Cherith the Hard Times! 1 Kings 17, Part 1

We all know how the story of Elijah ends. The image of a man riding to heaven in a chariot of fire, his protege watching from below. We also remember the battle on Mt. Caramel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. But do we remember how this story begins, and more importantly what we can learn from it? 1 Kings 17 is where we first hear about Elijah. As I walk through the story of Elijah, I want you to pay attention to the names of each place that Elijah resides.

Elijah was a settler from Gilead. Gilead means "place of blessing and opportunity". He came from this land of plenty into Israel to proclaim a coming drought. God tells Elijah to go and live by the brook Cherith. Cherith means "place of want, destruction or failure". What?!?! THAT'S where God wants him to go? Yet, Cherith is where God promised to provide for Elijah. 1 Kings 17:4-"It shall be that you shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there." I have two observations here. 1. God has absolute authority over nature. He can tell birds where to fly and when to fly there. 2. God's provision for Elijah was waiting at the place where God had commanded him to go. When God commands us to go somewhere-even it is a place of want, destruction and failure-He has given us all we need to do it.

Well, of course, the brook Cherith dries up. So now where would God have Elijah go? Zarephath, which means "trail by fire". Even better!! 1 Kings 17:9-"Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; I have commanded a widow there to provide for you." I have two observations here as well. 1. Same as before, God provision is waiting for Elijah where God has sent him. 2. I have to wonder if this widow knew she was being used by God to provide for Elijah. It says that God "commanded" her to provide, but did she know that she was being directed and willed by sovereign Yahweh to be the salvation of this man, Elijah? I believe she did not. I believe she was just going about her life, assuming that she was making some choices from her own will. Why do I think this?

In verse 12, the widow protests Elijah's request for bread and water. She and her son were resigned to starvation and death. They fully expected to soon be dead and Elijah showing up was a surprise to them. A few verses later, when the widow's son dies, she believed it was a result of her sin. She had no idea of the plan she was a part of or that everything she was doing was for the glory of God, but she most certainly was. And here in Zeraphath, God provided a unending supply of flour and oil for them to live on and brought her son back from the dead!

So God led Elijah from a place of blessing and opportunity to a place of want, destruction and failure. From there, Elijah was sent into a trial by fire. But in each of these difficult places, Elijah was provided for. Even more amazing, in each of these places Elijah was able to experience the miraculous had of God! At Cherith, God provided birds for food. At Zeraphath, God first provided the flour and oil needed to make bread, then He raised the widow's son from the dead through Elijah. I believe all of this was preparation for Elijah's upcoming confrontation with the prophets of Baal. I also believe that this is a story that we can apply to our lives as well.

When God leads us somewhere, he WILL provide for us. Yet it is important to realize, that as with Elijah, often God promises to provide for us when we get to where we are going. Moreover, where God is leading us doesn't always seem pleasant. But in all of it, God is preparing us for something; He is making us into something. Every part of our Christian life is meant to make us more like Jesus, especially the struggles. Everything we face is also preparing us...preparing us for battle with Satan and preparing us for the glorification of Jesus.

Part 2 coming soon, we will look at how well Elijah responded to adversity after receiving all of this preparation. Hint: he didn't do very well...