READING FOR OCTOBER 22, 2025: 1 KINGS 17, HEBREWS 5, PSALM 109:21-30 1 KINGS 17 A wicked king, a bold prophet, a poor widow, a dead son and a mighty God.
This powerful story takes place in and around the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The prophet Elijah, who lived in Gilead, informs the evil King Ahab that there won’t be rain or even dew for three years unless he says so. After making this bold pronouncement, he hides himself on the east side of the Jordan by the brook Cherith. During that time, a raven brought him two meals a day of bread and meat (no vegetables some kids might point out), and he drank from the brook. Due to the very drought he predicted, the brook eventually ran dry. God was not stymied, of course, but told Elijah to move to Zarephath
On the surface the next part of the story seems heartless, so we really need to suspend our emotional judgment for a while. At God’s command, Elijah asked a widow, who was collecting sticks, for a drink of water. She complied. Then he asked her to give him the bread she had in her hand. She doesn’t claim to be a believer, but said, “as the Lord your God lives” she was out of food and collecting sticks for her and her son’s last meal. Elijah, as we will discover elsewhere, had lots of nerve. He told her to do it and trust the Lord to provide for her son and herself. She complied again, and the Lord provided.
Just when we are all ready to praise God for this miracle, her son becomes ill and dies. She scolded the prophet for bringing this upon her and assumes it must be because of her sin. Even Elijah struggles with God over his bringing this result to this poor widow. But then his trust in God prompts him into positive action. Confusing and sorrowful circumstances can either paralyze us with depression or prompt us to take acts of faith. Of course, it helps to be a prophet with an ongoing pipeline to God, but Jesus said the greatest prophet of all time, John the Baptist, did not have what the very least Christian has: the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Elijah stretched himself over the boy three times and asked God to resuscitate him. The text says, “the Lord listened.” Are there any more reassuring words possible? The Lord listens to us still! When the boy came back to life, we learn what might have been a possible reason for his initial death: “Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth’” (vs. 24). Was it worth all this pain for the woman to come a certain knowledge about the truth of God? In light of eternity, what could be more important than that? Do we have this awareness? Does God ever place people in such difficult circumstances intentionally for such a purpose? Consider Jesus’s words: “His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him’” (John 9: 2-3).
READINGS FOR OCTOBER 22, 2025 (CONTINUED): HEBREWS 5, PSALM 109:21-31
Hebrews 5 For today’s commentary, I have included chapter 4:14-16 as it is connected to chapter 15. Tomorrow’s will begin at 15:11.
Your history lesson for today. The original manuscripts for the Bible did not have chapters and verses. They did not have punctuation either (but that is another story). The chapters were added to a Latin manuscript by Stephen Langston in the 13th century. The verses were added in 1151 to a Greek and Latin manuscript, by a Parisian printer named, Robert Stephanus. So, when you wonder why chapters and verses sometimes do not make sense (sentences are cut off, thoughts run in-between chapters, etc.) it is because people who were unfamiliar with the nuances of the original languages were making decisions on how to break up the manuscript so that it would be easier for the readers to discuss it.
The author uses the image of Jesus as the Great High Priest. In the Jewish religion, the High Priest was the one responsible for making the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. The day where a formal sacrifice was made for the sins of the people. In Jesus, his death and resurrection replaced the need for the temple sacrifice. As the great High Priest, he ascended into heaven and is continually in the presence of God on our behalf.
Verses 4:15-16 are a powerful reminder of the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, experienced temptation “in every way”. He knows what it is like to be human. He understands that we struggle. And yet, he was without sin. With that in mind, we can approach God with confidence. Because the High Priest knows our struggles, God’s grace and mercy will meet us at our point of need.
Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, he became “the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (V9, NIV). By being obedient to the will of his Father; by accepting his death on the cross for our sins; Jesus opened the pathway by which we all can receive eternal life (and the Sabbath rest).
Psalm 109:21-31 This is a hymn of lament asking God for deliverance from David’s enemies.
Verses 21-25 – David appeals to God for assistance in this matter. David appeals to God’s love to deliver him. The toll of his accuser’s ridicule has caused physical distress and a failing health. Only God can save him.
Verses 26-29 – A concluding petition to God. While David’s accusers curse, may God bless; while the accusers are disgraced, may God’s servant rejoice.
Verses 30-31 – The psalm ends with a vow to praise God for the deliverance.
