And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
After fearlessly announcing drought judgment to Ahab at peril of his life, Elijah was directed to turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith before the Jordan, where he would drink from the brook and be fed by ravens. The hiding gave him safety and protection from the malice of the king and the power of Jezebel while judgment afflicted apostate Israel. There God supplied water from the brook and food morning and evening by ravens as His messengers, and when the brook dried He led him to another refuge. It proves God provides day by day for His faithful, self-sacrificing servants in famine and need, so obedience will never leave them without bread and water even when they cannot see how tomorrow will be met. It assures that in the future time of trouble He can likewise sustain His people in the wilderness when ordinary supplies fail, so they will not go hungry or be left to perish.
Hiding by the Brook
The command to drink of the brook and be fed by ravens opens the ministry of Elijah the Tishbite in the days of Ahab. He dwelt among the mountains of Gilead east of the Jordan, far removed from any city of renown and occupying no high station in life. Yet he was a man of faith and prayer whose fearless ministry was destined to check the rapid spread of apostasy in Israel. He entered upon his mission confident that God would prepare the way before him and give him abundant success, with the word of faith and power upon his lips and his whole life devoted to the work of reform. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness to rebuke sin and press back the tide of evil, and while he came as a reprover of sin his message offered the balm of Gilead to the sin-sick souls of all who desired to be healed.
From his mountain retreat he watched Israel sinking deeper into idolatry with distress, indignation, and overwhelming sorrow. God had delivered His people from bondage and given them the lands of the heathen so that they would observe His statutes and keep His laws, but those beneficent designs were well-nigh forgotten. Unbelief was separating the chosen nation from the Source of their strength. In anguish of soul Elijah besought God to arrest the once-favored people in their wicked course and to visit them with judgments if need be, that they might see their departure from Heaven in its true light and be brought to repentance before they went so far in evil-doing as to provoke the Lord to destroy them utterly.
Immediately after he fearlessly delivered the message of drought judgment to Ahab at the peril of his life, God went before him and made the way plain. He was directed to turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith before the Jordan, where he would drink from the brook and be fed by food brought by ravens whom God had commanded. He fully believed that God's word could not fail to humble apostate Israel and bring them to repentance through drought, even while ever-flowing streams, green hills, and stately forests still looked beyond the reach of drought.
The hiding gave him safety and protection from the king's malice and from Jezebel's power in the mountains while judgment afflicted the land. It followed his first appearance to Ahab denouncing the judgments of God because of the apostasy of the king and of Israel. There God honored him by sending food to him morning and evening by an angel of Heaven. He was safer among heathen people than among countrymen who had rejected heaven's light and hardened their hearts, and hatred later drove him to seek refuge with the widow of Sarepta.
Divine Care and Application
God personally directed Elijah's work and took care of him by sending him to safety at the brook Cherith with the promise to provide for him there. The stay by the brook was part of the mission and work assigned to him, and one stage as God moved him from place to place in training him for translation. Elijah followed what he was told with patient trust, waiting for God to reveal the next step.
At Cherith God gave him water from the brook and sustained him morning and evening through heavenly provision brought by ravens as His messengers. When the brook later dried up He directed him to another refuge. That was followed by the daily miracle of food for the widow's household and for Elijah at Sarepta, which was evidence of love and care that should have kept him from ever distrusting God.
The command proves that God provides for His faithful, self-sacrificing servants in famine and need. They need not fear that obedience will leave them without food, nor let anxiety over necessities lead them into disobedience. He supplies what they need day by day even when they cannot see how tomorrow will be met. Even when the wicked perish for lack of bread, their bread and water will be sure.
In the future time of trouble God can sustain His people in the wilderness when ordinary supplies fail, sending ravens to feed them as He did Elijah. Their food and water will be sure, with bread and water ensured so they do not go hungry or are left to perish. Though they suffer persecution, hardship and want of food, they will not be abandoned, for angels will shield the righteous from destruction and supply their needs while the wicked die from hunger and pestilence.
In contrast to feeding Elijah miraculously through brook and ravens, God provides for widows and fatherless children, orphans and bereaved families not by repeating that miracle but through human instruments. He changes human hearts, drives out selfishness, awakens Christlike love and benevolence, and moves people to generosity. He entrusts the afflicted and bereaved to His followers to care for them, and care for them is likewise His work through hearts moved to kindness.
The same care appears elsewhere, for as God fed Elijah in famine He gave refuge to Mary and Jesus in a heathen land and supplied means for the journey to Egypt through the gifts of the magi. As He sheltered a fugitive in the wilderness through ravens, so Roger Williams said ravens fed him during flight through the forest. Elijah by the brook is also an example of coming apart from busy activity to a quiet place to rest and commune with God, as the disciples needed to do.
