Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 17
This woman had faith (Hebrews 11:32-35). In other words, she believed and trusted God. She knew God’s promise to her (17:13-14). In her state of despair when her son died, she did not lose hope. Even in that terrible situation, she still had faith. She brought her son’s body to Elijah, the prophet (holy man). She appealed to him because her son’s death was the opposite of God’s promise to her.
So Elijah prayed, and God answered his prayer. The son became alive again. The woman expressed great joy, but also great surprise. She had always known that Elijah was a truly holy man. She had always known that he declared God’s message truthfully. However, there is a difference between knowledge in our mind, and the knowledge that comes from our experience. The woman understood about Elijah so powerfully now; it seemed to her as if she had formerly known nothing. Her faith in God did not make her surprise less when God answered her prayer. Rather, what God had done for her son, completely astonished her. It caused her to respect God even more deeply than she had respected him previously.
The woman knew that God, and not Elijah, had answered the prayer. Elijah was simply a servant of God, a holy man who prayed for God’s help in this situation. However, that did not make the woman’s respect for Elijah less. Rather, she saw how powerfully God was working in Elijah’s life. She would always be grateful to God that he had sent Elijah to her. She respected Elijah, therefore, as a truly great servant of God.
Next part: After three years, God sends Elijah to Ahab (1 Kings 18:1-2)
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