As we continue to consider the reign of Ahab over Israel, we come now to the matter of God's dealing with Ahab through Elijah the prophet (17:1—19:9a). Because God was behind Elijah, He could deal with Ahab through Elijah. We may regard ourselves as smaller than Elijah, but we have something that he did not have. We have the Triune God wrought into us, constituting Himself into us every day, indwelling us, and building His home in us.
Chapter seventeen tells us that Elijah shut up the heavens from rain. Elijah's miracles, like Solomon's riches, glory, and splendor, were altogether in the physical realm.
Because of the famine, God sent Elijah to hide himself by the brook Cherith to live on water from the brook and on the bread and meat brought in by ravens (vv. 2-7).
After the brook dried up, God sent Elijah to go to Zarephath of Zidon, where God had commanded a widow to feed him (vv. 8-24; Luke 4:25-26). Instead of being fed by the widow, Elijah performed a miracle to provide meal and oil for the widow and her family (1 Kings 17:8-16). After that, Elijah performed another miracle to raise up the widow's son from death (vv. 17-24; Heb. 11:35a). Both of these miracles were in the physical realm and did not involve anything spiritual.