During these unhappy years of famine, Obadiah, a true believer and a man of faith, was in the court of Ahab. In his wrong position he could not be a witness for the Lord, though he acted for Him in a hidden way. No matter where a child of God finds himself, he loves the Lord’s people — it is his nature to do so, even if it is secretly. Obadiah hid one hundred of the Lord’s prophets and fed them through those dark years. Yet how much better was the position of Elijah than that of Obadiah! Better to be suffering privation and trial in the path of obedience, than to be in the court of a king with a bad conscience!
After three long years the Lord sent Elijah to tell Ahab that he was about to send rain again. The famine was now so serious that Ahab was afraid all his animals would die, so he sent Obadiah in one direction, while he himself went in another, looking for fountains and brooks where they might find grass for their beasts. As Obadiah was passing through the land Elijah met him, and Obadiah recognized him. He fell on his face before him and said, “Art thou that my lord Elijah?” Apparently Elah was not pleased with the way he addressed him, so he replied, “I am: go, and tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.”
This ought to have been a voice to Obadiah’s conscience, for he was really acting under the authority of wicked king Ahab, instead of owning the Lord’s authority. Is this not often true of us, that we are more afraid of some man, more submissive to his authority, than the Lord’s? Peter could say, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” May we own the Lord’s authority first and always. We can see by poor Obadiah’s reply, how afraid he was of king Ahab, for he said, “What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?” He then went on to tell Elijah how he had hunted for him before this, but could not find him, and now if he told Ahab that he had seen him, the Spirit of the Lord might carry Elijah away, and Ahab would still not be able to find him. He told of how he had taken care of the prophets of the Lord, and that he fead the Lord from his youth, but alas, he seemed to fear Ahab more. However Elijah assured him that he would show himself to Ahab that day, and he did.
When Ahab saw Elijah he said to him, “Art thou he that troubleth Isrl?” Elijah replied, “I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commanents of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.” How natural it is for us to blame others for the trouble we bring upon ourselves by our own self-will and disobedience. Long ago in the garden of Eden when Adam sinned, he blamed his wife, and even the Lord for giving her to him. Eve, too, blamed the serpent. So it is today, the sinner will blame others, or the devil, and even God — anyone but himself. Yet we know that the first step in blessing is unqualified SELF-condemnation, even though we are so slow in coming to this point.
Elijah was not afraid of Ahab, for Jehovah was his Lord. He told Ahab what he must do, and the king obeyed, gathering the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal together, with the pele of Israel, to mount Carmel. The Lord is able to bring down those who walk in pride, for how helpless man is when He speaks.
ML 05/20/1956