After fearlessly announcing drought judgment to Ahab at peril of his life, Elijah was directed to turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith before the Jordan, where he would drink from the brook and be fed by ravens. The hiding gave him safety and protection from the malice of the king and the power of Jezebel while judgment afflicted apostate Israel. There God supplied water from the brook and food morning and evening by ravens as His messengers, and when the brook dried He led him to another refuge. It proves God provides day by day for His faithful, self-sacrificing servants in famine and need, so obedience will never leave them without bread and water even when they cannot see how tomorrow will be met. It assures that in the future time of trouble He can likewise sustain His people in the wilderness when ordinary supplies fail, so they will not go hungry or be left to perish.
Hiding by the Brook
The command to drink of the brook and be fed by ravens opens the ministry of Elijah the Tishbite in the days of Ahab. He dwelt among the mountains of Gilead east of the Jordan, far removed from any city of renown and occupying no high station in life. Yet he was a man of faith and prayer whose fearless ministry was destined to check the rapid spread of apostasy in Israel. He entered upon his mission confident that God would prepare the way before him and give him abundant success, with the word of faith and power upon his lips and his whole life devoted to the work of reform. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness to rebuke sin and press back the tide of evil, and while he came as a reprover of sin his message offered the balm of Gilead to the sin-sick souls of all who desired to be healed.
From his mountain retreat he watched Israel sinking deeper into idolatry with distress, indignation, and overwhelming sorrow. God had delivered His people from bondage and given them the lands of the heathen so that they would observe His statutes and keep His laws, but those beneficent designs were well-nigh forgotten. Unbelief was separating the chosen nation from the Source of their strength. In anguish of soul Elijah besought God to arrest the once-favored people in their wicked course and to visit them with judgments if need be, that they might see their departure from Heaven in its true light and be brought to repentance before they went so far in evil-doing as to provoke the Lord to destroy them utterly.
Immediately after he fearlessly delivered the message of drought judgment to Ahab at the peril of his life, God went before him and made the way plain. He was directed to turn eastward and hide by the brook Cherith before the Jordan, where he would drink from the brook and be fed by food brought by ravens whom God had commanded. He fully believed that God's word could not fail to humble apostate Israel and bring them to repentance through drought, even while ever-flowing streams, green hills, and stately forests still looked beyond the reach of drought.
The hiding gave him safety and protection from the king's malice and from Jezebel's power in the mountains while judgment afflicted the land. It followed his first appearance to Ahab denouncing the judgments of God because of the apostasy of the king and of Israel. There God honored him by sending food to him morning and evening by an angel of Heaven. He was safer among heathen people than among countrymen who had rejected heaven's light and hardened their hearts, and hatred later drove him to seek refuge with the widow of Sarepta.
Divine Care and Application
God personally directed Elijah's work and took care of him by sending him to safety at the brook Cherith with the promise to provide for him there. The stay by the brook was part of the mission and work assigned to him, and one stage as God moved him from place to place in training him for translation. Elijah followed what he was told with patient trust, waiting for God to reveal the next step.
At Cherith God gave him water from the brook and sustained him morning and evening through heavenly provision brought by ravens as His messengers. When the brook later dried up He directed him to another refuge. That was followed by the daily miracle of food for the widow's household and for Elijah at Sarepta, which was evidence of love and care that should have kept him from ever distrusting God.
The command proves that God provides for His faithful, self-sacrificing servants in famine and need. They need not fear that obedience will leave them without food, nor let anxiety over necessities lead them into disobedience. He supplies what they need day by day even when they cannot see how tomorrow will be met. Even when the wicked perish for lack of bread, their bread and water will be sure.
In the future time of trouble God can sustain His people in the wilderness when ordinary supplies fail, sending ravens to feed them as He did Elijah. Their food and water will be sure, with bread and water ensured so they do not go hungry or are left to perish. Though they suffer persecution, hardship and want of food, they will not be abandoned, for angels will shield the righteous from destruction and supply their needs while the wicked die from hunger and pestilence.
In contrast to feeding Elijah miraculously through brook and ravens, God provides for widows and fatherless children, orphans and bereaved families not by repeating that miracle but through human instruments. He changes human hearts, drives out selfishness, awakens Christlike love and benevolence, and moves people to generosity. He entrusts the afflicted and bereaved to His followers to care for them, and care for them is likewise His work through hearts moved to kindness.
The same care appears elsewhere, for as God fed Elijah in famine He gave refuge to Mary and Jesus in a heathen land and supplied means for the journey to Egypt through the gifts of the magi. As He sheltered a fugitive in the wilderness through ravens, so Roger Williams said ravens fed him during flight through the forest. Elijah by the brook is also an example of coming apart from busy activity to a quiet place to rest and commune with God, as the disciples needed to do.