Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: "Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land." So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria, and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord. While Jezebel was killing off the Lord's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals." So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.
As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"
"Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.' "
“What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. But now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' I don't know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. And now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' He will kill me!"
Elijah said, "As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today."
1 Kings 18:1-15
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 17 opened, we read where the prophet Elijah had brought bad news from the Lord to the evil king Ahab saying, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (1 Kings 17:1) Immediately after this, the Lord had Elijah hide in Kerith Ravine where he was able to drink from a brook and was attended to by ravens who brought him food. (1 Kings 17:2-6)
So why did the Lord send Elijah into hiding?
As we read the opening portion of Chapter 18, we see where it became dangerous in the land to be a prophet. Three years had passed since Elijah’s proclamation and the “famine was severe in Samaria”…so severe that Ahab began to exact his wrath on all prophets, sending Jezebel to kill them off.
Thank goodness for a “devout believer in the Lord”…a man named Obadiah…who scripture tells us had “taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water”, all this knowing the danger he faced if he had been caught. Surely he would have been seen as directly opposing the king and would have faced death himself. Still, he boldly went forward in trying to protect God’s chosen messengers despite the risk incurred.
Friends, how would we have responded had we been in Obadiah’s position? Could we have been as brave and bold in support of the Lord and His chosen, despite the present danger involved in doing so? Or would we have worried more about self preservation and left the prophets to fend for themselves?
Well…it was in the midst of this situation that the Lord sent Elijah to Ahab “in the third year” to tell him the Lord was going to “send rain on the land." And on his way to share that message, Elijah met Obadiah who had been sent by Ahab to, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys” to seek “grass to keep the horses and mules alive” so that no animals would have to be killed. After a three year famine, Ahab had hoped that there might be somewhere outside of his immediate rule that grass might be present. And so the land to be covered was divided and Ahab went in one direction while Obadiah went the other where he encountered Elijah.
Obviously, Elijah’s reputation had proceeded him for scripture tells us that “Obadiah recognized him” and then “bowed down to the ground” saying, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?" As someone we already knew had a deep respect and heart for prophets, Obadiah was now in the presence of one of the Lord’s best at the time.
As he bowed, we read where Elijah answers Obadiah’s question with an acknowledgement that he was indeed to prophet that Obadiah had thought he was and then wasted no time giving Obadiah direction saying, “Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.' " Elijah’s request seemed simple on the surface. But as we see, it sparked immediate concern for this devout believer and delivered him from faith to doubt and fear.
For immediately after Elijah gave his command, we read where Obadiah asks, “What have I done wrong…that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death?” Why did he feel this way? Because Ahab had been looking for Elijah specifically with there not being a “nation or kingdom” where Ahab, Obadiah’s master, had not “sent someone” looking for the prophet who had brought the news of the famine…and the one who would end it with his word. And while this search went on, other prophets were being killed along the way.
How often does this happen to us? The Lord attempts to send us to do His will into a circumstance that we know in advance could be difficult and we respond, not in trust, but doubt and fear, questioning Him about what He called us to do? I think we can all relate very well to Obadiah if we look closely at our own lives.
So what concerns Obadiah the most as Elijah send him to the king?
He’s afraid that when he tells the king that he found Elijah and gives him direction on where to find him, that the king will go to that place and find Elijah had gone, possibly carried somewhere else by the “Spirit of the Lord”. And this would result in Ahab exacting his wrath on Obadiah, killing him in place of not being able to kill Elijah.
Obadiah then goes on to tell Elijah about the depth of his service to the Lord…that he had “worshiped the Lord” since his youth and had “hid a hundred of the Lord's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water” while Jezebel was on her prophet killing spree. Now Obadiah asks…after all he had done to serve the Lord so faithfully…was Elijah wanting to sign his death warrant by sending him to Ahab with the news that the prophet had arrived?
Again…how many of us would be like Obadiah? Questioning God’s will for us when it might place us in a dangerous position by trying to remind the Lord about how pious and dedicated we had been toward Him…and asking Him if it was fair to now place us in a place where we might have to suffer for His sake? How many of us would allow our faith turn to doubt?
Friends, as Christians, we need to ever remember the root of our title, Christ, and turn to Him…the One who well knew His destiny was to suffer and die to fulfill the will of His Father and save all of us. And despite knowing what was ahead, still He went forward and persevered, not questioning but instead fulfilling…not seeking to save Himself but instead exercising the deepest level of self sacrifice in going where God intended for Him to go…even to death.
Indeed, as we begin to sense Satan creeping into our hearts and minds, leading us to doubt the path the Lord calls for us to walk, let us turn immediately to Jesus and gain our strength and power to move forward boldly and faithfully, seeking to emulate His courage and devotion to the Father, no matter what He calls us to do.
For we need to always remember in the midst of life’s circumstances that we like Paul discovered can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. (Philippians 4:13, New Living Translation)
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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