For more than two years now, King Ahab and the people of Israel had been suffering through the effects of the drought. That was all about to change because Elijah had just received a new set of instructions and it included some good news. He was to get in front of King Ahab, once again, and let him know that it was going to rain soon. You’d think a national sigh of relief would be in order, but the environment had certainly changed in Elijah’s absence.
Early on Jezebel had put out a royal order to kill all the Lord’s prophets. She was none too happy about Elijah’s proclamation and since he couldn’t be found she decided to take it out on them. When Elijah had gone missing, Ahab launched a nationwide search for him and even broadened that search to include the kingdoms around Israel. But then mostly he was busy looking out for his interests. Deep into the drought, we find that his concern was all about finding some grass for his horses and mules. His people may be suffering but he was going to make sure his livestock didn’t.
Into the story comes a character by the name of Obadiah. Since he was described as “in charge of the palace” we can name him Ahab’s chief of staff. Obadiah was also a “devoted follower of the Lord”. When Jezebel went on her vendetta against the prophets of the Lord, he hid 100 of them in caves and then proceeded (under the radar) to keep them supplied with food and water until the danger passed. Obadiah was living a precarious life.
Now, in 1 Kings 18, we find Obadiah following orders from his king - looking for green pasture where none is to be found. It’s easy to suspect that Obadiah is bored with this task when suddenly, there is Elijah! If we put ourselves in Obadiah’s sandals, we can probably understand how he was both honored and afraid to see him. With an unstable and ungodly boss to please, he wasn’t quite ready for public enemy #1 to show up on his watch.
Obadiah remained faithful through it all. God used him to keep a light going in a dark place and he was equal to the task. Sometimes it is the quiet ones behind the scenes that make the difference. They don’t need attention, just personal resolve. They don’t cower in fear but are always ready to step up and do the right thing.
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