#6. The Widow’s Son (Part 2)

Published by Ben Stahl on March 31, 2020March 31, 2020

I Kings 17:17-24 

Two of the Bibles I use regularly have subtitles within each chapter of Scripture. These subtitles are often helpful in quickly finding and summarizing a portion of Scripture, but they are not the inspired word of God and can sometimes mislead the reader as to the events that will follow. The title above I Kings 17:17-24 is one of those misleading subtitles because it says, “Elijah Raises the Widow’s Son.”

The prayer of Elijah in verse 21 concluded with these words: “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” Elijah was a great prophet of the Lord, but Elijah was not the Lord. Elijah could pray for the soul of the boy to be returned to his body, but Elijah could not give him life. Elijah was not confused by this distinction and we do not need to be confused either.

Elijah knew the God whom he served. He knew that his God was all powerful. He knew that the God who dried up the earth, brought food from the mouths of ravens, and kept flour and oil flowing for several years was also the God who could raise the dead and one day would raise all the dead. Elijah’s faith was not put to shame, for the Lord raised the widow’s son.

Perhaps this account of Elijah and the widow’s son reminds you of other similar accounts in Scripture. If God wills, we will get to the account of Elisha and the Shunammite woman’s son who died in II Kings 4.

But there is another woman in Scripture who had an only son die. The other woman was from a small town south of Galilee called Nain. Like the woman of Zarephath the woman of Nain was also a widow. You can read the account in Luke 7:11-17. It was not Elijah or Elisha that met the widow – it was Jesus Himself.

When Jesus met this woman and had compassion on her she was not alone but much of the town was with her carrying the boy out of the city to be buried. Jesus came to the boy, touched him, and said, “Young man, I say to you arise” (Luke 7:14). After hearing the words of Jesus, the young man who had been dead sat up, spoke, and was alive again.

Elijah and Elisha were great prophets. But they were not Jesus Christ and were not making themselves out to be Christ. They lived to point others to Christ. Elijah prayed to God asking Him to raise the widow’s son. Jesus simply spoke and told the boy to “arise.” Elijah had access to the throne of grace from where the power of God came forth. Jesus, the very image of the Godhead bodily, has power in and of Himself.

One day soon, the Lord Jesus Christ will again speak with power and all the dead will rise from their graves. Those who are outside of Christ, who do not believe in His name, will rise to further judgment and torment in hell for all eternity. For this reason, all those apart from Christ are called by the Lord today to repent and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life. Those who died in Christ will rise first and those who are living on that day will rise and together we will meet Christ in the air. Together we will worship Jesus Christ who is the Resurrection and the Life and by whose power this young man in Zarephath was raised from the dead.

As we meditate on this account of the raising of the widow’s son, let us give glory, honor, thanks, and praise to the One who raised the boy from the dead. It was not Elijah – but God Himself who gave life to that boy on that day many years ago and will give life once again to all who have died in the Lord.