Elijah the prophet had been told by God, "hide thyself by the brook Cherith" (1 Kings 17.3), and when the brook dried up he was told "get thee to Zarephath" (v.9). God had promised to meet Elijah's needs in both these places. God provided for Elijah's physical needs in a time of drought and famine and, as a result of being alone with God by the brook and at Zarephath, and being led by Him through changing circumstances, Elijah's knowledge of God and His faithfulness increased. His faith was tried and tested, it was increased and strengthened, and he did not make any move until God commanded him to do so. He learned patience, for "the trying of your faith worketh patience" (James 1.3).
Go, shew thyself
God had been meeting Elijah's needs day by day, and "after many days" (1 Kings18.1), that is, after three years at Zarephath and the time spent at the brook Cherith, three and a half years in total (Lk 4.25-26; James 5.17), the Lord spoke to him. Elijah had not wasted the "many days" but had used them to do God's will and serve Him. We do not know how many days we shall live. The Lord Jesus Christ could return at any moment to take believers to be with Himself for ever. In the light of these realities, let us live so that we make the most of every day and take every opportunity to serve Him. The Lord would "teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps 90.12).
After he had spent many days hiding himself from men, leading a life which was separated from the world and unto God, "the word of the Lord came to Elijah...saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth" (1 Kings 18.1). By the time the word of God came to him the famine was very severe in Samaria. In the past, Elijah, the man of God, had reacted immediately to the commands God had given him, and once again he obeyed without delay and went to show himself to Ahab (v.2). In the circumstances, this was a very dangerous thing to do, but Elijah knew that he was in the will of God and that all events were under His supreme control. At their first meeting, Elijah had said to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word" (1 Kings 17.1), and now God promised rain, and Elijah was to inform Ahab of this, thereby showing that the God of Israel was in complete control of climatic conditions. Ahab would see Elijah as being responsible for the duration of the drought and Ahab had the power, humanly speaking, to do as he wished, and he could have killed Elijah. The hatred of Ahab and Jezebel against God and Elijah must have been intense. Jezebel had slain the Lord's prophets (1 Kings 18.4), but Elijah knew his God, and his faith was in the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient One.
Obadiah feared the Lord greatly
The famine was serious, and Ahab told Obadiah, who was in charge of his household, to go through the land and search for grass to feed the many horses and mules owned by Ahab so that they might be kept alive. Ahab went in one direction and Obadiah in another, seeking fodder (1 Kings 18.5-6). Ahab seems to have been concerned only with his animals: he had no thought for his suffering people who were being afflicted as a result of the evil he had perpetrated under the influence of Jezebel, his wife, who wanted to supplant the worship of the God of Israel by worship of Baal, the god she worshipped. Ahab did not repent and return to God, despite the chastisement of God suffered by the people of Israel because of their idolatry.
Believers who are living close to God and seeking to obey, serve and glorify Him may be chastened by Him to bring them even closer to Himself than they have been in the past. On the other hand, He may chasten His people when they have backslidden, disobeyed, and fallen away from Him. Only those who respond to chastening, and repent and return to God, are spiritually blessed as a result of being chastened (Heb 12.11).
Ahab, the king of Israel, had turned from God: he had no love for the God of Israel or for His people. How Ahab's behaviour contrasts with that of David, also king of Israel, to whom "The God of Israel said, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God" (2 Sam 23.3). When, because of David's sin, Israel was being chastened by God, David said, "Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued" (1 Chr 21.17). What a difference between the attitudes of King Ahab and King David who was a man after God's "own heart" (Acts 13.22).
As Obadiah was searching for grass, he met Elijah (1 Kings 18.7). Obadiah "feared the Lord greatly...when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord...Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water" (vv.3-4). Obadiah had served God. At considerable risk, he had associated himself with the people of God by hiding the prophets. Nevertheless, he was not willing to make an open stand for God. He stayed in the employ of Ahab, enjoying the privileges and comforts of life in the palace. Did Obadiah hope and expect to have influence over Ahab, or at the court, and turn the people back to God? Whatever the truth may be, his influence had not been significant.
Obadiah "feared the Lord" but lived and worked in a very ungodly environment and did not witness openly for his God. How unhappily he must have spent his days. He was like "just Lot" who, with the prospect of earthly gain, had chosen to place himself and his family in Sodom, and was there, "vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked" (2 Pet 2.7). Obadiah served God in secret, but because he hid his faith he hindered his own spiritual development. Unlike Elijah, who, because of his faith and trust in God, was bold in the presence of Ahab, Obadiah was timid and feared both Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah, the separated man, openly and boldly obeyed and served God, while Obadiah was openly serving Ahab in a prominent position amidst the pomp and sin of the king's court and, at the same time, secretly serving God. Elijah's physical needs were being met by God while Obadiah lived on that which was supplied by Ahab and obeyed his commands.
A believer has to ask himself, "What is consuming my time and energy? What is my chief aim in life? Am I giving of my best to God, or to the things of the world?". In the Word of God we are enjoined: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col 3.1-2). Before serving God, a believer must, like Elijah, spend time alone with Him, that he might be like a holy priest who has been in the sanctuary with God (1 Pet 2.5), and then comes out as a royal priest to declare the praises of God and witness for Him (1 Pet 2.9).
When Obadiah met Elijah, he showed profound respect for the man of God and "fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here" (1 Kings 18.7-8). However, Obadiah feared to tell Ahab that he had met Elijah and to inform him of his whereabouts. The land had been scoured to find Elijah, and Obadiah feared that if he delivered Elijah's message to Ahab and the Spirit of the Lord took Elijah to some other place before Ahab came to meet him, then Obadiah would be slain (vv.9-14). Elijah said, "As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day" (v.15). With this assurance, Obadiah went to Ahab and delivered Elijah's message, whereupon Ahab went to meet Elijah (v.16). Elijah was waiting for him, confident and bold in God-given strength and courage, because he knew his God and knew that he was in the will of God.
To be continued.