September 16, 2024
The Widow's Son -- Part 1
1 Kings 17:17-18
09/16/2024
17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of
the house, became ill. And his illness was so
severe that there was no breath left in him.
18 And she said to Elijah, ``What have you against
me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my
sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my
son!'' (ESV)
Saint Paul wrote: ``If you confess with your mouth that
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved.''[1] This week's readings deal with
God restoring life to people who had died. In the Old Testament
we hear of the widow of Zarephath, the woman who continued to
care for Elijah, at the death of her son. In the Gospel lesson,
we hear of Jesus raising the widow's son in the town of Nain.
Jesus' resurrection is unique because He did not
subsequently die, whereas the two sons in this week's readings
did later pass away. But, both of these resurrection stories
tell us that God indeed can and does raise people from the dead.
This brings us the hope that we, too, shall rise again.
After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the
house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that
there was no breath left in him. And she said to
Elijah, ``What have you against me, O man of God? You
have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to
cause the death of my son!''
The widow understood that death is the result of sin. She
here confesses that she and her son have gone against God's law,
thus they will face temporal death. In this we are like the
widow and her son, facing the future, knowing that we rightly
deserve punishment for our transgressions.
Yet this story brings hope, which we will discover in the
next few days.
May our Lord grant you faith that trusts in Him, that gives
you hope. Amen.
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1. Romans 10:9 (ESV)