When God remembers our sins against us, he designs to teach us to remember them against ourselves, and to repent of them. When God removes our comforts from us, he remembers our sins against us, perhaps the sins of our youth, though long since past. The child being dead, the mother spake to the prophet, rather to give vent to her sorrow, than in hope of relief. Verses 17-24 Neither faith nor obedience shut out afflictions and death. 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. To have food from God's special favour, and in such good company as Elijah, made it more than doubly sweet. 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. ![]() Happy are all who can thus, against hope, believe and obey in hope. 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. 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. She took the prophet's word, that she should not lose by it. O woman, great was thy faith one has not found the like, no not in Israel. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Elijah seems to have continued thus above a year. 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. 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. ![]() The ravens were appointed to bring him meat, and did so. ![]() 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. 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. The Spirit of the Lord knows how to fit men for the occasions. The times were fit for an Elijah an Elijah was fit for them. Verses 1-7 God wonderfully suits men to the work he designs them for. (8-16) Elijah raises the widow's son to life.
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