As Elijah considered the angry roar of the waves crashing outside the harbour wall he might well have been doubtful. It had been easy enough to be obedient when he was commanded to hide himself, but now to go and show himself to Ahab was a different matter. Yet, as a servant of God, what could he do but obey? So, 1 Kings 18:2 Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria . . .
We have little real idea, in the affluent west, of the horrors of drought. To us it may mean no more than a hosepipe ban. Even scenes brought to us by television or newspapers fail to convey the personal and national agonies of a country where even the basic necessities of life are gone.
Although Elijah's spirit may have been uplifted to have again been called to action by God, it would have been very depressing for him as he now returned to his own land and saw the devastation that three years of drought had brought. (Show on map) As he probably made his way down the main coast road, turning inland at the Kishon valley, and heading for Megiddo and Jezreel, the effects would be very apparent wherever he looked.
What was worse was that Elijah had effectively caused all this by his own prayer; and he might have found it unbearable but for the fact that he had a desperate longing that his people would learn the true horror and evilness of sin. "Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realise how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me." (Jeremiah 2:19)
The famine was widespread, but it seems to have been worse in Samaria, and it was this famine that brought out the true character of Ahab. We might have hoped that he would have attempted to ease the sufferings of his people, and above all, that he would have turned back to God. But no, his one thought was about the horses and mules in his stables, neither of which were food animals. So he sets out, searching for grass for them; and he would have been happy to take it, instead of allowing his people to feed it to their sheep or cattle.
Are there any nations today suffering hardship and misery – because of the selfishness of their leaders?
Could we say that the gluttony of the few, causes the starvation of the many?
Are we as professing Christians, blameless in this? I want you to do some mental arithmetic.
When we go out for a meal, How much are we prepared to spend?
What would that average out to during a month? What’s that times twelve?
How much do we give to some form of famine relief during the year?
Ahab’s concern was to find grass for his animals while his people were left to fend for themselves.
What has Elijah learnt since he was stirred to pray back home in Tishbe?
(You could display or give out copies of this list.)
Read:
1. To pray earnestly
2. To pray in line with God’s word
3. To be obedient to God’s leading
4. To be prepared to obey one step at a time
5. To have courage in God’s service
6. To live as an ambassador of God
7. To go immediately where God sends
8. To wait patiently for God
9. To spend time alone with God
10. To trust that God will supply our needs
11. To have such faith it encourages faith in others
12. To continue to trust in the most difficult circumstances
13. To believe that God can and will work miracles
14. To persevere in prayer until we receive an answer
15. To give, when everyone else wants to take.
We also looked at:
Jesus is Brother – Friend – Master – Lord – King – God
And:
I warned you when we started this series that at some point we would be asked some awkward questions. Now is the time!
What affect have the lessons from Elijah’s life had on us?
Have we been changed at all since the start of this series?
There is no point in studying the Bible if we are not going to allow it to have an effect on our lives. Perhaps we need to take this list and consider whether we need to work at anything!
Which one of these would we find most difficult?
Let’s take that one as our homework this week!
Is Elijah’s training complete now? We'll see.
It's time to move on.
Read : 1 Kings 18:1-14
1 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.” 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 3 and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord.
4 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.) 5 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.” 6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.
7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognised him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”
8 “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’ ”
9 “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10 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. 11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ 12 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 worshipped the Lord since my youth. 13 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. 14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!”
Let's look at verse 7.
As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him.
Do you find anything remarkable here? Wait for answers.
What is remarkable is the way God protects Elijah. What would have happened if Elijah had arrived at the Palace and, introducing himself, asked to speak to the King?
Elijah was a wanted man and would have been arrested on sight. Elijah had said ‘there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word’ (1 Kings 17:1) so, as Ahab and Obadiah were both out, he would then probably have been tortured to see if he could be made to say that word! Getting Elijah to end the drought would surely earn some reward when the king returned.
Suppose instead of meeting Obadiah, he had met Ahab. Would the outcome have been any different?
Surely Ahab’s bodyguards would have seized him and the initiative would then be all Ahab’s, and again, imprisonment and torture would surely be the King’s first thought.
Obadiah was the only senior member of Ahab’s staff who would have respected Elijah. By meeting Obadiah and sending him to get the king, Elijah was immediately cast in the role of an ambassador from a super-power. The king can now be summoned by Elijah and forced to adopt the role of an underling. And in that role, and in the presence of one who shows fearless authority, he has no option but to obey.
Well how convenient we say; what a coincidence! That Ahab should choose that moment to be away from the palace. That he should choose Obadiah to accompany him on his mission. That he should decide to send Obadiah in the direction that he did. That a God-fearer should be in that position of authority in a pagan palace in the first place. That Elijah should have been sent from Zarephath at just the right time. That he should choose to walk along that particular road.
No coincidence. While we exercise our complete free will, God is still in complete control!
What do we know about Obadiah? (v3)
According to his own testimony (v12), Obadiah had worshipped the Lord since his youth. Also we are told (v3) that Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. And (v13) while Jezebel was hunting down the prophets of the Lord and indiscriminately slaughtering them, he demonstrated his faith by rescuing a hundred of them by hiding them in caves and feeding them with food and water.
Is it surprising to find a man such as Obadiah occupying so influential a position in Ahab's court?
What’s wrong with a Christian holding a position of influence in society?
Surely it may enable him to give valuable service to the cause of God. As long as he can do it without loss of principle.
Unfortunately such people need a very strong faith, and a very strong moral personality to occupy such a position without some form of compromise. It is more likely that they would have to turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to what is going on around them and keep quiet when their spirit is crying out for the honour of the Lord.
This does seem to have been Obadiah's weak point. He did not believe in taking things too far. Of course, he could not take part in some of the things that went on but there was no need for him to force his religious ideas on everyone else. He was often shocked by what he saw at court, and found it hard to keep quiet. However it was no business of his, and it would be silly to lose his job – or his head – which may well be the outcome if he were to speak out.
His heart must have been sad when he saw the sufferings of the prophets of the Lord, and he would have been half inclined to speak for them. But then one man couldn’t do much, and he could, perhaps, help them better in a quiet way by keeping where he was, although it might sometimes be a little strain on his principles.
Obadiah must often have had great difficulty reconciling his duty to God with his duty to his master Ahab. And Elijah shrewdly hinted at it, when he said in verse 8 "Go tell your master 'Elijah is here!'" The life of diplomacy and expediency is like tightrope walking - it needs considerable practice in the art of balancing.
Is it possible that sometimes we can be like Obadiah? We know what is right, and are trying to do it; but there are times when we feel it would be inappropriate to talk about our faith. Perhaps we don’t rebuke sin, fail to confess our true colours, and find excuses to satisfy our uneasy conscience.
Unfortunately, once we fail to make a stand it becomes more difficult to admit to being on God’s side. We are sorry for those who suffer for what is right, and secretly admire their courage; but it is difficult for us to stand by their side. Perhaps we might give to some impersonal relief organisation, mirroring the actions of Obadiah with the persecuted prophets. Besides, It is very difficult to give up our comfortable lifestyle in order to make a stand, while we are being so well provided for within the palace walls.
But, while we hide our actions from the world, we are happy to admit them to the very people we admire in order to claim recognition and protection: again, like Obadiah. V13: Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did?
What a contrast between Obadiah and Elijah! But before we move on we need to look at the arguments for witnessing inside or outside the enemy's camp.
But that will have to wait until next time.
