Skip to content
Verse 2
Theosis · English Bible
3 Kingdoms (1 Kings)

3 Kingdoms (1 Kings) 17

Old TestamentTheosis · English Bible

1And Eliu the prophet, the Thesbite of Thesbæ of Galaad, said to Achaab, As the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be these years dew nor rain, except by the word of my mouth. 2And the word of the Lord came to Eliu, saying, 3Depart hence eastward, and hide thee by the brook of Chorrath, that is before Jordan. 4And it shall be that thou shalt drink water of the brook, and I will charge the ravens to feed thee there. 5And Eliu did according to the word of the Lord, and he sat by the brook of Chorrath before Jordan. 6And the ravens brought him loaves in the morning, and flesh in the evening, and he drank water of the brook. 7And it came to pass after some time, that the brook was dried up, because there had been no rain upon the earth. 8And the word of the Lord came to Eliu, saying, 9Arise, and go to Sarepta of the Sidonian land: behold, I have there commanded a widow-woman to maintain thee. 10And he arose and went to Sarepta, and came to the gate of the city: and, behold, a widow-woman was there gathering sticks; and Eliu cried after her, and said to her, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11And she went to fetch it; and Eliu cried after her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of the bread that is in thy hand. 12And the woman said, As the Lord thy God lives, I have not a cake, but only a handful of meal in the pitcher, and a little oil in a cruse, and, behold, I am going to gather two sticks, and I shall go in and dress it for myself and my children, and we shall eat it and die. 13And Eliu said to her, Be of good courage, go in and do according to thy word: but make me thereof a little cake, and thou shalt bring it out to me first, and thou shalt make some for thyself and thy children last. 14For thus saith the Lord, The pitcher of meal shall not fail, and the cruse of oil shall not diminish, until the day that the Lord gives rain upon the earth. 15And the woman went and did so, and did eat, she, and he, and her children. 16And the pitcher of meal failed not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by the hand of Eliu. 17And it came to pass afterward, that the son of the woman the mistress of the house was sick; and his sickness was very severe, until there was no breath left in him. 18And she said to Eliu, What have I to do with thee, O man of God? hast thou come in to me to bring my sins to remembrance, and to slay my son? 19And Eliu said to the woman, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and took him up to the chamber in which he himself lodged, and laid him on the bed. 20And Eliu cried aloud, and said, Alas, O Lord, the witness of the widow with whom I sojourn, thou hast wrought evil for her in slaying her son. 21And he breathed on the child thrice, and called on the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, let, I pray thee, the soul of this child return to him. 22And it was so, and the child cried out, 23and he brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; and Eliu said, See, thy son lives. 24And the woman said to Eliu, Behold, I know that thou art a man of God, and the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true.

Book overviewPrevious chapterNext chapter
Read chapter in the app
3 Kingdoms (1 Kings) 17:2

John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom4th century

When God decides to enact punishment, He does not merely dispatch it and rest content with His judgment; rather, He seeks to demonstrate His righteousness to humanity through His actions, much like a judge in a public courtroom before an assembled crowd. Just as judges, when condemning an individual to death, take their seats in a prominent position, raise the veils, and gather the entire community around them for a public trial, God, positioned above the entirety of creation, scrutinizes the sins of individuals in full view and hearing of all. Instead of merely presenting written charges, He reveals the very transgressions of those who stand guilty before Him.

For instance, when He prepared to unleash His fierce wrath upon the cities of Sodom, employing a fearsome storm unlike any ever seen, He first exposed the wickedness of the inhabitants. This revelation did not occur through recitation of accusations but by openly displaying their sins. Consequently, He sent angels, not only to rescue Lot but also to unveil the depravity of the Sodomites. As the angels arrived, the men of the city surrounded Lot's house, driven by unclean desires and seeking to violate the very laws of nature. Both the young and the old converged upon him; age could not temper their lust, nor could it extinguish their ferocity, as they clamored for lawless satisfaction. Their depravity escalated when Lot offered his daughters in a desperate attempt to placate them, yet they persisted, vowing to harm him if he did not concede to their demands (Gen. 19:1-11).

Observe how God made abundantly clear the corruption of the Sodomites before enacting His judgment, ensuring that when the punishment came, no one would doubt the severity of their sinfulness or accuse the Lord hastily. Instead, their own wickedness would lead to their condemnation alongside divine justice, precluding any remorseful feelings towards them.

In a similar fashion, God revealed the cruelty and inhospitable nature of the Jews during the time of famine faced by the prophet. The word of God indicates that they not only rejected the prophet’s pleas but even threatened his life. God’s instruction was not simply to escape but to seek refuge diligently, for He warned that the Jewish people had a history steeped in the shedding of the prophets' blood, having consistently defiled their hands with the innocent blood of those sent by Him.