Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of I Kings Chapter 17
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 17:1-7
17:1And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 17:2And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, 17:3Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. 17:4And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 17:5So he went and did according unto the word of Jehovah; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan. 17:6And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 17:7And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
July 15, 1934: I Kings 17:1-7
With what is man identified spiritually? Man is spiritually one with Jehovah God or the I AM.
Does the man who lives on the material plane possess spiritual identity? The material-minded man, in common with every other man, possesses spiritual identity, but not spiritual consciousness. He is unaware of his true nature.
What results where there is a lack of spiritual development? The intellect is unconscious of the intuitive faculty, and as a result man's inner life is impoverished.
How does man become subject to limitation? By giving himself over to material-mindedness or to sensuality, man shuts himself off from the consciousness of divine substance and becomes limited.
What is a cause of physical and mental breakdowns? The driving of the body and the exercising of the mind without regard to the divine law result in various forms of exhaustion or breakdown.
How does man work out his own salvation in such a case? By learning to observe the divine law in every department of his being, man builds up that which was broken down. “Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him.”
What do the “ravens” that fed Elijah flesh and bread represent? Modern Bible scholars tell us that the word translated “ravens” was, in the original Hebrew, the same as the word for Arabs, and that the Arabs (in this instance the natives of Arab, a city of Judah, in the hill country) fed Elijah. Arab means “ambuscade” and represents the reasoning faculty, belonging to the front brain. This high faculty of true reason or discernment sustains man through his hardest trials.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 17:8-16
17:8And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, 17:9Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee. 17:10So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 17:11And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. 17:12And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 17:13And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son.17:14For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth. 17:15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 17:16The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Elijah.
June 6, 1915: 1 Kings 17:1-16
The Bible gives the workings of man's consciousness in all its departments. Omri and Ahab represent the external movements of the mind in a whirl of discord, caused largely by a lack of spiritual development, or recognition of the spiritual source of life. This leads to a separation of intellect from the inner mind, and finally draws the vital forces of the organism so far away from the center that the life currents run low and a drought sets in. This is the condition which the dissipations of Omri and Ahab had brought upon the system when Elijah appears upon the scene.
Elijah means Jehovah is God. Jehovah is Lord God, or spiritual I Am, of man's consciousness. This spiritual identity is in the super-consciousness and beyond the appreciation of those who have drifted into matter and things of sense. But it is on the inner side of every life, as the sun is behind the darkest clouds. When man reaches the limit of sensuality and material thinking, the Spiritual I Am, Elijah asserts the law of cessation of vitality. This running low of the life current seems to be under a natural law, but there is always a cause back of nature. In this extremity it is the cutting off by the spiritual “I Am” of the “rain,” or life flow, that it shall no longer be dissipated in sensual ways. If the sense consciousness were allowed to have free access to Divine Life, and draw upon it without stint, destruction of mind and body would ensue. So in this extremity the I Am severs the link that connects it with the parent life source, in order that the sense consciousness shall not utterly destroy the body.
Men and women on every side are having this very experience. They live the life of sense and ignore the Spirit, until all at once they break down. It may be called nervous prostration or softening of the brain. It has been given many names, but all physicians agree that its basis is a lack of nerve substance. The waters of life are withdrawn, for there is “no rain in the land.”
Unbridled dissipation is short-lived, because the spiritual I Am by its word severs the natural link that connects man with his Divine Source. So the collapse of those who have been worshipers of sense idols is not an evil, but for their ultimate good. They will he brought to their sanity by losing the energy that carried them forward in sense insanity. This world is a great insane asylum, and millions who are wrapped up in money getting and pleasure seeking are unbalanced. Unless they change their thought, or in some way break the hypnotic spell, the end will be a mortal tragedy.
But I Am (Elijah) is the guardian of the Law, though it is itself deprived of the full life influx when it cuts it off from the consciousness. But God provides for the preservation of the spiritual life. “Eastward” means within; “Cherith before Jordan” refers to subjective life currents. The ravens that fed Elijah flesh and bread represent natural forces moving with the freedom of birds, or thoughts in objective consciousness.
Zarephath means smelting or extracting precious metals by heat. It refers to the purifying fires of the inner subjective life centers. The “widow” is Love bereft of Wisdom. Such a one is in a state of partial starvation. But there is a little substance and a little joy left in her receptacle, and through faith in the increasing power of Spirit it is made the source of perpetual inflow. This lesson shows us in symbols what is going on in those who are in apparent physical and mental dearth through false living. They are passing through a transformation that will bring them to their supreme senses, and maybe in this or another body experience they will make amends for all shortcomings.
– UNITY magazine.
December 8, 1918: I Kings 17:1-16
What in consciousness does “Elijah” represent? “Elijah” represents the spiritual I Am of man's consciousness.
Why did Elijah declare that “there shall not be dew nor rain”? When Israel (intellectual body-consciousness) is ruled by Omri and Ahab (external movements of mind, lacking spiritual discernment) there is danger of utter destruction of mind and body. The spiritual identity of man (Elijah) perceives this danger and asserts its protective power, which, in this extremity, takes the form of utter negation in consciousness. The life force is cut off, and to the intellect and the senses, the body is utterly depleted.
Why does “Elijah” (I Am) take this means of saving the body? When man is ruled by sense consciousness he does not realize the inner urge of the Spirit for a return to righteous expression. The I Am begins, in the subconscious, to attach itself to extremely negative and stringent conditions: “there shall not be dew nor rain,” (etc.).
