SUSTENANCE OF ELIJAH THE TISHBITE The divided kingdom of Israel started on the hand of Jeroboam who set up two centers of worship in Dan and Bethel; and made two golden calves for the people to worship God through them. He did his best to keep the people from going up to Jerusalem to worship God in His temple. He was followed by a continuous series of evil kings; with not a single good one among them. Evil reached its climax when Ahab reined and got married to Jezebel daughter of the king of Tyre, and priest of Baal, who put in her heart to wipe out by brute force, every trace of the worship of the living God, and to establish that of Baal.. In the midst of that pitch dark atmosphere, God sent ‘Elijah the Tishbite’, an amazing prophet, to testify to Him, and to work for the sake of the salvation of his brethren. While the devil set up Ahab and Jezebel to provoke the spirit of corruption, God, on the other hand, set up Elijah the Tishbite to testify to Him, and to work to the account of His kingdom. As there was never, among the kings of Israel, one as aggressive in doing evil as Ahab; There was never, among the prophets, one as daring and fiery as Elijah. His story with God started in this chapter, supported by exalted miracles, shining with the spirit of splendor and power; Was the only prophet to have the honor of joining Enoch to be taken alive up to heaven; And, together with the prophet Moses, to have the great honor to encounter the Lord Christ in His transfiguration on Mount Tabor. While the rest of the prophets prophesied and had their prophesies recorded in writing, Elijah, on the other hand, left no written prophesies, but worked; and his works remained a living testimony to the divine Truth. 1- Elijah’s prophecy concerning the draught 1 2- Elijah sustained by the ravens 2 - 7 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 3- Elijah sustained by the widow of Zarepath 8 - 16 4- Elijah raises the son of the widow from the dead 17 – 24 1- ELIJAH’S PROPHECY CONCERNING THE DRAUGHT: (1) Why did the prophet Elijah start his prophetic work by prophesying a draught to dwell upon Israel? Having reached the lowest level of corruption, the king and his people were in need, not of an oral warning, but of something to shake their life and existence, to exhort them to reconsider their position, and to perceive the extent of the inner draught that had dwelt upon them, through their deprivation of the water of the divine grace. As to the sustenance of Elijah by the ravens that are used to snatching, particularly in a time of draught, bore a confirmation that God would make nature work to the account of His believers, even if it entails breaking its laws. His sustenance by the widow of Zarepath, reveals God’s practical care for his believers of any race. And finally, raising the widow’s son from the dead, opens the door of hope before the people, not to despair because of the death that dwelt upon their souls through sin and corruption; And proclaims God’s longing to set every soul up to enjoy life. Contrary to all prophets, there is no mention of the prophet’s father, mother, tribe, or family; As though the Holy Book intends to confirm that Elijah, a gift from God to the people for the sake of their repentance, bears a heavenly power from the Lord, depending on no human reference. Because the Jews thought of him as an angel who came down from heaven, the apostle James confirms that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours (James 5: 17). + God grants those who fulfill His will, what would be granted only to His friends. https://coptic-treasures.com/ (Clement the Roman) “And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab, ‘As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years except at my word” (1) “Elijah”, a Hebrew word meaning (My God is Jehovah); As though, by his name, he testifies that he would worship no one but God, who sent him to bring the souls back to Him, and works through him. “The Tishbite” means (the stranger). Saying, “The Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead”, means, therefore, (a stranger of the inhabitants of Gilead). An assumption by some that ‘Tishbi’ is Nephtali, was rejected by many scholars. According to Josephus, Elijah was an inhabitant of ‘Teshbon’, a province of Gilead. Whereas some others have gone so far to say that Elijah was a Gentile who inhabited Gilead to testify to the living God. The episode of Elijah will forever exhort us along the generations, not to care to inquire about man’s family nor ancestors, but about his person, life, thoughts, and behavior. a- Elijah did not talk to the king in secret, but publicly, on account of that evil has reached to the whole people; and there was need for a loud cry-out to exhort all to return to their God. Hence he says” “As the Lord God of Israel lives”, whom the king and his men opposed, and whom the people forgot or disregarded. b- God is not lifeless like Baal or Ashtoreth but “The Lord God of Israel lives”. c- Elijah is the minister who perpetually stands before the living God. https://coptic-treasures.com/ d- If the king thought that what he enjoys of goods and blessings are gifts from Baal and , Ashtoreth, gods of fertility; It is befitting of him to perceive the helplessness of his idols to provide the rain (Jeremiah 14: 22) e- Here, Elijah confirms the importance of prayer; as by it the gates of heaven are shut off for three and a half years, and the idols would not be able to open them up; but it is God who allows for them to open “at my word”. f- God had previously threatened draught as chastisement against whoever goes astray from Him, and disobeys His commandment (Genesis 11: 17; 28: 23; Leviticus: 26: 19). According to many old Jewish writings, like the Telmud, there happened a debate between the two parties; the king, trusting on his idols, challenged Elijah that the curse of draught declared by Moses, will not happen; while Elijah confirmed that it will certainly do. 2- ELIJAH SUSTAINED BY THE RAVENS: (2 – 7) “Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying. ‘Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan” (2, 3) According to an old tradition, the Brook ‘Cherith’, which flows into the Jordan, is a spring (Phasaelis) or (Fassel), located where the mountains descend toward the valley of the Jordan, beyond the city called ‘Phasaelis; Or it probably ‘Wady Kelt’, a little far southward from the “Phasaelis’ Valley. While, according to Josephus, it is on the other bank of the river; To Thenius, it is ‘Wady Rajib’ or ‘Ajlun’; And still to others, it is ‘Wady Alias’. By a divine command, Elijah had to hide himself until the period