15<\/strong>. her house<\/em> ] She had enough for all their own needs and something over, which she could give to poorer relations. The whole history of the woman shews that she knew much of the religion of the God of Israel, though we are not told how she had been brought to the knowledge.<\/p>\n many days<\/em> ] There is no word for ‘many’ as the italics shew. The Hebrews used ‘days’ for a long time. Thus the same word is rendered in Gen 40:4<\/span> ‘a season;’ in Num 9:22<\/span> ‘a year,’ i.e. the complete round of days. The margin of A.V. has ‘a full year’ in the present verse.<\/p>\n 1Ki 17:15<\/span><\/p>\n She went and did according to the saying of Elijah.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Modern liberality, and the widow of Zarephath<\/strong><\/p>\n She did according to the saying of Elijah; <\/B>giving glory to the God of Israel, by believing his prophet. <\/P> Many days, <\/B>i.e. a long time, even above two years: see 1Ki 18:1<\/span>. Heb. days<\/I>, i.e. a full year<\/I>; as 1Ki 17:7<\/span>; namely, before the following event about her son happened, and the rest of the time of the famine after it. <\/P> <\/p>\n And she went, and did according to the saying of Elijah<\/strong>,….. Made a cake for him first, and brought it to him, which showed great faith in the word of the Lord by him:<\/p>\n and she, and he, and her house, did eat<\/strong>; many days, a year at least, if not two years, see 1Ki 17:7<\/span> the widow, the prophet, and her family, lived upon the meal and oil so long; we read but of one son, but she might have more.<\/p>\n (15) The barrel of meal wasted not.<\/strong>The miracle is doubly remarkable. First, in this instance, as in the similar miracles of Elisha and of our Lord Himself, we see that Gods higher laws of miracle, like the ordinary laws of His providence, admit within their scope the supply of what we should consider as homely and trivial needsin this respect perhaps contradicting what our expectation would have suggested. Next, that it is a miracle of multiplication, which is virtual creationnot necessarily out of nothingdoing rapidly and directly what, under ordinary laws, has to be done slowly and by indirect process.<\/p>\n 15<\/strong>. <\/strong> She went and did according to the saying of Elijah <\/strong> “It was one of those sudden recognitions of unknown kindred souls one of those cross purposes of Providence which come in with a peculiar charm to checker the commonplace course of ecclesiastical history. The Phenician mother knew not what great destinies lay in the hand of that gaunt figure at the city gate, worn with travel, and famine, and drought. But she listened to his cry, and saved in him the deliverer of herself and her son. It may be that this incident is the basis of the sacred blessing of the Prophet of prophets on those who, even by a cup of cold water, receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward.” Stanley. <\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n And her house <\/strong> There were others, then, in that household besides herself and son.<\/p>\n DISCOURSE: 342 1Ki 17:15-16<\/span>. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 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.<\/em><\/p>\n MUCH as temporal calamities are to be dreaded and deprecated, there are occasions whereon a pious man may desire, and even pray for, the infliction of them upon his fellow-creatures. As St. Paul delivered an offender unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, so we may wish for some divine interposition to arrest sinners in their course, and to bring them to a sense of their guilt and danger. It was in this view that Elijah prayed for a famine that should correct and reclaim the whole nation of Israel: and, when he had obtained from God an assurance that the judgment should be inflicted upon them, and never be reversed but in answer to his prayers, he boldly warned Ahab of the impending calamity, advertising him for what end it would be sent, and how it was to be improved for the nations good [Note: Compare ver. 1 with Jam 5:17-18<\/span>.]. As for himself, in obedience to the divine direction, he retired to the brook Cherith, and was for a long time supported there by ravens, which brought him bread and meat regularly twice a day: and, when that brook was dried up, he went to Zarephath, or Sarepta, which belonged to Sidon, and was there nourished by a widow woman, whom God had appointed to sustain him. Thus, whilst the iniquities of the nation were severely punished, the care which God takes of his obedient servants was the more signally manifested.<\/p>\n The account given us of his abode with the Sidonian widow is very interesting, inasmuch as it displays the unbounded goodness of God to her in return for her kindness towards his faithful servant. Let us consider,<\/p>\n I.<\/p>\n Her work<\/p>\n Elijah going, as he was commanded, to the city of Zarephath, found the widow gathering a few sticks for the purpose of dressing the last remnant of provision that remained to her for herself and her son: and after soliciting a draught of water, he requested her to give him a morsel of bread. This led to a disclosure of the circumstances in which she was: but he assured her, that she need not fear; for that God would so multiply her little store, that it should never be exhausted till after the famine should have ceased. On this occasion we behold,<\/p>\n 1.