And he said unto her, give me thy son, and he took him out of her bosom ,.... Where she had laid him, mourning over him; from thence the prophet took him with her leave: and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed ; an upper room, which was his bedchamber; hither he carried him, that he might be alone, and use the greater freedom both in his expressions and gestures. read more
Second Preparation of Elijah. Elijah passed through his second phase of preparation under the humble roof of the widow of Sarepta. He is in the right attitude for gaining a holy preparedness for his work, for he has placed himself absolutely and directly under the guidance of God. When the word of God comes to him, he is ready to arise and go whithersoever it bids. Thus was Christ "led of the Spirit" to commence His public ministry ( Matthew 4:1 ); and throughout His whole course He... read more
Life from the Dead. The miracles wrought by Elijah or associated with his name were for the most part of the nacre of severe judgments, and present the person of the lowly prophet in a stern and terrible light before us. But the two miracles that mark the opening of his career were miracles of mercy, and show that there was another side to his character, one that was tenderly sympathetic and humane. Having at first brought hope and a new lease of life to the starving mother and her child,... read more
Affliction and its Fruits. I. THE DISCIPLINE OF TRIAL . 1 . It is no proof of God's anger . Sorrow darkens the homes of God's beloved. This was a home of faith and ministering love. Affliction is no more proof of wrath than is the farmer's ploughing of his field. To him, with his eye upon the future harvest, it is only the needful preparation of the soil. And the great Husbandman, with His eye upon the eternal glory, must open up a bed within the soul's depths for the seed... read more
And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out Of her bosom, [the age of the child may hence be roughly inferred] and carried him up into a loft [Heb. הָעֲלִיָּה the upper chamber. LXX . τὸ ὑπερῷον . Loft is most misleading. The upper room, was often [rather, always ] the best apartment in an Eastern house" (Rawlinson). It was sometimes the guest chamber ( Luke 22:11 , Luke 22:12 ), and, from the uses to which it was put, must have been large ( Acts... read more
The Sign of the Widow's Son. Here is a touching scene—a poor widow pressing to her bosom the corpse of her only child, while in the agony of her bereaved soul, addressing Elijah, she says, "What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come to call my sin to my remembrance, and to slay my son?" Now note the words of the text: "And he said unto her, Give me thy son , " etc. In this history we have— I. AN EXAMPLE OF THE POWER OF FAITH . Behold here— 1. ... read more
Into a loft - Rather, “into the upper chamber;” often the best apartment in an Eastern house. read more
1 Kings 17:19-20. Give me thy son Into my arms. He took him out of her bosom By which it appears he was but a little child. And carried him up into a loft A private place, where he might more freely and fully pour out his soul to God, and use such gestures and methods as his heart inclined him to use, without any offence or observation. And laid him upon his own bed So that it was the room where he lodged, though near the top of the house. And he cried unto the Lord And, in his... read more
16:29-22:53 MINISTRY OF ELIJAHJezebel’s Baalism in Israel (16:29-17:24)In a new political alliance, Ahab, the new king of Israel, married Jezebel, daughter of the king-priest of Phoenicia. Ahab not only accepted his wife’s Baalism, but also gave it official status in Israel by building a Baal temple in the capital (29-33). The Baalism imported by Jezebel was of a kind far more evil and far more dangerous to Israel’s religion than the common Canaanite Baalism practised at the high places.... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 17:17-24
We have here a further recompence made to the widow for her kindness to the prophet; as if it were a small thing to be kept alive, her son, when dead, is restored to life, and so restored to her. Observe, I. The sickness and death of the child. For aught that appears he was her only son, the comfort of her widowed estate. He was fed miraculously, and yet that did not secure him from sickness and death. Your fathers did eat manna, and are dead, but there is bread of which a man may eat and not... read more