of chastisement is over; not to protect him from Ahab and Jezebel, from whom God is capable of https://coptic-treasures.com/ protect him; but rather to give them and the rest of the people a chance to think seriously about repentance, lest they might put pressure on him; instead o seeking mercy from God. The Lord commanded him to retreat from Samaria, and from the midst of the people, to hide himself three and a half years; after which he had to go back and encounter the king. Those years were not meant to be a period of slothfulness without work; but rather a period of prayer and meditation, that would grant the prophet an increasing strength to support him in his coming mission. Amid the draught, in that barren wilderness, God provided him with water from the spring or brook ‘Cherith’, and with food brought to him by the snatching ravens. God would never forget His church; and would never disregard a hungry soul. … In the Book of Revelation (12: 6, 14), we see God Himself sustain the Church (the woman) who fled to the wilderness. God sustained Elijah with fresh bread and meet twice a day; when the priests of Baal who “used to eat at the table of Jezebel” (1 kings 18: 19) went hungry because of the draught,, God sustained Elijah in the morning and in the evening, and did not let him worry about the morrow, As to how the bread and the meet were prepared, let us say together with Jacob: “The Lord God granted me success” (Genesis 27: 20) Why did God chose the ravens to sustain Elijah? a- It was written: “The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out” (Proverb 30: 17); Whereas whoever honors his father and obeys the Church, his mother, will be sustained by the ravens daily with fresh food. Through the love of God “Out of the eater, came something to eat; and out of the strong, came something https://coptic-treasures.com/ sweet” (Judges 14: 14). b- Even though those birds were considered unclean by the Mosaic law (Leviticus 11: 13-15); and the Jews would never eat anything they provide; but Elijah here, going beyond the letter, eats what is brought forth, not by the ravens, but by God Himself. c- The ravens that brought forth bread to Elijah, subsist upon insect for their food. They represent a multitude of God’s ministers who offer the word of God – the heavenly bread; while they themselves subsist on (insects). d- As the little raven cannot carry more than tiny pieces of bread and meet, yet Elijah was thankful to God for His gift. e- Even if the raven may sometimes forget their little ones, yet they could not forget the man of God; “The lions (and raven) lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (Psalm 34: 10). f- The raven which are, themselves, subsisted through the divine care (Job 38: 14; Psalm 47: 9), are used by the same care to subsist the prophet. They testify against those who disregard the need of their brethren; for it is befitting of whoever enjoys the grace of God to offer to his brethren, spiritual food in the midst of the wilderness of this world. g- By a divine command, Elijah separated himself from the people who have gone astray from God, to deal with the raven that served him. By sin, man loses his relationship with God and His men; whereas the irrational animals and birds glorify God and minister to His children. https://coptic-treasures.com/ h- God, the Creator of nature, uses even the serpents, the locusts, the fish, and the clouds of the sky, to minister to Him (2 Chronicles 7: 13; Psalm 78: 23; Isaiah 14: 12; Jonah 2: 10; Amos 9: 3). i- Offering food through the raven implies three miracles: How, and from where, did the raven get such food, morning and evening? … How did they overcome their nature; and instead of snatching, they offered delicious food to others? … And finally, how would they dare and offer food to man, with no fear of him? Some claim that the word translated as ‘orebim’, refers to the Arabs who inhabit ‘Orbo’; nomadic traders belonging to caravans coming from Arabia. This view is however rejected by many scholars, on account of that, it was not a way used by caravans. And on another aspect, God commanded Elijah to separate himself from anyone, to keep the king from knowing his whereabouts; And finally, this word was never used in the Holy Book to refer to traders. Those raven may refer to the believers who perceive that, by themselves, they are sinners and defiled; but through the rich grace of God, their defilement turns into purity; … The grace of God renews their nature; and instead of their selfishness, they long to give, and to offer a continuous spiritual banquet to others; not made by their own hands, nor through their human possibilities; but as a divine gift to them…. Finally they never fear to offer the living word of God as a delicious and fresh food to the souls. According to St Ambrose, the word ‘Cherith’ means (understanding), and ‘Horeb’ means (a heart) or (like a heart). “And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the raven to feed you there” (4) https://coptic-treasures.com/ + For Elijah, there was no place to be fed except “there” (4), in Zarephath, where he was commanded by God to go. Jacob, likewise, was commanded by God to go “there’, to Bethel (Genesis 35: 1). And the Lord Christ commanded his disciples to return to Jerusalem, and to “tarry in the city of Jerusalem until they are endued with power from up high” (Luke 24: 49; Hebrew 1: 4; 12; 2: 4). We are invited to go “there”, to dwell or to Abide in Christ, and He in us (John 15: 4-7; Ephesians 1: 3). In the time of draught, when the physical vanity could dry up in man, he can go into more understanding of God. Elijah went to the Brook of Cherish (17: 3), which means (understanding),where he can drink from the abundance of God’s understanding. He fled from the world in a way, not seek even food for his body, except what those little ministering birds provided him (17: 6). Although his food, most probably, was not from the earth (5-7). He actually walked 40 days, sustained by that little food he got (5). That great prophet did not flee from a woman, but from this world; he did not fear death, but delivered himself to Him who seeks his soul, saying to the Lord, “Take my life” (19: 4)..He suffered from the troubles of this life; yet fled from the seductions of the world; from the defiled behavior, and the evil works, of that evil sinning generation. