The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-19


Feeding the Hungry .......Ps evil, 1.21
care OF the Needy. dob, " S-27
Food in Famine ................I Kings, xvii 1-16
Bread from Heaven ;...-.... Elk. xvi, IL!
Bread tor the Multitude. Matt xiv 1871
RLea3 OF vi
Inc way 70 Flenty- ILL., A'A9
Elijah, one Of the noblest of the old prophets
was sent to do the most difficult and dangerous
work. In this way God often shows the honor
he places upon men. Had it been easy and
pleasant, many others could have done it, but it
needed the Tishbite to go into the presence of
Ahab and bear the stern and awful message that
God was about TO punish the people for their sin
of idolatry.
Elijah comes upon the scene without any
warning. But God always has men in prepare
ton for great opportunities and exigencies that
he foresees-men that appear at the right mo-
ment, and who surprise the world by their COM
ing without observation" God had the man
ready for the hour, man equal to the emer-
gency. We would be glad to know more of his
early history and training. He came from the
mountain country east of the Jordan, and
dressed in skins. His name, meaning Jehovah
God" indicates his religious education and the
faith of his parents.
He appears before Ahab as one who had come
from the presence of great king before whom
he was accustomed to stand, even the Lord God
of Israel. He bears the message that there shall
be neither dew nor rain for three years, and
that to him had been given the power to decide
the length OF time, as it was to be according to
my word. The dew is essential to the life of
every green thing in that land, and its absence
would show most clearly that God was against
the people, for they recognized the hand of God
in nature.
There are times when it becomes our duty to
Of oil tn 6yht al;
his message, the Lord sent him away where he
would be alone and beyond the reach of both
friends and foes. There are punishments of
nations that fall on good and bad alike. When
the drought was upon the nation he would have
found it difficult to withstand the peadings of
his friends if he had had fears of the threats
of Ahab. And so God hid him by the brook
Cherith that is before Jordan. Just where this
was has been an open question: but it seems
quite probable that it was near Jericho and run
ming eastward.
He was cared for by the Lord The wants of
each day were met, the ravens bringing bread
and Hesh both morning and evening. This
daily care was a constant assurance of the Lords
thoughtfulness concerning his servant and it
strengthened his heart for patient waiting and
brave discharge of duty. But at last the brook
dried because there had been no rain in the
land, and then the Lord made other provision
for him. 1t would have been as easy for the
Lord to have opened spring near Cherith as to
make one flow from the rock in the wilderness,
but he chooses, for the sake of others to vary
the order OF his miracles Some have imagined
that the ravens were the dark Arabs, but this
would not alter the essential fact of Gods care
for his servant in his hiding place. God set in
operation the agencies that brought the bread
and hcsh to the lonely prophet.
With the failure of the brook the word of the
Lord came unto Elijah, commanding him to so
to widow woman in Zarephath of Zidon, who
would sustain him. 1t seems strange to us that
God should send His needy prophet to this even
home hriO
the needy together, and they help to tighten
each others burdens by prayer and sympathy.
she had evidently been in better circumstances
by her house having q guest chamber that be-
came the prophets room. He would be known
by his dress, and if she had received any COM
mand of the Lord as to his support she would
easily recognize him. The place was along the
coast between Tyre and Sidon, in the enemys
country. and where every thing was suffering on
account OF the drought. He calls first for little
water that he may drink, and then, as she goes
to fetch it, he called her and said, Bring me,
pray thee, morsel of bread" Her answer shows
her religlon-as the Lord thy God liveth, have
not a cake, or, rather, loaf They were acchs-
toned to bake their -four in fat cakes about
span wide, three of these making meal. She
was about to take all she had left a little meal
and oil, and dress it for herself and son, and
then, hopeless Of obtaining any more, she
thought only of death.
And now follows severe test of her faith as
the prophet commands her to make him cake
He gave her the assurance from the Lord that
the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall
the cruise of oil fail until the day that the Lord
sendeth rain upon the earth. She obeyed the
command Of the prophet, and God fulfilled to
her his word. a great miracle was daily
wrought and neither tho meal or oil failed. The
oil was the common olive oil they use in that
country as we use butter, and is most impor-
tant article Of their daily food.
Whatever may have been the agency that God
used to feed his servant does not matter There
may have been people near by whose name
Orebim, may have meant ravens, as Jerome
suggested long ago, and who supplied secretly
for many months the food necessary for him.
but it was God using this agency when he could
easily have used another. But most commentators
see no good reasons for supposing that they were
not real ravens. All the agencies of nature are
equally at the command of God 1t is really |
moro wonderful that the bread and meat
came in the mouths of the ravens than the way
our food now comes on the branches of the trees
and vines. God makes it to grow as olives and
grapes, and he sent the ravens. We call the one
natural and the other miraculous but it is only
change of instrumentalites.
The meal and the oil ale the Lords as much
as are the ravens, and he can multiply them at
his pleasure. 1t is idle to speculate as to the
process by which the change goes on in the
miracle 1t is equally beyond our comprehen-
sion how the green bud changes into the ripe
grain ready for -four. We see the process, but
why it does not change under light and moisture
into a bitter poison we cannot understand But
we fancy that we do.
The lesson to US is that the daily supply of
our wants is from Cod and that if we have
enough for to-day we need not doubt his care
There is no evidence that the barrel and cruise
were filed, but it is sure they did not fail We
can only use what we can eat. How much more
blessed is he who is content with enough TO sup
ply his wants, and trusts God for to morrow,
than he who has scores Of barrels full in his
crowded barns and does not trust God. The
rich fool was no less fool because of his great
wealth. We may lose our money or our power
to enjoy it, but faith that looks upon the meal
and oil and every thing else in this world as our
Fathers, has in itself perpetual riches and en-
ioyment.
1t must have been a severe test of Eliiahs
faith to see the brook daily growing smaller and
not to know the way out of his trouble. And so
we are sometimes tried by failing health or