In this impressive promise from God to Elijah we could emphasize different aspects, and we would certainly like to emphasize the ravens. We marvel at the sovereignty and omnipotence of God, who uses what we see as unsuitable instruments to provide for His servant.
This required faith on Elijah’s part. Could his faith be based on the ravens? If he only looked at the ravens, those carrion-eating predators, his courage would quickly fail him. After all, it was highly likely that they would eat the food that was actually intended for him themselves.
When he remembered God’s promise, he had to put the emphasis on a different part: “I have commanded the ravens.” With that emphasis, he could put his trust in God’s word and not in the birds. What do we put our trust in? In the government? In the skill of the doctors? In a regular income? In technology? In our own abilities? These are all wobbly supports. Yes, “consider the ravens,” yet not to admire them, but to trust the One who feeds them and Who also knows of us “that you have need of this” (Luke 12:24-31).
And Elijah still needed something else: obedience of faith. We can also emphasize another word: “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” There may have been places where Elijah would have preferred to stay rather than by the brook Cherith. In Obadiah’s hiding places, 100 prophets were provided for (1 Kings 18:4), so there would certainly have been room for Elijah. But God wanted to provide for him “there.” And so Elijah went there and was provided for even better than the 100 prophets. They were given bread and water. The ravens brought “bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening.” This raises the question for us: Am I in the place where the Lord wants me to be? I cannot count on God’s blessing if I go my own way.
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