1 Kings 17

The end of 1 Kings and the beginning of 2 Kings tell us the story of two prophets, Elijah and Elisha. Both men worked extraordinary miracles and spoke boldly to the rulers of their day who had departed from the way of the Lord.

Elijah served God while Ahab was king of Israel. Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, had given themselves over to the worship of dead idols. Elijah came to them and to all Israel in the Name of the Lord, the living God.

Elijah's prayers made a difference. By his word, a drought came to Israel, remaining for years. By his word given a second time that drought came to an end. He was a man like us, but God listened to the voice of this righteous servant.

The Lord provided for him as Elijah did His bidding. His life was not an easy one, but in a time when famine had come upon the land, God gave Elijah food. Whether through the birds bringing him what he needed in a secluded hideaway, or through a poor widow who, in faith, followed his instruction and shared what she had, the Lord kept Elijah alive.

It was through Elijah that the Lord gave one of the two Old Testament accounts of a resurrection miracle. What was the purpose of this sign? In a world of so much distress and death, why did one widow's son get to live on the earth again after the breath of life was gone from his body? “The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah.” God wanted to give a testimony of resurrection life connected to the Word of His servant. As the widow herself testified, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

Jesus performed three such miracles during His days upon the earth. But when His days were done, He gave His life for our salvation, and then performed another resurrection that was far beyond anything that He had done before. He, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, brought His own life back from the dead. This resurrection miracle was different than all the other resurrections in the Bible, not only because it was performed through the agency of the one who had died. His resurrection was not unto mortality, but to immortality. He rose from the dead never to die again.

There is another great day of resurrection that is coming for the church. By the Word of the One who died for our sins and rose for our justification there will be a general resurrection.

The dead shall be raised. This is the promise of Jesus to us, a promise that has been secured through His own outstanding resurrection miracle. Through that great sign, now we know that He is the Man of God, and that the Word of the Lord in His mouth is the truth.