How does this “drought” in the organism help the man? Man is, at the very center of his being, spiritual. When his intellect and sense consciousness is forced to stillness or inaction, the false ego is destroyed and man's innate spirituality begins to assert itself. The intellect and senses being cut off from outer expression, the I Am (Elijah) is directed “Eastward” (within), to “Cherith before Jordan” (subjective life currents), where the “ravens” (natural forces moving with the freedom of birds) fed him.
What is the meaning of “Zarephath”? “Zarephath” means smelting or extracting precious metals by heat. This is literally what takes place in one who has let sense expression deplete him, until he is forced to give up and turn to the purifying fires of Spirit for renewal. Here the “widow,” (Love, bereft of Wisdom) in a state of partial starvation, gives the substance and joy she has to the sustenance of spiritual life.
What good results follow this course of action? Faith in Spirit as the source of life is nurtured until the I AM has re-established its proper functioning in consciousness and can, through the Word, lay hold of and direct the life stream and its expression. Elijah makes the statement that “rain” is to come “according to my word.”
January 8, 1922: I Kings 17:1-16
What led up to the events described in this lesson? The worship of idols by the children of Israel, which, metaphysically interpreted, is giving one's life over to materiality and to the things of sense.
What effect does this have on the inner source of spiritual life? When the outer consciousness is strongly attached to material interests, all the life forces are concentrated upon the realm of effects, and dissolution and disintegration follow.
What is the divine remedy? The divine natural man (Elijah) is moved by the I AM (Jehovah) to shut off the inner life currents, which, to outer consciousness, is a drought.
When the waters of life run low, from what source does the I AM sustain the physical body? It is fed by the inner spiritual substance which is brought into consciousness by psychical thoughts (the ravens). Jesus said: “I have meat to eat that ye know not.”
Elijah was sent to the widow in Zarephath. Whom does she represent? She represents the divine feminine. Elijah is the divine masculine. Separated, these are both in a state of starvation, but when joined in consciousness, increase at once begins, and lack ceases. “The jar of meat wasted not neither did the cruse of oil fail.”
January 8, 1922: I Kings 17:1-16
The Bible gives an account of the workings of man’s consciousness in all its departments. Omri and Ahab represent the external movements of the mind in a whirl of discord, caused largely by a lack of spiritual development, or nonrecognition of the spiritual source of life. This discord leads to a separation of intellect from the inner mind, and finally draws the vital forces of the organism so far away from the center that the life currents run low and a drought sets in. This is the condition which the dissipations of Omri and Ahab had brought upon the system when Elijah appeared upon the scene.
Elijah means “Jehovah is God.” Jehovah is Lord God, or spiritual I AM of man's consciousness. Spiritual identity is in the super-consciousness. It is beyond the appreciation of those who have drifted into matter and things of sense. But it is on the inner side of every life as the sun is behind the darkest clouds. When man reaches the limit of sensuality and material thinking, the spiritual I AM, Elijah, asserts the law of cessation of vitality. This running low of the life current seems to be under a natural law, but there is always a cause back of nature. In this extremity, it is the cutting off by the spiritual I AM of the “rain,” or life flow, that it may no longer be dissipated in sensual ways. If the sense consciousness were allowed to have free access to Divine Life, and to draw upon it without stint, destruction of mind and body would ensue. So in this extremity, the I AM severs the link that connects it with the life source, in order that the sense consciousness may not utterly destroy the body.
Men and women on every side are having this experience. They live the life of sense and ignore the Spirit, until all at once they break down. The collapse may be called nervous prostration or softening of the brain. It has been given many names, but all physicians agree that its basis is a lack of nerve substance. The waters of life are withdrawn, for there is “no rain in the land.”
Unbridled dissipation is short-lived, because the spiritual I AM, by its word, severs the natural link that connects man with his Divine Source. So the collapse of those who have been worshipers of sense idols, is not an evil, but an ultimate good. They will be brought to their sanity by losing the energy that carried them forward in sense insanity. This world is a great insane asylum, and the millions who are wrapped up in money-getting and pleasure seeking are unbalanced. Unless they change their thought, or in some way break the hypnotic spell, the end will be a mortal tragedy.
But I AM (Elijah) is the guardian of the law. The I AM is itself deprived of the full life influx when it cuts the life influx off from the consciousness. But God provides for the preservation of the spiritual life. “Eastward” means within; “Cherith before Jordan” refers to subjective life currents. The ravens that fed Elijah flesh and bread, represent natural forces moving with the freedom of birds, or thoughts in objective consciousness.
Zarephath means smelting, or extracting precious metals by heat. It refers to the purifying fires of the inner subjective life centers. The “widow” is love bereft of wisdom. When love is separated from wisdom, the condition is represented as partial starvation. But there is a little substance and a little joy left, and through faith in the increasing power of Spirit, they are made the source of perpetual supply.
This lesson shows us in symbols what is going on in those who are in apparent physical and mental poverty through false living. Such persons are passing through a transformation that will bring them to their senses; and in this or another incarnation, they will doubtless make amends for all shortcomings.
– UNITY magazine.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 17:17-24
17:17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 17:18And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son! 17:19And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 17:20And he cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 17:21And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto Jehovah, and said, O Jehovah my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. 17:22And Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 17:23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother; and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 17:24And the woman said to Elijah, Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of Jehovah in thy mouth is truth.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 02-06-2014
