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How did Elijah bring the widow's son back to life?
Lou Newton, former Steel Mill Crane Designer and Physics Teacher
1 Kings 17 NIV
Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
The Lord had told this widow to feed Elijah, and if she did, her flour and oil would not run out until the famine was over. She fed Elijah and the flour and oil never ran dry until the famine was over.
Her little boy died and Elijah was very upset that the little boy of the women that had obeyed the Lord and fed him all during the famine, had died.
So Elijah took the little boy to his room where he lived and breathed the air and laid the little boy on his bed where he had laid for some time. Then further Elijah stretched out on top of the little boy so he could receive the warmth from Elijah’s body.
So why did Elijah do this ?
Genesis 2 NIV
. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
The breath of life is NOT air, but the spirit. Flesh only has natural life which is temporary. The Spirit has real life or eternal life that last forever. When Adam sinned his spirit was lost.
John 20 NIV
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
The disciples received The Holy Spirit on the day Jesus rose from the dead, NOT 40 days later on Pentecost. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, that they had already received, on Pentecost. They had the Holy Spirit but God can fill those who have the Holy Spirit to overflowing when He desires to do so. That is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is revealing that He is the God that created man in Genesis and breathed the breath of life into Adam. That breath was not air, but the Spirit. We are created in the image of God. He is a spiritual being and He created a spirit for man. Man is the only creature with a spirit.
John 3 NIV
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Now it is ridiculous to claim that Elijah did not see the Kingdom of God and also was not part of His Kingdom. So Elijah was born again of the spirit. He had the Holy Spirit of God living inside of him. How else would he do the things he did. If Elijah did not have the Holy Spirit and Christians today do have the Holy Spirit, then we look really bad, considering, I know of no one today that has done the things that Elijah did.
So Elijah was trying to expose the little boy to The Holy Spirit that lived inside of Elijah. The Holy Spirit of God brought the little boy back to Life. The flesh is only temporary life and not real life, or eternal life. God is LIFE and His Life is eternal. Those who The Holy Spirit is living inside of will live for eternity.
Lou Newton, former Steel Mill Crane Designer and Physics Teacher
1 Kings 17 NIV
Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”
The Lord had told this widow to feed Elijah, and if she did, her flour and oil would not run out until the famine was over. She fed Elijah and the flour and oil never ran dry until the famine was over.
Her little boy died and Elijah was very upset that the little boy of the women that had obeyed the Lord and fed him all during the famine, had died.
So Elijah took the little boy to his room where he lived and breathed the air and laid the little boy on his bed where he had laid for some time. Then further Elijah stretched out on top of the little boy so he could receive the warmth from Elijah’s body.
So why did Elijah do this ?
Genesis 2 NIV
. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
The breath of life is NOT air, but the spirit. Flesh only has natural life which is temporary. The Spirit has real life or eternal life that last forever. When Adam sinned his spirit was lost.
John 20 NIV
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
The disciples received The Holy Spirit on the day Jesus rose from the dead, NOT 40 days later on Pentecost. They were filled with the Holy Spirit, that they had already received, on Pentecost. They had the Holy Spirit but God can fill those who have the Holy Spirit to overflowing when He desires to do so. That is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is revealing that He is the God that created man in Genesis and breathed the breath of life into Adam. That breath was not air, but the Spirit. We are created in the image of God. He is a spiritual being and He created a spirit for man. Man is the only creature with a spirit.
John 3 NIV
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Now it is ridiculous to claim that Elijah did not see the Kingdom of God and also was not part of His Kingdom. So Elijah was born again of the spirit. He had the Holy Spirit of God living inside of him. How else would he do the things he did. If Elijah did not have the Holy Spirit and Christians today do have the Holy Spirit, then we look really bad, considering, I know of no one today that has done the things that Elijah did.
So Elijah was trying to expose the little boy to The Holy Spirit that lived inside of Elijah. The Holy Spirit of God brought the little boy back to Life. The flesh is only temporary life and not real life, or eternal life. God is LIFE and His Life is eternal. Those who The Holy Spirit is living inside of will live for eternity.