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meet in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the Brook” (5, 6) + Elijah, the man of God, had no bread to eat, but it so seems that he did not fail, for he did not search for any, for he was rich with God. Richness is not a requirement for life to be blessed, as is clear from the word of the Lord, saying; “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God; Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled; Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” (Luke 6: 20, 21); By which he makes clear that poverty, hunger, and sufferings, that are considered as evils, would not be obstacles to reach the blessed life, , but would even help to reach it. (St. Ambrose) “And it happened after a while that the Brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” (7) There will be time when the brooks of this world will dry up; for nature, with all its possibilities, has limits to stop at. The river of Elijah dried up, for there was no rain for some time; Whereas whoever lifts his eyes up to heaven, to the city of God, For him, no streams of water will dry up in summer (Job 6: 15), but will find https://coptic-treasures.com/ a river that brings joy to the city of God, that will never dry up (Psalm 46: 4); and a fountain of living water that will never cease to flow. God who commanded Elijah to set forth to the Brook Of Cherith, will certainly provide for a solution when it dries up; according to the words of the psalmist, saying, “Oh, continue Your loving kindness to those who know you” (Psalm 36: 10). The rivers of the world may dry up; but God’s loving kindness will never do; nor will fail to quench the thirst of the souls. 3- ELIJAH SUSTAINED BY THE WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH: (8-16) “Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying: ‘Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” “ (8-9) Sending Elijah to that gentile widow, was not only a sign of God’s care for His children, but of His care for the Gentile woman to receive Elijah in her house, to bless what she has got. About this, the Lord Christ says: “Many women were in Israel in the days of Elijah when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow” (Luke 4: 25, 26). Elijah was the first prophet sent to minister to the Gentiles; hated by his own people, he resorted to the Gentiles, as testified by the apostles (Acts 18:6); by which he bore a testimony about the Lord Christ, who came to His own, and His own did not receive Him; came to the lost sheep of Israel, and, being rejected by them, He opened the door before the Gentiles to receive His salvation work, and His exalted love. ‘Zarephath’: a small village located on the Mediterranean Sea coast between Tyre and Sidon. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + “I have commanded a widow there to provide for you” (9) By His command, God proclaimed what is good by His grace for the soul. That is how God proclaims to every man who consummates the good work; for no man would be glorified by himself, but in the Lord. … Was there not a single Jewish woman worthy of giving food to the blessed Elijah; to be sent to a Gentile widow to do that? … That widow to whom the prophet was sent symbolizes the church; as the ravens that ministered to the prophet, do to the Gentiles. Elijah thus came to the widow; the way Christ will come to the church. (St. Augustine) Why did God choose Sidon?! He let Elijah resort to the same city where Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon came from; she who provoked the people of Israel by force to idol-worship…. From the same location where corruption came, a believing widow was found to enjoy the blessing of the living God. … While the land of Israel was defiled by the uncleanness of idol-worship, the land of Sidon enjoyed the presence of a widow, to get what all the widows of Israel had not; … She came to be a symbol of the church of the New Covenant, coming from the Gentiles. No marvel that the Lord Christ ministered on the coast of Sidon (Matthew 15 21). God did not send Elijah to be sustained by a rich merchants or a great man in Sidon, nor to its king, but to a poor widow, to eat from her hands, and to dwell in her house.. .. She is a symbol of the church of the New Covenant, that opens her heart to the Lord Christ, the Lord of the prophets; He chose her a widow, whose first husband (the idol-worship) died; a poor, ignorant, and a lowly woman, to pour upon her His wisdom, riches, and glory. As, according to the apostle Paul: “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise; and https://coptic-treasures.com/ God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1: 27). “So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there, gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, ‘Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink” (10) Elijah approached the widow while she was gathering sticks to prepare food for herself and her little son; as the Lord approaches the souls, hungry for the truth, that wish to eat and get satisfied; to provide them with eternal food. “And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, ‘Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand. Then she said, ‘As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bun, and a little oil in a jar; and see, 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’” (11, 12) It is obvious that the famine was not only on the land of Israel, but covered the lands of Tyre and Sidon as well; on account of that the corruption that dwelt upon Israel also extended over the surrounding nations. … When Abraham came to enter into a covenant with God, God made him a blessing, by whom all the nations would be blessed (Exodus 15); … And when Jonah fled from the face of the Lord, many sailors lost their possessions, by throwing them overboard. … The spiritual man radiates joy over those around him; and the wicked draws many with him to corruption. https://coptic-treasures.com/ The widow did not say: ‘As the Lord my God lives’, but said, “As the Lord your God lives”. Which was a touch of faith in the living God of Elijah…. Had she some doubt in Baal and Ashtoreth, and did she believe in the living God? + He went out to bring water and to gather sticks of wood. Let us now meditate in what the water and the wood mean. We do know that both of them are joyful and necessary for the church; as it is written, “He shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water” (Psalm 1: 3). In the wood, appears the secret of the cross, and in the water the secret of baptism. Hence she got out to gather “a couple” of sticks of wood, and to Elijah who asked her for food, she said: “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bun, and a little oil in a jar, and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat and die”. That widow, as I said, symbolizes the church, and her son symbolizes