Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - The Power of Resurrection | Historical Books | 1 Kings 17:17-24

Episode Date: September 10, 2025

Does God's power have boundaries? Can we escape God's presence? Can God bring life out of death? In today's episode, Jensen shares how 1 Kings 17:17-24 reminds us that God's resurrection power is alive today in Christ. If you're listening on Spotify, tell us about yourself and where you're listening from! Read the Bible with us in 2025! This year, we’re exploring the Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: 1 Kings 17:17-24

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. And the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt McNair. Today we're picking up the story of Elijah right in the middle of an ongoing narrative in Chapter 17. Ahab is king over Israel. We're going to be talking about him for quite a bit longer than the past few kings. Now, the Book of Kings gives us a much more detailed view of his life and what we see is not good. But it has a lot to teach us.

We get the tip right off the bat that Ahab does evil in the eyes of the Lord. He worships Bail. He sets up altars to Bail and sacrifices to him. It's important for our story today to know that Bail is the god of life and fertility for the surrounding nations. As chapter 17 begins, as we saw on Monday, Elijah, a prophet of the Lord, is introduced into the narrative of Ahab. He brings bad news, news that God is going to bring a drought on the land of Israel, because of Ahab's worship of Bail. God then sends Elijah out into the wilderness where God provides for him and protects him from the retribution of Ahab for his prophecy. And yesterday, we learned that God calls Elijah out of Israel when his spring dries up from drought, and he sends him out into

Zarath. Now, Zarefath is Bail country, the heartland of worship of Bail. But Elijah goes, He is sent into the house of a widow where God miraculously provides bread for the widow, her son, and Elijah, even as the drought spreads into the land of Bale. And this is where our story today begins. We know the narrative, but I also want us to set the scene thematically. Right. Elijah has been led out into the wilderness, where he is met by God's provision in a time of drought. God has power over the wilderness. Then, Elijah is led into the territory of the God of fertility and life of Bail. A territory that despite its God claiming to be in control of fertility and life is suffering under drought and famine, despite the people's faithful worship of Bail.

But not everyone, not this widow and her son, not Elijah, because of their faith. God is able to overcome the drought in the land. of Bail. God has power over enemy territory. You can see how the story is building on itself. God can provide for his people in the wilderness. He can provide for his people in enemy territory. He has power over these places. Where will we see him provide next? First Kings chapter 17, verse 17. Sometime later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, what do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son? So tragedy falls on the house of the widow.

Where God has previously brought life through his prophet Elijah, now death has invaded the story. And she blames God. She blames Elijah for coming into her house. Some translations indicate that she's angry that Elijah has come into the house because he's brought the eyes of God on the house. So God has seen her sin and now she believes that he's punishing her. She believes her son is lost forever. Death has won. She believes that her sin, her brokenness, her worship of idols has brought death. It's a moment in the story where we have to pause.

God has brought life to Elijah in the wilderness. He's brought life into the enemy territory of Bail. He has proven he has power over life, and now we ask the question, does he have power over death? The ancient people who worshipped idols had Bail, the god of fertility and life, but they also had Mott, the god of the underworld, who brought death upon people. So we will now see, does God have power over Mott over the underworld as well? He can cross the boundaries of the wilderness to bring life. He can cross the boundaries of the enemy to bring life. we ask, can he cross the boundaries of death? Can he overcome the sin of the widow as she believes

sin is what has brought death to her son in order to bring new life into her home? Let's keep reading. Verse 19. Give me your son, Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. Then he cried out to the Lord, Lord, my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with by causing her son die. Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, Lord, my God, let this boy's life return to him. It's important to note that Elijah recognizes alongside the widow that God is in complete control. The death of the widow's son is not outside of the hand of God, but he does not go so far as to confirm causation of her sin as the reason

behind his death. But in the midst of Elijah's understanding that God is not surprised by the death of the sun, he recognizes that the only one with the power to bring life back to this boy is God. Elijah prays to God. He asks him to return life to the boy. He believes the God who provided in the wilderness and in enemy territory can also cross over the boundary of death and provide life. And he does. verse 22. The Lord heard Elijah's cry and the boy's life returned to him and he lived. Elijah picked up a child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, look, your son is alive. Then the woman said to Elijah, now I know that you are a man

of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth. So we learn in verse 24 that Certainly, part of the point of this narrative is to prove to the widow and to the original audience that Elijah is a true prophet of the true God, that his word is trustworthy and true. We also learn an essential truth about this true God's power. Yahweh is Lord over all. His power has no boundaries. The lonely barrenness of wilderness, the enemies of this world, the supposed finality of death and the mark of sin have no power over Yahweh. This building narrative of Elijah teaches us about the God we follow

and sets the stage for God's cosmic rescue of all people, to bring life to all of creation. Where God is faithful to preserve Elijah, to use him as an instrument of life, he does so for the sake of his people for Israel, to preserve and strengthen them. The power that we see on display here in the world, this chapter is the same power that God brings to the table when he is faced with the curse of

sin and death. When we read this passage and ask if God will enter the wilderness for us like he did for Elijah, when we ask if God would overcome the enemy for our sake like he did for Elijah, when we ask if God could bring life where death and sin have ensnared and entrapped us like he did for Elijah, we already have our answer. He has done all of these things. Through Jesus, Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer, and King. Jesus went into the wilderness. He overcame the temptation and attacks of the enemy. He paid the price and carried the burden of our sin on the cross, and he conquered death when he rose from the grave three days later. We can trust that his words are trustworthy and true because we know he has done it before. Psalm 139, where can I go from

your spirit, where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast. Scripture says, there's nowhere that we can go that God is not already present, not the wilderness, not enemy territory, not the depths of death. Romans 6'4, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 1 Corinthians 1520, but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. The resurrection of Jesus, the power of God to cross the boundaries

of death, to eradicate sin and produce new life, a new physical body free from the curse of sin and death was the first fruit. It was the blueprint, the sign of the promise that all those who believe will also partake in this new life in Christ in resurrection. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave is the same power that crosses the boundaries of the enemy to break you from the grasp of sin and death and will resurrect you into a fully redeemed and renewed body when Christ unites heaven and earth and establishes his kingdom forever. Your future is secure. Your God has overcome. Do you believe in that reality? Do you believe that? Do you believe that nothing, no wilderness, no enemy, no sin, not even death, can separate you from the relentless

pursuit of the God who created you, loves you, has been on a mission from the beginning of time to redeem and rescue you and bring you into the life that you were quite literally created to live. A life of love and justice and mercy and peace and humility and gentleness. A life of wisdom. A life of following the one with the power and the desire to rest. rescue you out of the grips of death and into resurrection life. Believe it today. Live like you know that Jesus has power over death and brings new life because he does. He has, he will. The word of the Lord, the promises of Scripture, the power of God is steadfast, sure, and impenetrable. Trust the Lord. Trust His word. Follow his ways.

Step into the life he created for you. Experience his provision today.