1 Kings 17

The first book of Kings spends many pages for the reign of King Ahab in the northern kingdom of Israel. His long twenty-two years of reign coincided with the time of prophet Elijah. King Ahab was a wicked man, but his wife Queen Jezebel added notoriety to his infamous reputation. He worshipped his Sidonian wife’s foreign idols and even sacrificed two of his sons for the success of his building projects. Of course, we all know well how his wife and he conspired the murder of Naboth to take Naboth’s field.

Against this wicked king, Elijah delivered the message of warning and punishment from God, as we heard in the reading today. And he had to flee and hide from Ahab. God instructed him to go to the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan River. God says to Elijah, “You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” And Elijah survived as God had instructed.

This brook or wadi Cherith is thought to be in modern-day Jordan. You might guess it is a wonderful garden where a peaceful creek is flowing and many fruit trees are flourishing. No, not at all. It’s in a very rugged and wild valley. And the water can be dried up in the summer. It is a good place to hide but a very hard place to survive without water and food supply.

Why did God lead Elijah, his prophet, to this harsh environment? Was he not able to bring his prophet to a better place? Was he not able to feed his prophet with much richer food and cold water from a deep well?

When Elijah heard the instruction of God, he probably had to have total trust in him. He had to hide in God rather than in a secure and safe place on earth.

Often, I am tempted to expect protection, compensation and reward for ministry – green pastures and still waters here on earth. But today Elijah reminds me that the green pastures and still waters are only in God.