the brethren. She did not say one, three, or four sticks, but a couple of sticks; she gathered (two) sticks for she received Christ in Elijah His symbol; She intended to gather two sticks of wood, for she intended to know the secret of the cross. (for the cross of out Lord and Savior was made of two pieces of wood). So did the widow, the symbol of the church, who believed in Christ, hanged on the cross; She said, “I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat and die”. Indeed, O beloved brethren, No one is worthy to believe in Christ crucified, unless he dies to the past and lives for the future. (St. Augustine) https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear, go and do as you have said, but make me small cake from it first, and bring it to me, and afterwards make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ’The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.. So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah. And she, and he, and her household ate for many days” (13-15) She responded without debating with him (10). Having delivered her life with content into the hands of God, She did not complain from the toughness of life, nor from the famine that dwelt upon the land. She was characterized by generosity and love of giving. Despite perceiving from the prophet’s attire, that he is an Israeli prophet, and not a priest of Baal; a stranger to her, Yet she did not hesitate to go get water for him to drink. “The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah” (16) + While the draught made the barrels of the rich run dry; the little jar of oil of the widow flowed in abundance. For there was none who gave more than she who gave the prophet the food of her son, there was none more worthy than her. (St.Ambrose) + Despite her poverty and hunger, she did not hesitate to obey, nor preferred her son over Elijah, … Yes, she has done what in the sight of https://coptic-treasures.com/ God a subject of his pleasure; when she gave readily and easily what she was asked to do; she was asked, not for a portion of what she had, nor what was left of what she had, but was asked to give all the little she got, to make the other eat, even before her hungry son. + She had not known Christ, nor heard his commandments, or saved by His cross and passion, to give food and drink for the sake of His blood. That shows how sinful are, those in the church, who, preferring themselves or their children over Christ; keep their wealth, and do not give generously to the needy. (Cyprian themartyr0 + The widow of Zarephath who expected the death of her son, the same evening by hunger, came back to feed the prophet. And he, who came to eat, came back to feed her and her son through a miracle; by filling the empty vessels. + Let us then remember the widow of Zarephath who cared to satisfy the hunger of Elijah, more than to preserve her life and that of her son. Despite being sure that, unless they find something to eat, she and her son would certainly die in the same evening, she decided to let her guest survive; she chose to sacrifice her, and her son’s life, rather than disregard the duty of giving. In the little food in her hand, she found a seed from which she would reap a harvest given to her by the lord While in the land of Judah, a grain of wheat was rare, owing to the famine, oil flowed like a river in the house of the heathen widow. https://coptic-treasures.com/ (St. Jerome) + There are some who like to put a limitation for love! But if you intend to love Christ, stretch your hand with love over the whole world; for the members of Christ are all over the world. (St. Augustine) Presenting to us a symbolic interpretation of this episode, St. Ambrose says that it bears a secret – that of Christ and the church. + It is not without goal that that widow was preferred to many widows; For to whom such a great prophet was sent, particularly during a period when heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a great famine prevailed over the whole land? Those three and a half years, probably refer to the period during which the Lord Christ came to the earth, and found no fruit on the fig tree? to proclaim: “For three years I have come seeking fruit in this fig tree and found none”(Luke 13: 7). She is certainly that widow about whom was said:: “Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not travailed with child! For more are the children of the desolate, than the children of the married woman’, says the Lord” (Isaiah 54: 1). She is that widow, about whom it was well said: “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed, nor be disgraced; for you will not be put to shame; for you will https://coptic-treasures.com/ forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore” (Isaiah 54: 4). Or she probably is a widow who lost her man indeed in the sufferings of His body (His crucifixion); Yet on the day of judgment, she will receive Him anew; the Son of Man, who seemed as though was lost, says to her: “”For a mere moment, I have forsaken you” (Isaiah 54: 7); For, having become forsaken, she would be more glorified by keeping her faith. (St. Ambrose0 + She is the widow for whose sake, when there happened to be a famine for the word of God on the earth, prophets were sent to keep her . Hence, the person of Elijah does not seem to be of little importance; he, by whose word he wet the dry earth with the dew of heaven, and opened the closed heaven by a definitely non-human power; For who could open up the heaven but the Lord Christ? Who would have the power to say: “The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth”(17: 14). For although that was the way the prophet spoke, yet it is actually the voice of the Lord; hence the prophet first says: “For so says the Lord’. It is the Lord who grants continuous heavenly secrets, promises unceasing spiritual joy, grant protection of life, a seal of faith, and gifts of virtues. But what does he mean by saying: “Until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth”, but, that He is the One who “shall come down like rain upon the mown grass; like showers that water the earth” (Psalm 72: 6). In this phrase he reveals the ancient secret, when Gideon the warrior in the secret battle, received the deposit of his conquest to come, and perceived the spiritual secret in the vision of his mind; namely, that the https://coptic-treasures.com/ rain is the dew of the divine word that came first upon the fleece, while the surrounding land was suffering from perpetual dryness; then through another sign, when the whole surrounding land was wet with rain; while there was dryness upon the fleece (Judges 6: 