~ Early Signs of War ~
A SCENE TAKES PLACE near the end of a three-year drought that the Lord has inflicted on the land of Israel through the prophecy of Elijah. “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) Ahab is the reigning king, and his propensity for evil had stirred the ire of the Lord. The drought ravaged the crops in Israel, severely straining the revenues of the king, who holds great animosity towards Elijah and wants him dead. God protects his prophet: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” (1 Kings 17:3-4) For the entire period of the drought, the Lord continually shelters Elijah from Ahab’s attempts to find and kill him.
Obadiah is Ahab’s palace administrator, and Ahab sends him on a mission. “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.” (1 Kings 18:5) Scripture tells us two things here about the character of Obadiah. One is that he worships Yahweh. “Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord.” (1 Kings 18:3) Another is that he is protecting other prophets of God. “While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had hidden them in two caves, and had supplied them with food and water.” (1 Kings 18:4) Obadiah is obviously a man willing to take risks, and is equally obviously very capable in presenting himself to the pagan king as someone who is trustworthy. Obadiah is a very, very careful man, not used to making any mis-steps. His well-ordered world is about to change.
Obadiah, following the king’s orders to find pasture to try to keep animals alive, encounters the elusive prophet. “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?’” (1 Kings 18:7) His tone sounds both surprised and pleased to us, maybe even a little bit incredulous. Elijah hasn’t been seen for almost three years; also, for Obadiah, Elijah is safe to share his faith and belief in the Lord with. Elijah responds, straight to the point of this meeting appointed by God himself, “Yes. Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’” (1 Kings 18:8)
We can almost audibly hear Obadiah suddenly swallow hard. “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death?” (1 Kings 18:9) He continues, pointing out the degree of obsession that Ahab has had in finding Elijah. “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.” (1 Kings 18:10)
Obadiah is fearful of telling the king, “‘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.” (1 Kings 18:11-12a, b) He is pleading with the prophet not to put him in mortal danger. He tells him something we already know, hoping to deter Elijah from pursuing this course so dangerous to himself. “I have worshiped the LORD since my youth. While Jezebel was killing the prophets, I hid a hundred of the LORD’s prophets and supplied them with food and water.” (1 Kings 18:12c-13) He emphatically returns to his plaintive plea. “And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!” (1 Kings 18:14)
Elijah, however, cannot and will not be dissuaded from his mission from God. We imagine him with both arms outstretched, his hands gently gripping Obadiah’s shoulders, his eyes looking kindly into Obadiah’s eyes, and his face relaxed in reassuring countenance. “As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.” (1 Kings 18:15) Obadiah’s difficult task is set unavoidably before him, as though written in stone. “So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him.” (1 Kings 18:16a)
God accomplishes his purposes towards an end through all manner of people; some walk high and wide in the world they inhabit, like Obadiah, some not so much, perhaps like you and me. But God is sovereign over all, and will not be denied his determined course. Neither the way nor the outcomes are up to us, only obedience exercised through faith, for scripture says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6)
The trembling footsteps of faith find a firmer path in obedience. God’s works begin to unfold, and our previous mis-steps now straighten, and now and then we see God do something we would otherwise not have noticed. And then we say, “The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psa. 118:23) This quote, in context, is from the last Hallel Psalm, and refers prophetically to Jesus and the path he walked. It is immediately preceded by this: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Psa. 118:22) Faith and obedience works wonders in everyone’s life; Jesus’ faith and obedience worked a wonder nonpareil in the eyes of anyone. This unique act in history captures our scattered thoughts and shattered spirits, and we see life anew. ‘The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.’
Q. What trembling step of obedience is God calling me to?
Leave a Reply