1 Kings 17:1-7--Elijah Announces Famine

1 Kings 17:1-7
English Standard Version

Elijah Predicts a Drought
17 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the LORD came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

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The LORD now sends a prophet that we know by name, Elijah, the Tishbite, from the region of Gilead on the east side of the Jordan, to King Ahab to prophecy against him and all of Israel that "As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."  Typically that kind of message would get the messenger killed, but if it is true, then the LORD would never send rain or dew on Israel ever again.

Elijah has no idea how long it's going to be that the land will be in drought, but it is going to be until the people repent, for the LORD will use this drought to be an outward symbol of the barrenness and lifelessness of their spiritual state.  just like there is no life without water, so there is no spiritual life without the Spirit of the LORD, and they want no part of the Spirit.

The LORD made provision for His prophet to be cared for in a place near the brook called Cherith.  which was east of the Jordan in the land of Gilead, where Elijah was from.  The LORD provided water in that place for Elijah to drink from, and he provided food for him that was brought to him by ravens.  That may not sound astonishing to you, but the ravens were unclean birds that the people would usually associate with eating dead things, but here the LORD will use them to bring bread to His prophet, just like the LORD is going to use the widow of Zarephath (an unclean Gentile) to care for Elijah in the next section that I plan to discuss tomorrow.  Jesus will talk about this in Luke 4:25 to tell that it was always the LORD's intent for the Gentiles to receive the gospel and that the Gentiles were more willing to receive it many times than that Jews and that's why the LORD sent Naaman to Elisha in 2 Kings, and Elijah to this widow in Zarephath in 1 Kings.