37). For the dew of the divine utterance came first in the land of Judah, presenting wetness, while the whole surrounding land was deprived of the dew of faith; But once the flock of Joseph rejected the glory of God, the divine rain came down on the whole earth, while the Jews burned with the dryness of faith.. When the clouds of the apostles rained the healthy water, the holy church gathered together from all over the world; that was the rain that comes down from the mountain to cover the whole world as words of benefit from the Holy Heavenly Books. (St. Ambrose) The widow was characterized, as well, by trusting in the promises of God, and obeying him. For when Elijah conveyed to her a divine promise amid circumstances of extreme toughness, she trusted in the Lord’s word, on his mouth. As to Elijah, he was trained to be satisfied in everything. When he threatened the king with draught, he never thought about himself how he would survive such a draught; believing that God would provide for his needs in some way; He received with thanksgiving the tiny bits and pieces of bread and meet carried to him by the ravens twice a day. Now his food came to be only cake, with neither meet nor vegetables. So it will be with him who encounters God, and practices the life of faith, he will never feel a need for anything, but will say together with the apostle: ”I have learned both to be full and to be hungry” (Philippians 4: 12).. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 4- ELIJAH RAISES THE SON OF THE WIDOW FROM THE DEAD: “Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him” (17) As the widow of Zarephath represented the church of the New Covenant that comes from the Gentiles, her son who died represents every human soul in the world, and her work is to present these dead souls to the Lord Christ the Grantor of the resurrection. Having experienced the new resurrected life, she cannot endure to see a dead man, with no breath left in him. It so seems that he was her only son, the object of her comfort as a widow, and she had no hope of having another one. Although her son ate from that secret food, through the blessing that came upon the bin of flour and the jar of oil; Yet that did not keep him from getting sick or dead. He was in need of enjoying the eternal food; And as said by the Lord Christ: “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6: 49-51) Why did God allow for the death of the widow’s son? That widow enjoyed the first miracle mentioned in the Holy Book, concerning blessing food in abundance. ,,, She enjoyed, as well, sustaining Elijah, the great among the prophets, something that the believers long to enjoy up to this moment, and the church anticipates his coming to support her in her war against the anti-Christ. … She sustained, and was sustained by that prophet for free; That is why God allowed for her to pass through that temptation, as a bitter thorn https://coptic-treasures.com/ in her flesh, to take away from her the war of pride. She was in need of such anguish to have her life abide in the Lord without shaking. “So she said to Elijah: ‘What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” (18) It so seems that the death of her child was so sudden, that she had no chance to tell Elijah about his sickness, while he was in the upper room, but talked to him after he has already died in her bosom. Knowing that heaven closes up before the sinful earth, She feared that the perdition of her son was caused by a sin she had committed toward God and His prophet.. With the same spirit, the disciples asked the Lord Christ about the one born blind, saying, ”Rabbi, Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? To which Jesus answered, … That the work of God should be revealed in him” (John 9: 3). Here, as well, the same answer would be given to that pure Gentile widow, to perceive what the apostle Paul later said: “Is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes He is also the God of the gentiles” (Romans 3: 29). She probably assumed that the coming of the prophet Elijah to her house, and his dwelling in it, has drawn God’s attention to her, to find in her an iniquity worthy of chastisement. + But we should know that death is not for punishment; For the saints have been submitted to it; and even the Lord of all saints – Jesus Christ – died, He who is the life of the believers, and the resurrection from the dead. https://coptic-treasures.com/ (The laws of the apostles) In the midst of her bitterness, that gentile widow, calls Elijah; “Man of God”. “And he said to her, ‘Give me your son’. So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?”(20) By those words of admonition spoken to God by the prophet Elijah, he meant the following: a- To confirm that both life and death are allowed by God b- That he bears a kind of compassionate fatherhood toward the dead child c- That what happened was not the fruit of sin committed by the widow or her son. “Then he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him’” (21) Why did he stretch himself on the child? We shall not enjoy the new resurrected life, unless we get in touch with the One resurrected from the dead. There have to be a practical spiritual touch. That is https://coptic-treasures.com/ why, even in healing the sick, the Lord Christ used to stretch His hand and touch them to heal them (Matthew 9: 25; Luke 7: 14). The prophet Elijah was unique among the prophet; On one aspect, he performed the first miracle of blessing the food to endure for about two years; And on another aspect he believed in God, capable of raising from the dead. While the prophet David did not dare to seek from the Lord to raise his son from Bathsheba from the dead; Elijah, on the other hand was the first prophet who dared to seek from God to allow for the soul of that child to come back to him. On another aspect, God intended to confirm an important fact of faith; that everything in man, and everything he has, is sanctified, as long as he walks with Him. God used the rod of Moses to perform miracles, the bones of Elisha to raise a dead man, and the shadow of the apostle Peter, and the handkerchiefs of the apostle Paul, to heal the sick. Here He used the body of the prophet Elijah to stretch on the dead child, and to seek from the Lord to bring him back to life. + By the prayers of the prophet Elijah, the son of he widow was raised from the dead; And by the coming of the Lord Christ, the Son of the church; namely the Christian people, came out of the prison of death. When Elijah bowed down in prayer; the son of the widow came back to life; Likewise, when Christ plunged in His passions; He restored the Christian