of God, that never runs dry, a well of water that springs up to eternal life. Lord, give us that living water!

Verses 8-16 Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, and some, it is likely, would have bidden him welcome to their houses; yet he is sent to honour and bless with his presence a city of Sidon, a Gentile city, and so becomes the first prophet of the Gentiles. Jezebel was Elijah's greatest enemy; yet, to show her how powerless was her malice, God will find a hiding-place for him even in her own country. The person appointed to entertain Elijah is not one of the rich or great men of Sidon; but a poor widow woman, in want, and desolate, is made both able and willing to sustain him. It is God's way, and it is his glory, to make use of, and put honour upon, the weak and foolish things of the world. O woman, great was thy faith; one has not found the like, no not in Israel. She took the prophet's word, that she should not lose by it. Those who can venture upon the promise of God, will make no difficulty to expose and empty themselves in his service, by giving him his part first. Surely the increase of this widow's faith, so as to enable her thus readily to deny herself, and to depend upon the Divine promise, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace, as the increase of her meal and oil in the kingdom of providence. Happy are all who can thus, against hope, believe and obey in hope. One poor meal's meat this poor widow gave the prophet; in recompence of it, she and her son did eat above two years, in a time of famine. To have food from God's special favour, and in such good company as Elijah, made it more than doubly sweet. It is promised to those who trust in God, that they shall not be ashamed in evil time; in days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Verses 17-24 Neither faith nor obedience shut out afflictions and death. The child being dead, the mother spake to the prophet, rather to give vent to her sorrow, than in hope of relief. When God removes our comforts from us, he remembers our sins against us, perhaps the sins of our youth, though long since past. When God remembers our sins against us, he designs to teach us to remember them against ourselves, and to repent of them. Elijah's prayer was doubtless directed by the Holy Spirit. The child revived. See the power of prayer, and the power of Him who hears prayer.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 17

This chapter begins with a prophecy of Elijah, that there should be want of rain for some years to come, and he is directed to go first to the brook Cherith, where he should be fed by ravens, 1Ki 17:1-7, and afterwards he is sent to a widow at Zarephath, where he, she, and her son, were supported for a considerable time with a handful of meal, and a little oil in a cruse miraculously increased, 1Ki 17:8-16, whose son falling sick and dying, he restored to life, 1Ki 17:17-24.