Confrontation on
Obadiah was a court official in charge of the household of
the King; a steward and manager of the palace and all its affairs. This meant he had a high position and the
responsibility of leadership himself (vs. 3a).
This was the case with Obadiah but the Lord had other plans
for him--just as He has for us. It was
God's plan to use Obadiah to announce Elijah's presence to Ahab. Due to circumstances at this point, this was
no small challenge.
18:7 "Now as
Obadiah was on the way, behold . . ."
This is where the tests of obedience and challenges
come--while we are out involved in the everyday affairs of life.
Tests and challenges come when we are faced with
drought-like conditions, dealing with difficult personalities, with temptation,
and the many routine pressures of life, the CHP's!
Illustration: We
have all seen old movies or news strips of our Marines taking the beach head on
Were they scared?
Certainly! But it was their
training and mental toughness that gave them the faith and courage to charge up
those beaches.
To further illustrate this, let's compare Elijah and
Obadiah:
(1) Both were
believers, both loved the Lord and His Word.
(2)
Elijah, however, had just come from a time of special preparation and
solitude with the Lord and with confirmation in the home of the widow and her
son.
(3)
With Obadiah, it had been different.
He had been working with unbelievers and living in the midst of idolatry
at
"Behold,
Elijah met him."
The word "behold" is here for a
reason.
It is used to point something out and to emphasize the
information that follows.
First, it strongly points to the loving fact of God's gracious
provision, He is involved in the lives of His own.
This meeting was not by
mere chance.
Since he called Elijah his master in verse 7, this may
indicate that Obadiah belonged to the school of the prophets of which Elijah
was a headmaster.
Illustration:
We need to always remember that if God sends us to do a
job, He will provide the resources we need (Phil.
"And he
(Obadiah) recognized him and fell on his
face."
Because Elijah did not correct Obadiah's action, this must
be seen as showing respect for the prophet as a true man of God with the word
of God fulfilling the mission of God, not worship.
But would you also note that Elijah had not prayed
for a miracle. At least there is no
record of it. He didn't ask God to give
the King a vision to come and meet him. He used the means and opportunities that
God sent his way--and so should we.
For most of us, our fears generally fall into three
categories:
(1) fear of failure,
(2) fear of rejection, and
(3) fear of loss, i.e.,
fear we might have to give up something we think we must have to be happy.
We need:
(1) The encouragement of one another, as happened
here.
(2) The power of a Spirit empowered, Word-filled
life.
(3) Genuine love that is willing to sacrifice for
God and others.
(4)
The discipline of sound mind, that is thinking that counts on the promises and
principles of the Word of God.
Obadiah's thinking at this point was undermining his
ability to respond to Elijah's request and need.
1.
There seemed to be a misconception about trials or difficult assignments. He evidently saw them as one of God's means
of punishment for sin (vs. 9).
2.
There was a misdirection of his focus.
Obadiah had his eyes on his problems rather than the Lord.
3.
There was a mismanagement of his mind.
He failed to control his mind or thought patterns, to stay focused on
the promises and principles of the Word, as we are challenged to do in
Philippians 4:8 and 2 Cor. 10:4-5.
Principle: When we fail to focus on God's person and
claim God's promises as did Obadiah, we start assuming all kinds of things
about what can or is happening.
4.
When we do not control our minds, that is our thinking, with the principles and
promises of God's Word, our imaginations will paralyze
us with fear.
5.
There was also a misplacement of his confidence or faith. It seems he was trusting
more in his past performance than in the ever present reality of God's presence
and power.
This is seen in the words, "As the Lord of Hosts lives."
By this oath, Elijah was focusing Obadiah's eyes on the Lord and assuring him that his own life was ordered by this fact.
Application: As believer's in Christ and especially as leaders, we need to help others to see the majesty of the Lord and see that our lives are ordered and directed by that same majesty.
One of the signs of decay in a church or in a nation
is when the leadership act as capricious children
governed by their own whims and fancies (cf. Isa. 3:4).
This
is seen in the words, "before whom I
stand."
Believers need to give evidence they are under God's
orders, at God's disposal, and truly His representatives governed by the
eternal truths of the Word of God and thereby reliable.
By the words, "I will surely show myself to him
today," Elijah was assuring Obadiah that he could count on him.
The emphasis here is
"You can count on me because I am counting on the Lord."
What is faithfulness? It is the product of a life full of faith in God and His provision.