people to life. Why did Elijah stretch himself out three times on the child? … I am sure, by your understanding, you have perceived it before I utter it. By doing it three times, he demonstrated the secret of the holy trinity. The whole trinity have restored life to the son of the widow; namely, to the Gentiles. Besides, that is also realized in the secret of baptism, when the old man is dipped three times in water, to qualify the new man to resurrect. https://coptic-treasures.com/ (St. Augustine) “Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, ‘See, your son lives’” (22, 23) It so seems that the widow could not believe her own eyes; could not believe that her child who died is restored to life, that is why Elijah says to her: ‘See, your son (and not anyone else) lives’”. “Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth’ (24) This chapter reveals the person of the prophet Elijah as a forerunner of the Lord Christ -- “the Resurrection”; the Grantor of the new resurrected life. From the first instants of her encounter with Elijah, the widow dealt with him as a man of God; preferred him to her son and herself; hence the lord granted her the blessing of the dwelling of the prophet in her upper room; and blessed her flour and oil. Now, having raised her son from the dead, she became sure that he is a man of God, and that what he utters of the words of the Lord are the truth; She proclaimed her faith in the divine truth. Through that episode, the widow enjoyed many blessings: https://coptic-treasures.com/ -- She searched her heart, her depths, and tested her way. -- She discovered the power of God, Grantor of the resurrection. -- She testified to God that He is the Truth. ----------------------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 KIMGS 17 WHO WILL SAVE MY SOUL FROM FAMINE? WHO WILL SATISFY MY DEPTHS, BUT YOU? + Ahab trusted in Baal as being the god of goods and fertility; And denied himself from You, the Creator of heaven and earth; To You, I cry out: The famine has dwelt upon my depths; The draught has prevailed upon my heart; The rain of the Spirit ceased to water my soul. + Send me together with the prophet Elijah to Cherith; Send the ravens to me; Count me among the few remnants; Sustain me, O the satisfier of souls. + Amid the atmosphere of the wicked kings, you sent the fiery Elijah; You set him up to work for the sake of the holy few to your account; The wicked queen did not seek less than his head; As for you, You satisfied his soul; You cared even for his food; The snatching ravens carried bread and meet to him; The king searched for him, but did not find him; The ravens brought him food morning and evening. https://coptic-treasures.com/ + All suffered from hunger; but You satisfied the widow of Zarephath; She and her son were satisfied because she preferred Your prophet to herself; She gained a blessing, many Israelite widows have not; You raised her child from the dead to let her rejoice in the work of Your hand; + You are the bread of life The world may forget about me; but You care for my whole being My soul, my mind, my body, and all my energies are in Your hands You are the satisfier of my whole life. ------------------------- AN ANNEX TO 1 KINGS 17 THE PROPHET ELIJAH The word ‘Elijah’ means (Jehovah is my God), which suits his mission; as he was characterized by courage with zeal for the sake of the Lord his God. He lived in Israel (the Northern kingdom) in the first half of the ninth century B.C.; and appeared in a secret way, We know nothing of his family; he was called ‘the Tishbite’, on account of that he was probably born in ‘’Tishbi’ within the portion of Nephtali (Tobia 1: 22), or in the region of Galilee, or from a family that carried that name; but he was raised in Gilead (1 kings 17: 1). We can divide his life into five stages: 1- Appearing before Ahab, the apostate, and chastising him by years of draught [his encounter with the widow of Zarephath on the Mediterranean Sea coast – Killing the prophets of the Baal] (1 kings 17-18). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 2- Having to flee to Mount Horeb from the face of Jezebel [God appears to him in the same cave in which Moses saw the glory of God – Choosing Elisha as his disciple] (1 kings 19). 3- Prophesying the destruction of the house of Ahab, because of killing Naboth (1 kings 210. 4- Rebuking Ahaziah the son of Ahab [burning the two centurions by a fire from heaven] (2 kings 1). 5- Ascending to heaven (2 kings 1). His circumstances: Elijah appeared in the days of Ahab king of Israel, who did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all those before him (1 kings 16:30); and who got married to Jezebel the Canaanites, daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and priest of Baal.. Having a weak personality, Ahab followed the counsel of his wife, who persecuted the priests and prophets of God, some of whom were killed, and some fled to the caves. By her evil, and helped by the priests of Baal, she could provoke the people to idol-worship with all its abominations. Characterized with violence, she planned for the killing of Naboth the Jezreelite whose vineyard, her man Ahab longed to have. How the Holy Book sees him: In Malachi 4: 5, 6 the Lord promised to send the prophet Elijah before the great day of the Lord; which was realized on the Lord’s first coming; as it is mentioned in Luke 1: 17, that St. John the Baptist came with the spirit and power of Elijah. With this meaning the Lord Christ said that Elijah came in the person of John (Matthew11: 14; 17: 10-12’; Mark 9: 12).. And some Jews wrongly assumed that Jesus Himself is Elijah Matthew16: 14; Mark 6: 15; 8: 28; Luke 19; 9: 9). https://coptic-treasures.com/ Elijah, together with Enoch will come in the days of the anti-Christ, to support the church, and to be martyred How the Jews see him: In the Jewish tradition it came that Elijah did not die, but still wandering on earth; and will appear to introduce the Messiah, and to help in the ultimate salvation of humanity. In the circumcision of the Jewish child, a chair is set aside as “Elijah’s chair”, well decorated and adorned; assigned to him, being the “The messenger (or the angel) of the covenant”, as it came in Malachi 3: 1; With the hope that he will protect the child. And an invitation is addressed to Elijah to come over and join the celebration. According to some, the wicked Jezabel forbade the circumcision of children in the northern kingdom, or at the least corrupted its rite. Elijah, full of zeal resorted to a cave to complain to God (1 kings 19:P 10), that Israel had forgotten His covenant. God, then, gave the command that no