<\/p>\n The extent of her liberality<\/p>\n [Having but a sufficiency for a single meal for herself and her son, and having no prospect whatever of obtaining from man any further supply, she imparted to this stranger a portion of her provision, and dressed it with her own hands on purpose for him. Perhaps since the foundation of the world there never was so striking an illustration of the character given many centuries afterwards to the Macedonian churches; of whom it is said, that, in a great trial of affliction, their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality [Note: 2Co 8:2<\/span>.]. We admire, and justly too, the astonishing liberality of the widow in the Gospel, who, possessing only two mites, cast them both into the treasury: but great as that was, it by no means equalled that which is recorded in our text: for the widow who gave her two mites, had herself only to support; whereas the other widow had a son also: and, though the widow with her two mites knew not where to obtain more, yet there was no general pressure at that time and place; so that her neighbours, if willing, were able to supply her wants; whereas the other widow was surrounded by those only who were involved in the same calamity with herself; and consequently could hope for no relief whatever; since, however her neighbours might have the inclination, they had not the ability, to relieve her. Well therefore may this act of the Sidonian widow be published, (as that of the Jewish widow is,) through the whole world, as a memorial of her.]<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n The strength of her faith<\/p>\n [Though a Gentile woman, she may well be called a daughter of Abraham; for she very closely walked in the steps of Abraham [Note: Rom 4:12<\/span>.]. The declaration made to her as from God was made by a perfect stranger, and was unsupported by any miracle; yet was it made the ground of action by her without a moments hesitation: we may say of her therefore, as of Abraham, She staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded, that what He had promised, he was able to perform [Note: Rom 4:20-21<\/span>.].]<\/p>\n Let us now contemplate,<\/p>\n II.<\/p>\n Her reward<\/p>\n Richly was she repaid for this act of faith and love But let us never forget what it is that God has promised to reward; it is the obedience of faith<\/em>. Had the widow bargained, as it were, to receive a recompence for her provisions, she never could have hoped for such a return as she received: but when she gave freely for the Lords sake, and cast herself wholly upon him, then God esteemed nothing too great to confer upon her. So, if we would purchase heaven by our works, we shall in vain look for such blessedness: but if in a way of holy self-denial we will consecrate all that we are and have unto the Lord, for the exalting of his name, then will God load us with his richest benefits both in time and in eternity.<\/p>\n Let not any one say, This mercy may be shewn to others, but not to me<\/em>: for God is sovereign in the distribution of his gifts; and, if he has already given us a desire to serve him, he will infallibly recompense our services in a better world. The widow of Sarepta was a Gentile: yet, as our Lord told the Jews, was Elijah sent to her, whilst all the widows that were in Israel were passed by [Note: Luk 4:25-26<\/span>.]. In like manner may God send his blessings to us<\/em>, however far we are off from him; yea he may send them to us in preference to those who appear more likely to obtain them. This to a proud Pharisee is an offensive truth [Note: Luk 4:28-29<\/span>.]: but to a humble penitent it is replete with comfort. Let us only attend to his word, and it shall be well with us: Believe in the Lord, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper [Note: 2Ch 20:20<\/span>.].]<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 1Ki 17:15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat [many] days.<\/p>\n Ver. 15. And her house.<\/strong> ] Which till now we read not of, more than of a son only. See on 1Ki 17:12<\/span> . <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Many days,<\/strong> ] viz., Till the Lord gave rain, and the earth returned to its former fertility. When means may be had and used, miracles are not to be expected.<\/p>\n did according: Gen 6:22, Gen 12:4, Gen 22:3, 2Ch 20:20, Mat 15:28, Mar 12:43, Joh 11:40, Rom 4:19, Rom 4:20, Heb 11:7, Heb 11:8, Heb 11:17 <\/p>\n many days: or, a full year <\/p>\n Reciprocal: 1Ki 18:1 – in the third year 2Ki 4:5 – she went<\/p>\n 1Ki 17:15. She did according to the saying of Elijah Giving glory to the God of Israel, by believing his prophet. O woman, great was thy faith! One has not found the like, no not in Israel. All things considered, it exceeded that of the widow, who, when she had but two mites, cast them into the treasury. She took the prophets word that she should not lose by it, but it should be repaid with interest. Those that can venture upon the promise of God, says Henry, will make no difficulty of exposing and emptying themselves in his service, and giving him his dues out of a little, and giving him his part first. They that deal with God, must deal on trust; seek first the kingdom of God, and then other things shall be added. Surely, adds he, the