The Way
The Ravens at the Brook Cherith
A table set by ravens
Story
When Elijah left the king, the word of the Lord came to him. The Lord said, “Leave here, go east, and hide by the Brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. Drink from the brook. I have already commanded the ravens to feed you there.” Elijah set out, just as the Lord had said.
Deep in the ravine, a brook trickled between the rocks. When morning came, black wings flapped down. The ravens brought bread and meat. They did the same in the evening. Birds the law called unclean carried the prophet's meals to him. Elijah drank from the brook and lived from one day to the next.
But the sky stayed shut. Day by day the sound of the water grew thinner. The pools shrank, the wet stones dried white, and at last the brook bed lay bare. The drought Elijah had announced had now dried up even Elijah's own stream.
Walk this scene on the map →Words of God and the Prophets
Leave here, go east, and hide by the Brook Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Drink from the brook. I have already commanded the ravens to feed you there.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 1 Kgs 17:2–7
Background
The Brook Cherith is thought to be a ravine on the Gilead side, east of the Jordan, but its exact location is unknown. Many such ravines carry water only in the rainy season, so when drought went on they soon dried up. Ravens were unclean birds the law did not allow people to eat.
Pause and Reflect
Do I remember the small grace God provided for me today?