child should be circumcised except in the presence of Elijah. Hence came the custom to assign a chair for Elijah during the circumcision; to say with a loud voice: ‘This is the chair of Elijah; And before the beginning of the rite, the child is put on that chair, as though to place him in the bosom of Elijah to protect him. During the banquet of the circumcision, an extra cup of wine is filled for Elijah, beside an empty chair assigned for him at the table; and all the time of the banquet the door remains open, with the hope that he will come and join them. The chair remains in its place three days to keep the child safe during those critical days after circumcision In the praises on the eve of the Passover, the Jews sing: https://coptic-treasures.com/ Elijah the prophet; Elijah the Tishbite; Elijah of Gilead; Let him hasten to come; And with him the Messiah. In the Haggadah, it came that Elijah was a priest; a view which was adopted by many of the fathers of the church, like St. Aphrahat, St. Epiphanuius, bishop of Seramis; and the scholar Origen. While, according to some Jewish Interpreters, Elijah was an angel in a human body; hence had neither parents nor descendants. As a forerunner before the coming of the Lord, Elijah performs the following miracles before the people: 1- He presents to them Moses and the generation that crossed over the wilderness. 2- He causes the raising of Korah and his group up from the earth. 3- He brings back to them the lost holy articles of the altar: the ark of the covenant, the pot of manna, the vessel of holy oil. 4- He reveals to them the rod he got from the Lord. 5- He demolishes the mountains like straw. His personality: Elijah is likened to a bright light that shined all of a sudden in a dark period of history to proclaim the divine Truth. … A witness of Truth amid vanity … A burning spark, cast by God to ignite the cold souls, and to confront the evil Ahab, his arrogant wife Jezebel, and the people rushing ahead toward idol-worship. https://coptic-treasures.com/ As the events of his life mostly bore an element of surprise, It made some Jewish scholars assume that he was an angel, who sometimes appear in a human form, then disappears; That in the ‘Haggadah’, he was called “the bird of heaven’, flying in the world to carry heavenly messages. He suddenly appeared in history, and we know nothing about his family. He suddenly ascended to heaven in a fiery chariot. He suddenly appeared together with the Lord Christ in His transfiguration on the Mount. All his movements carried the same element: like: * His encounter with king Ahab to proclaim stopping the rain for the duration of three and a half years (1 kings 17: 1; 18: 1). * His encounter with the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17: 10) * His encounter with an angel who fed him (1 kings 19: 5). * His encounter with God through a still small voice (1 Kings 19: 12). * His encounter with Elisha, and choosing him a disciple (1 Kings 19: 19) * His encounter with Ahab who spared the life of Benhadad (1 King 20: 39) * His encounter with the messengers of king Ahaziah the son of Ahab, whom he sent to inquire of Baalzebub, god of Ekron whether he will recover from his injury; And the word of the Lord on his tongue were: “You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die” (2 kings 1: 4). According to some Jews, Elijah often appears to the righteous in dreams, as well as while awake; and his presence is felt even by the irrational animals; the dogs bark joyfully when seeing him. In many Jewish stories, Elijah appeared as a guardian angel to support the godly by any means, to save them from troubles; to give them peace, and to teaches them, Elijah was a man of prayer; although “with a nature like ours” (James 5: 17), yet, being righteous, his prayer were of mighty action. https://coptic-treasures.com/ His mission: 1- Opposing the apostasy, and rejecting idol-worship. * His God granted hin authority over: heaven (rain and fire); over birds (the snatching raven sustained him); on life (proclaiming that Jezebel’s blood will be shed; and the death of Ahaziah son of Ahab); On nature (blessing the bin of flower and the jar of oil of the widow). * Failure of the heathen idols, gods of fertility, to act: They could not reverse the draught that dwelt by a word from Elijah; They could not protect the priests of Baal; And they could not send fire to consume the sacrifice. 2- Opposing the oppression and violence: (punishing Jezebel for killing and inheriting Nabot) His features: 1- He reached the climax of conquest on Mount Carmel; when heaven testified to the Truth; and the priests of Baal were killed. And he reached the climax of despair in Beersheba, when he desired death. 2- He was granted authority on heaven * He closed it, and proclaimed draught for three and a half years. * He sought fire from heaven to come down and consume the two captains of fifties and their fifty men (2 kings 1) * He sought fire from heaven to come down and consume the sacrifice before the prophets of Baal. * He was granted authority over water; when he divided the River Jordan by his mantle (2 kings 2: 8) * He raised the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 kings 17). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 3- According to some, he was “the prophet of thunder”; who stood before a wicked king and an idol-worshipping people; “A prophet of judgment” (a symbol of the Old Covenant); Whereas his disciple Elisha was “the prophet of grace, love, and compassion”. It is as though, by thunder, Elijah paved the way for grace. 4- He knew how to encounter with God, and with His creatures. * He encountered with God through a still and a small voice; a peaceful encounter of love. * He encountered with a heavenly angel who supported him with food and drink * He encountered with ravens that provided him with bread and meet, on a daily basis. * He encountered with the wicked king to testify to the Truth without fear. * He encountered with a widow who sustained him and gave him a place to live. 5- His faith in God knows no limits; With an amazing trust in God, and perception of His authority, working in His men; No risk, nor events or persons could shake his faith and trust in God. 6- * His zeal concerning God, worship, and holiness, were the true motives behind all his actions, the backbone of his whole life. He truly said all the time: “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts” (19: 14).. * His courage: unique and never failing; he stood alone, weaponless, before the wicked king with all his possibilities. * His obedience: simply, and without questions, he kept the commandment and