Previously in this series of articles, we met Elijah when he told Ahab, king of Israel, that there would be a drought (1 Kings 17:1). This drought seems to have been God’s consequence for Israel’s ongoing worship of false gods. This shouldn’t have been a surprise, though: God had earlier made clear the consequences of straying away, as described in Deuteronomy 11:16-21.
To make things worse, even Ahab the king was promoting idol worship. We can read in 1 Kings 16:31-33 how Ahab had set up an altar for Baal and an Asherah pole. That passage also tells us that Ahab made God angry, and that’s not unexpected. Remember, God loves humankind, and so when His chosen people were turned away from the good life that He had for them, towards a life that would destroy them, this made God angry (as it would be for any loving parent, I suppose).
When we get to chapter 18 of 1 Kings, though, it was time for God to send rain again, after the drought had lasted for more than a year.
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.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
Now the famine was severe in Samaria, and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. 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.) 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.” So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another.
1 Kings 18:1-6 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/1ki.18.1-6.NIV
Presumably, Elijah was returning from Zarephath in Sidon (see 1 Kings 17) back to Samaria. In the meantime, Ahab still has livestock to keep alive, so he calls the guy who’s in charge of his household (“his palace administrator” in the NIV) to help him look for any remaining water, which was probably becoming more and more difficult to find as the drought wore on.
Now, this guy named Obadiah is not the same as the prophet Obadiah, whose prophecy we have as a single-chapter book of the Bible. However, despite working for Ahab, it seems like – despite his boss’s idolatry – this Obadiah was a pretty stand-up guy, and he knew that God was in charge.
In 1 Kings 17, God had told Elijah to leave Israel after giving news of the drought to Ahab, and that may have been to protect Elijah from Ahab and Jezebel. If that inference is correct (along with some other context), it sounds like Obadiah was taking a big risk by hiding a hundred prophets of God, despite his job working in the palace. That was a bold move, but – as the Bible says – Obadiah was a “believer” [NIV]; he “feared” or “revered” God [NASB].
This doesn’t mean that Elijah was necessarily being cowardly, or anything like that. Sometimes, God helps His people escape (like Paul being rescued – see Acts 23:12-35), while other times He protects them from harm (like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – see Daniel 3). The key is to listen to Him when He’s guiding you one way or the other.
In 1 Kings 18:7-9, while Elijah had a message from God for Ahab, Elijah met Obadiah first. Obadiah recognized Elijah, but when Elijah told him to go and notify Ahab that Elijah was back, Obadiah had kind of an unusual response. Rather than saying something like, “Right away, boss”, Obadiah’s response was more like, “Are you trying to get me killed?”
This is understandable, I suppose. Ahab is so angry with Elijah that if Obadiah went and brought Ahab back, but Elijah wasn’t there when they returned, it could very well have cost Obadiah his life. In fact, Obadiah suggested that God would take Elijah away before they returned, and Obadiah protested that he had been serving God and didn’t deserve what he feared would happen.
in 1 Kings 18:15-16, though, Elijah reassured Obadiah, and Obadiah obeyed by letting the king know that Elijah was there to meet him.
So, like Obadiah, let’s follow God’s instructions to do the right thing, even when we fear that it might cost us. Counting the benefits of following Jesus should be balanced against counting the cost, but the scale always tips towards Him in the long run.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for May 11, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1 & 2 Kings, by Jesse C. Long, Jr. © 2002 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 