Confrontation on
Part of Obadiah's anxiety and
uncertainty was caused by the fact he was not sure of God's will or of what was
going on.
We all vary in our leadership
roles, but there is a sense in which each of us have some kind of influence on
others as believer priests, as those who are to function as salt and light, and
as people who are to be an encouragement to those around us.
This is a confrontation designed
to demonstrate the power of God, to reprove
the people for their vacillation and idolatry, and to challenge them to
choose for the Lord.
The great display of the power
of God later in this chapter is set against the impotence of Baal. It is designed to teach the people and King
Ahab that the three-and-a-half years of drought followed by the coming rain was
the work of God, Yahweh, the only true God.
Our natural tendency is to avoid
confrontation and conflict. It's so much
easier to swim down stream or float with the tide than it is to confront
issues, problems, or whatever may be causing conflict. Go with herd!
Of course, confrontation needs
to be done according to biblical principles, in a biblical way, for biblical
reasons, and out of right motives.
Scriptural Illustrations:
(1)
The prophets of old were often confrontational. They regularly faced people with their sins
of independent living and called on them to face their spiritual needs.
(2)
The Lord Jesus and his apostles did the same. Remember, it was Jesus who called the
Pharisees "hypocrites" and
"white washed mausoleums." He confronted the woman at the well with her
adultery, Nicodemus with the emptiness of his religion, and Peter with his
denials.
(3)
Paul braced Peter to his face for his religious legalistic duplicity in
Galatians 2:11-14.
Nevertheless, because of the hardness of our
hearts, because we love darkness rather than light and are so committed to
living by our self-protective solutions, we are sometimes faced with the need
of confrontation, resistance and conflict.
1 Kings 18:16 is a verse of
transition. In it we find:
(1)
Obadiah, having responded to the ministry and encouragement of Elijah,
leaves to tell Ahab about Elijah who then goes to meet the prophet.
(2)
This verse also moves us from Elijah's ministry and method with Obadiah
to his ministry and method with Ahab.
(3)
In one we have encouragement. In the other confrontation and conflict.
(4)
There is a difference of needs.
Obadiah needed only to be focused and encouraged.
(5)
Ahab, who was caught up in the idolatry of Baalism,
needed to be confronted with his sin that he rationalized by blaming
others.
Principle: Obviously we must deal with people differently and one
of our tasks in ministering to others is to be discerning, to listen, and seek
to understand the needs of the other person.
Ahab's reaction and
accusation illustrate a fundamental truth:
"As a man thinks in his
heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7).
The mouth speaks out the
corruption that has been smoldering and festering within. This picture of treasure used by the Lord in
the Matthew passage suggests the following:
1.
The Lord compares the thoughts we harbor in our hearts
to treasure. We store and keep them in
our minds because we value them and put our trust in them.
We keep them because we think they will provide us with our
needs and wants.
We think they will solve our problems. We think they will handle our pain or meet
our needs as we perceive them.
2.
It is obvious some treasures of the heart or mind are
evil. "Evil" is the Greek ponhro,j which refers to what is toilsome or worthless
like bad or spoiled fruit, or dangerous animals.
It is that which is opposed to God. This is the word used of the Devil as
"the Evil One." It is never
passive. It refers to an active evil
that is malignant like cancer seeking to corrupt another.
3.
Such thoughts are equivalent to "vain thinking"
which rises up like a fortress against the knowledge of God.
It is against who and what He is to us and needs to be
torn down, destroyed like a condemned building.
As a treasure of the heart, it needs to be devalued, condemned, and
thrown away as worthless (2 Cor. 10:4-5).
These evil treasures represent our human strategies by which
we seek to handle life independently of faith in God and His principles of life
we find in the Word.
"Vain thinking" is faith in ourselves and unbelief in God and His solutions. And that which is
without faith in the right object, God, is always sin (Rom.
4.
On the other hand, the treasure of the heart can be
good. "Good" is avgaqo,j which is used of
intrinsic good, of that which is truly valuable like good fruit, or gold that
gives purchasing power or brings blessing (cf. Phil. 4:8).
So, immediately, when he saw
Elijah, his volcano of corruption erupted in accusations, name calling,
maligning, criticism, and blame. We need
to keep a close check on our thinking, our focus, and on the nature of what we
store up as treasure.
In Matthew
"Is this you, you troubler of
Application: Whenever people disturb our comfort zones, challenge
our opinions, values, and sources of trust with the truth of God's Word and His
calling, we often react in resentment and self-denial.
These years had demonstrated the impotence of Baal and the Baal prophets, yet Ahab still refused to turn to the Lord.
Application:
1. How typical of people in religious and
cultic apostasy, or of people as a whole when they pursue a course contrary to
God's plan.
2. When we are confronted by godly
examples and biblical truth, rather than responding with repentance and belief,
do we react with conflict and unbelief?
Do we resort to our protective solutions and attack the messenger God
has sent to provide,
protect and bless us? (cf. Heb. 13:17).
3. And who are these messengers? God's messenger may be a close friend, a
parent, a husband or wife, an elder or deacon.
But to the unrepentant and hard of heart, the messenger becomes a "troubler,"
a disrupter of families and tradition.
He is one who disturbs our comfort zones and as a result is often
maligned, shunned, criticized and more.
How
did Elijah respond to King Ahab's accusation?
Though outnumbered and facing the King of Israel, Elijah confronted him with the biblical facts and issues.
"I have not troubled Israel." Note the boldness here.
Elijah had the boldness to confront because his confidence was in the
Lord. He was an ambassador and servant
of the King of Kings, the Sovereign of the universe, Yahweh Elohim,
the One who holds all kings in His hand.