will of God, like a child with his father. * His very gentle feelings and compassion, he commiserated with the widow who lost her only son; and moaned together with his people. * His dedication to the Lord; He hated and opposed sin, whatever the cost may be. https://coptic-treasures.com/ * By His nature he supported and saved the others; he suddenly appeared to work, performed miracles, then disappeared; worked to the account of God and His people. Elijah, the man of the wilderness: Elijah lived in the wilderness, a hermit in his attire, as well as in his food; wore a sackcloth, and a leather belt around his waist (2 kings 1: 8). The world had no place in his heart. In the wilderness, he was taught the spiritual war, to graduate as a warrior fit to fight in the divine battle against idol-worship and oppression; and was taught the life of fasting (he fasted forty days and forty nights), when he traveled to Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai. + We should look at Elijah the Tishbite as a magnificent role model of modest satisfaction. Sitting underneath the thorns and thistles, the angels provided him with just a cake of barley and a cup of water, which was the best for him. That is why, in our journey toward the truth, it is befitting of us to be light; according to the words of the Lord: “Go your way, carry neither money bag, sack, nor sandals” (Luke 3, 4); meaning, do not possess what need to be put in a bag or sack; keep company of the needy; and do not get confused with a burden of horses and servants, like the rich people; whom he symbolically call ‘sandals’. We should do without a plenty of golden and silver cups and plates, and a multitude of servants; to follow the lead of the Lord in depending upon ourselves, and on simplicity, to head toward the Word, as is befitting. (St. Clement of Alexandria) https://coptic-treasures.com/ + That is not the way of whoever becomes a servant of wealth; who cannot lift his eyes up to his master, or dare to utter a word to the account of virtue; For his love of riches and glory, would terrorize and humiliate him. Nothing would take freedom away from man, like being confused with worldly things and anxiety … For such a man would have, not just one master, nor two or three, but tens of thousands of masters. (St. John Chrysostom) He lived a virgin; dedicating all his energies to testify to God. + How foolish to gather Elijah and Elisha together to the list of married people. In the Holy Scripture, it is written that John the Baptist came with the spirit and power of Elijah; And as John was a virgin, it is obvious that he came, not only with the spirit of Elijah, but with his physical chastity, as well. (St. Jerome) Elijah, as a symbol of the Lord Christ: + The blessed Elijah symbolizes our Lord and Savior: As Elijah was persecuted by the Jews, so was our Lord – the true Elijah, persecuted and despised by the Jews. As Elijah has forsaken his people, the Lord Christ has forsaken the Synagogue. As Elijah departed to the wilderness; the Lord Christ came to the world. As Elijah was fed in the wilderness by the ravens, the Lord Christ was revived in the wilderness of this world by the faith of the Gentiles. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Caring for the blessed Elijah by a command from the Lord, the ravens symbolized the Gentiles. That is why it is said of the church of the Gentiles: “I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem” (Songs 1: 5). Why is the church dark and lovely? … She is dark by nature, according to the words: “I was brought forth by iniquity; and in sin, my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51: 5); … And she is lovely by grace, according to the words: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51: 7); and, the apostle says: “I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7: 23); She is beautiful because: “Who shall deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7: 24); but the grace of God by our Lord Jesus Christ . Yes indeed, the church of the Gentiles was like a raven, before she received the grace, when she despised the living Lord; when she served the idols as dead bodies. + As our Lord resurrected and ascended to heaven, after performing great powers, and enduring His passion; So Elijah was taken up to heaven on a chariot of fire; after a multitude of miracles done by God through him. + As Elijah prayed for rain to fall on earth; the Lord Christ prayed for the divine grace to dwell upon the hearts of men. Ordering his servant “to go and look seven times” (1 kings 18: 43); he meant the seven-fold grace of the Holy Spirit, to be given to the church. And when the servant proclaimed that “there is a small cloud, rising out of the sea” (1 kings 18: 44), it was a reference to the body of Christ, born in the sea of this world; And lest someone may doubt, he said: “as a man’s hand”; surely, that man who says: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”(Matthew 16: 13). https://coptic-treasures.com/ After three years and six months, rain fell from heaven, by a prayer from Elijah; because, by the coming of our Lord and Savior, the rain of the word of God watered the whole world, through the three years and six months of His preaching. … And as when Elijah came, all the priests of the idols were killed and perished, So it was when the True Elijah, our Lord Jesus Christ came, all the evil practices of idol-worship perished. (St. Augustine) Moses and Elijah: The two persons of Moses and Elijah are often connected together, particularly by their appearance, and no other prophets of the Old Covenant, at the transfiguration of the Lord Christ; and their enjoyment, and no other prophets of fasting forty days. MOSES ELIJAH Encountered with God in Horeb (Genesis 3: 1-6) Had the same encounter at the place (1 kings 9: 8-11) To him God proclaimed Himself with fire (Exodus 3: 21) The fire of God came down upon the sacrifice (2 kings 18: 38) God fed him manna from heaven (Exodus 16) God sent ravens to feed him (1 Kings 17: 8-6) He confirmed to Israel that the Lord is God (Deuteronomy 6: 4) He did the same thing (1 kings 18: 37-39) He was succeeded by Joshua (meaning Jehovah is Savior) He was succeeded by Elisha (meaning God is salvation) His death came in secret (Deuteronomy 34) He ascended to heaven in secret (2 kings 2: 11, 12) https://coptic-treasures.com/ By the Jordan he delivered the leadership to Joshua By the Jordan he delivered the leadership to Elisha (2 kings 2: 13, 14) He appeared with the Lord Christ in He enjoyed the same thing (Matthew the transfiguration (Matthew 17: 3) 17: 3)
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