1 Kings 18:13-15
Obadiah was in a difficult position. Obadiah loves the Lord but works for an evil king. Obadiah is the head of King Ahab’s household. A very dependable and trusted servant. This is interesting in that why would a king who follows idols and false gods, want a follower of the one true God to be his servant and closest advisor? King Ahab’s wife Jezebel was killing and persecuting God’s prophets. In this environment, Obadiah seems to be thriving. Here’s the deal, everyone prefers people that are trustworthy and honest. Kings or bosses, they all like trustworthy, honest, hard-working people. Maybe you have an ungodly work environment. I’m sure not as dramatically evil as Obadiah’s work environment was, but one that is hard to be a believer in. Notice that Obadiah didn’t change his ethics based on those around him. Obadiah kept serving God faithfully and serving the evil king faithfully. When King Ahab crossed God’s laws, Obadiah did his best to uphold God’s will. Obadiah hid 100 prophets of God, protecting them from Jezebel. This was in direct opposition to the commands of the King but upheld God’s commands. Obadiah saved them at great risk to his own life. There are going to be occasions in our lives where we will have to decide. Do I do what is right or flex my faith and do wrong to please those around me?
Elijah comes to Obadiah with a request that scares Obadiah to death. God has a message for King Ahab and Elijah needs to deliver it. If Obadiah tells the king he has seen Elijah (which the king had been searching for and has a reward out for his capture), and if Elijah doesn’t show Obadiah will be killed. In this fear we see that Obediah struggles just like us when difficult choices are to be made. Doing the right thing may cost me a relationship, job or promotion. Having the courage to make the right choice is hard but needs to come from a place of trust. I need to trust in God. Psalm 37:5 proclaims, “commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act” (ESV). I am to trust and let God figure out the details. There needs to be buy-in on my part. My journey of faith cannot be a weak faith that wanders around hoping God will intervene. I need to commit to growing spiritually. I need to pray and think about how I will handle difficult situations before they arise. Fear shouldn’t drive my response, but God’s wisdom should rule the day. Elijah reassured Obadiah that he would be there, that he was true to his word. God used Obediah to bring light to the darkness of an evil king. God can use you in a similar way. God uses faithful (not perfect) people to make an impact for those that don’t know Jesus. Standing up for what is right shows that there is a standard that God has set. Faithful courage impacts and draws people to Jesus. Will you commit to being faithful and obedient, no matter the cost? Pray for wisdom in difficult situations. Lean into God and trust him with all your heart.
Elijah comes to Obadiah with a request that scares Obadiah to death. God has a message for King Ahab and Elijah needs to deliver it. If Obadiah tells the king he has seen Elijah (which the king had been searching for and has a reward out for his capture), and if Elijah doesn’t show Obadiah will be killed. In this fear we see that Obediah struggles just like us when difficult choices are to be made. Doing the right thing may cost me a relationship, job or promotion. Having the courage to make the right choice is hard but needs to come from a place of trust. I need to trust in God. Psalm 37:5 proclaims, “commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act” (ESV). I am to trust and let God figure out the details. There needs to be buy-in on my part. My journey of faith cannot be a weak faith that wanders around hoping God will intervene. I need to commit to growing spiritually. I need to pray and think about how I will handle difficult situations before they arise. Fear shouldn’t drive my response, but God’s wisdom should rule the day. Elijah reassured Obadiah that he would be there, that he was true to his word. God used Obediah to bring light to the darkness of an evil king. God can use you in a similar way. God uses faithful (not perfect) people to make an impact for those that don’t know Jesus. Standing up for what is right shows that there is a standard that God has set. Faithful courage impacts and draws people to Jesus. Will you commit to being faithful and obedient, no matter the cost? Pray for wisdom in difficult situations. Lean into God and trust him with all your heart.
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