1 5. e. I have decreed or appointed. Or, 7 ſhall command, i.e. ef feQually move them. by Inſtin&s and Inclinations,which I ſkall pur into them, which ſball be as forcible with them,as a Law or Com- mand is to Men. God is faid to Command both Brute Creatures, as Amos 9; 3 Jonah 2: 10. and ſenſeleſs things; as Job 38: 11, 12. Pſal; 18 13. Iſa: 5: Grand 45:12. when he cauſeth them to do the things which he intends to Effe& by them m Which he names,and chuſeth for this work: partly,to ſuccour the Prophets Faith againſt humane Infirmity,by the credibility of the thing, there being many Ravens in thoſe parts,and thoſe delighting to reſide near Brooks of Waterzand that ſort of Creatures being apt & accuſtomed to ſeek Proviſions, and to carry them away to the p:aces of their abode: and partly,to ſhew his Care and Power in providing for the Prophet by thoſe Creatures. which are noted for their Greedineſs,in monopolizing Provition to themſ!ves, and for their Malignity and Unnaruralneſs towards their own Young ; that by this ſtrange and noble Experiment he | mighr be taughr to truit God in thoſe many and great Dithculties to which he was likely ro be expoſed. Obj. The Ravens were un. clean, Lett: 11:15 Anſ. They were Unclean for Meat, but not for the Touch But howioever that Ceremonial Law was over-ruled by necellity, and by the Law-givers Ditpenſation.
5 So + © weut and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, thar is befo:e Jordan.
6 And the ravens brought him bread and fleſh » in the morning o, and bread and fleſh in the evening p :
and he drank of the brook. n Not raw,but boiled by the Miniſtry of ſome Angel or Man,
-and left in ſome place or places till the Ravens came for it : in all
which, there is nothing inctedible,confidering the Power and Pro- vidence of God. 0 p z«e For Dinner and Supper,according to the Cuſtom. See Gen: 43: 25+ Ruth 2:14. Luke14: 12. Affs 10; g, 10.
7 And it cane to pa, þ afrer 4 while q, that the brook dried up r, becauſe there had been no rain in
the land.
g Heb. 4t the end of days ; i. e. of a Year ; for ſo the word days is oft uſed, as in Exod. 3.10. Lev. 25-29. Numb.g. 22+ Judg. 17. 10. 1 Sam. 1.3:and 27: 7. And this ſeems to be a convenient time for the
drying up of the Brook, which was gradually dried up. And fo this
. agrees well with Chap 18:1. in the third Year of which,ſee the Notes
there r God ſo ordering it, partly for the Puniſhment of thoſe
| Iſfratlites who lived near it, and had hitherto been refreſhed by it :
Y Luk. 4+
+6. called
borepra,
- therefore was inhabited by Gentiles. See Luke 4. 25.
partly, for the Trial and Exercile of Elijas Faith,and to teach him to depend upon God a'one,.uot on any Creature for his Support:and partly, to ſhew his own alltufficiency in providing for his People.
8 © And tne word of the LOKD came unto him,
ſaying,
9 Ariſe, get thee to * Zarephath #, which belongeth to Zidon t, and dwell there : behold, I have com- manded « a widow-woman there to ſuſtain thee.
s A City between Tyrus and Sydon,called Sarepta by St. Luke,Chap: 4. 26. by Pliny and others. t To the Juriſdition of that city,which
And Gods pro- viding for his Prophet, fir®, by an unclean Bird,and then by a G:1=
-tile, whom the Jews eſtcemed Uuclean, was a notable Preſage of the
Calling of the Gent:/es,and of the-Rejection of the Jews. « 7. e. Ap- pointed or Provided,as before, ver.4.for that ſhe had as yet no Re- velation or Command of God abour it, appears from ver. 12.
10 So he aroſe, and went to Zarephach : and when he came to the gare of the city. behold the widow wo- man was there gathering of ſticks : and he called to her x, and ſaid, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little watter in a veſſel, that I may drink.
x Knowing by Divine Suggeſtion, that this was the woman de- ſigned.
It And as ſhe was going to fetch rt, he called to her, and faid, Bring me, I pray thet, a morſel of
bread in thine hand y.
y Which he faid only to try her,&ro make way for what follows: 12 And ihe ſaid, As the LOR Þ thy God iiveth z, 1 have not a cake,bur an handfui ot meal in a barrel, & a little oyl in a crute : and behold, I a» gathering two
ſticks 2, that I may goin, aud dreſs it for me and my
fon, that we may eat it, and die 6:
i
N G 8. Chap. XVII. z By which ſhe diſcovers, That though ſhe was a Gentile,yet ſhe 4 owned the God of Jſrae! as the True God. 3 7. e. A few ſticks, g that number being oft uſed indefinitely for any ſmall number, | both in Scripture, as Hof. 6. 2- and by other Authors. 6 For ha- 8 ving no more Proviſion,we muſt needs periſh with Hunger. For inn though the Famine was only in the Land of 1ſrael, yet the Effects | kl
[
of it were 1n Tyre and Sidox, which were fed by the Corn of that Land. See AFs 12. 20. Or the fame Famine might be in thoſe parts alſo ; the chief cauſe of the Famine, to wit, the Worſhip of Baal, being common to both places.
13 And Eljjah faid unto her, Fear not ; go axd do as chou haſt faid :bur make me thereof a little cake firſts, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy ſon.
ec Which he requires as a trial and exerciſe of her Faith, and Charity, and Obedience, which he knew God would graciouſly and plentitully reward;and ſo this would be a great Exaniple to encou- rage others to the practice of the ſame Graces upon like occalions. -
14 For thus faith the LORD God of Ifrae} 4, The barrel of meal e ſhall not waſte, neither ſhall the cruſe