increase of this widows faith to such a degree as to enable her thus 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 oil was in the kingdom of providence. Happy they that can thus, against hope, believe and obey in hope. She and her house did eat many days A long time, even above two years before the following event about her son happened, and the rest of the time of the famine. See how the reward answered the service! She generously made one cake for the prophet, and was repaid with many for herself and son! What is laid out in charity, is set out to the best interest, upon the best security. One poor meals meat this poor widow gave the prophet, and in recompense of it she and her son did eat many days, and probably some of her kindred too, here included in the term her house, an expression which would hardly have been used of her one son.<\/p>\n 17:15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat {h} [many] days.<\/p>\n (h) That is, till he had rain and food on the earth.<\/p>\n And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat [many] days. 15. her house ] She had enough for all their own needs and something over, which she could give to poorer relations. The whole history of the woman shews that she knew much … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 17:15”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9344\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I.<\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>The treatment he received was verily the manifestation of the womans mind towards god himself. Were it otherwise, it would be hard to point out anything in which we could be pronounced as <\/strong>doing it for, or contrary to the will of Almighty God. He has Himself, however, placed this matter beyond all dispute, for He has said, He that giveth to the poor leadeth to the Lord; and Christ represents the judgment scene in telling you that He will welcome His people with the assurance, Inasmuch as ye did a deed of charity unto one of these My brethren, ye did it unto Me.<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>This gift is to be no act of necessity, but one of pure oblation To grudge while you give, or to give because the necessity of fashion, or custom, or demand is laid upon you, is to spoil the gift altogether. That is but half a gift which is not brought freely home. It is one thing to give of our substance in obedience to a reiterated request; it is another thing to bring it unto God freely and with delight.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>Observe what it is which God demands? Satan, the world, or vanities, let <\/strong>these obtain your service, and you are speedily enhanced in their thraldom, and all is sure to be at length drawn into and swallowed in their insatiable vortex. You cannot, even if you would try deliberately to make the compromise, arrange for the bestowment of a certain portion of your means, or time or thought, upon unhallowed pursuits. All absorbing is the power of sin. The energies of body and mind insensibly flow into its channel, and the votary becomes the slave, and ultimately the ruined victim. But what is His demand of you, whose service is perfect freedom? Not so much as He has a right to demand; far less than many, moved by His grace, are willing to bestow. Sin, which absorbs all if it can, is but a robber at the best, for it can lay claim to no sort of right whatever, while God, who has a right to all, demands but little. What I do here claim, however, is, that though the requirements of God be comparatively small, they are, nevertheless, universal.<\/p>\n
IV. <\/strong>No act for God is performed without his favour, and the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. (G. Venables.<\/em>)<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW OF SAREPTA<\/strong><\/p>\n
[Her barrel of meal wasted not, nor did her cruse of oil fail, for the space of two years, during which time the prophet and herself and family were supported by them. We behold in the common course of providence, seed producing thirty, sixty, and even an hundred-fold: but never was there seen, either before or since, such an harvest as this. But truly, if God is known by the judgments that he executeth, so is he also by the gifts that he bestoweth. He has said, that what we give to the poor, we lend unto the Lord; and that whatsoever we lay out, he will repay us again: but, in the instance before us, the handful of corn sprang up as the woods of Lebanon.]
This fitly represents what shall be done in the eternal world
[There will be a proportion between the works of men and their reward, so far, that the more we have done for the Lord the more we shall receive from him, reaping sparingly or bountifully according as we have sown [Note: 2Co 9:6<\/span>.]. But what proportion exists between any work of ours, and the lowest reward that can be conferred in heaven? Surely none: a whole life spent in the service of God is nothing when compared with, an eternity of bliss. We need not however doubt on this account the certainty of Gods promises; but rather may enlarge our expectations to the utmost extent of them, assured, that in the accomplishment of them our most sanguine hopes shall be more than realized.<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\nFuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"