Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.” 2 The word of the Lord came to Elijah: 3 Leave here, go east and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink of the wadi, and I have commanded ravens to feed you there. 5 So he left and did as the Lord had commanded. He left and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. 6 Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi. 7 After some time, however, the wadi ran dry, because no rain had fallen in the land.
Elijah, one of Israel’s most significant prophets, declared a drought as a judgment from God against King Ahab and Israel for their widespread idolatry, particularly the worship of Baal, a Canaanite god associated with fertility and rain. Ahab was influenced by his wife Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, who introduced the worship of Baal and Asherah into Israel. She had led the people into apostasy, building an altar to Baal in Samaria (1 Kings 16:30–33). The drought not only served as a punishment for Israel’s unfaithfulness but also as a call to repentance, urging them to return to the worship of the one true God (Mal. 4:5-6).
By proclaiming a drought, Elijah demonstrated that the Lord, not Baal, controlled the rain and fertility, fulfilling the covenantal warnings in Deuteronomy 28:23–24 about the consequences of idolatry. This action directly challenged the false god's perceived power and called Israel to repentance (Deut. 11:16–17). The phrase “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives” emphasizes Elijah’s belief in Israel’s living God in contrast to the lifeless Baal (Ps. 135:15-18).
God instructs Elijah to leave and hide in the seasonal brook Wadi Cherith so that Elijah would no longer be in confrontation with King Ahab and Jezebel. This withdrawal mirrors the pattern seen in other biblical figures, such as Moses’ flight to Midian (Ex. 2:15) and Jesus’ retreat into the wilderness (Mt. 4:1-11), where solitude and trust in God precede significant acts of salvation. Elijah placed his faith and trust in God and went as He instructed, relying on divine providence to sustain him. The wadi supplied water, while ravens, unclean animals and an unlikely source (Lev. 11:15), miraculously brought food to Elijah. God’s use of ravens to sustain Elijah highlights His sovereignty over creation, echoing Job 38:41, where He provides food even for ravens, emphasizing His care for all creatures, no matter how unlikely they may seem.
God fulfilled His promise and the ravens brought bread and meat twice a day, indicating that God provided food in abundance. This provision mirrors God’s care for the Israelites in the wilderness, where He gave them manna and quail (Ex. 16:13-15), and foreshadows Christ’s feeding of the multitudes in the New Testament (Mt. 14:19-21). As the wadi was a seasonal brook, it eventually ran dry as the drought grew more severe. When the wadi dried up, God gave Elijah additional instructions.
Heavenly Father, You are the sovereign Lord who provides for Your people in every circumstance. As You sustained Elijah by the brook and through the ravens, help us to trust in Your divine care and guidance. Teach us to rely on You fully, knowing that You alone are the source of life and hope. May we turn away from all false idols and remain faithful to You, the living God. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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