Get the Setting:
1 Kings 16:32-34 NASB
32 So he erected an altar for Baal at the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33 Ahab also made the [t]Asherah. So Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho; he laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.
Until his time, Israel had not had a more evil ruler than Ahab. From the time of Jeroboam, Israel had fallen further and further into idolatry, but nothing like the days of Ahab, of the House of Omri. He built a temple for Baal and idols to Asherah. He allowed child sacrifice in the land of Israel, something which had not allowed since Israel had come into the land.
1 Kings 17:1 NASB
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of [a]the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall certainly be neither dew nor rain during these years, except by my word.”
Amos 3:7 NLT
7 Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything
until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.
In response to the evil ways of Ahab, God shut up the heavens and caused it not to rain in Israel for three years. Additionally, God informed His servant, the prophet, Elijah of His intentions and sent him to Sidon where God would use a widow to provide for him during the drought. It is near the end of this time that this week’s lesson opens.
1 Kings 18:5 NASB
5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the river valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle.”
Yes, the drought was severe. After three years, things were so bad that even king Ahab was searching the land for water. The false idols Ahab worshipped were powerless to provide for Ahab or for Israel. Ahab had reached a point of desperation.
1 Kings 18:6 NASB
6 So they divided the land between them to [a]survey it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
So dire was the situation in Israel that even king Ahab participated in the search for water. Curiously, we don’t find Ahab reacting in the way a David or even a Solomon may have reacted. Where in the Bible does it say, ‘Ahab entreated the Lord?’ It doesn’t. Ahab had rejected the God of Israel. Thus, he was left to his own devices.
1 Kings 18:7 NASB
7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, Elijah my master?
1 Kings 18:3 NASB
3 Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the household. (Now Obadiah [a]feared the Lord greatly;
Colossians 3:23-24 NASB
23 Whatever you do, do your work [y]heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, 24 knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward [z]of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
The third party in today’s lesson is Obadiah. He was the palace administrator of King Ahab, but the Bible informs us that he feared God. The name Obadiah means ‘servant of God’. It appears God has placed Obadiah in the king’s court in spite of the king. Obadiah faithfully served the Ahab because of His reverent fear of God. We will see that his character and courage are displayed in today’s lesson.
1 Kings 18:8 NASB
8 And he said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’”
Oh! Wait! Why is Elijah looking for Ahab?
1 Kings 18:1 NASB
Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will provide rain on the face of the earth.”
Elijah is looking for Ahab because God sent him to look for Ahab. God is ready to extend mercy to Israel by bringing rain to the land. God is also ready to re-assert His influence in Israel and upon Ahab. Elijah, like all prophets, has come to herald the day of the reckoning of the Lord.
1 Kings 18:9 NASB
9 But he said, “What [b]sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab, to put me to death?
In our present time, we’ve lost regard for leadership, particularly royalty, in places where royalty still exists. Thus, we sometimes overlook the genuine fear that Obadiah voices in verse nine. Yes, Obadiah fears God, but he understands that his life could be forfeited at just the whim of the king, Ahab. After all, Ahab was responsible for the death of hundreds of Israel’s citizens by this time.
1 Kings 18:10 NASB
10 As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my master has not sent word to search for you; and whenever they say, ‘He is not here,’ he makes the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.
Let me pause here to expand the scope of the lesson, to try and demonstrate how high the stakes are in this unfolding, dramatic episode in Israel’s history. Among other things, Ahab was hungry for power. His lust for power caused him to attempt to expand his influence far beyond Israel’s borders. Like Solomon, he sought to broaden his influence by marriage to a princess of Phoenicia.
In the time of Ahab, around 850 BCE, Phoenicia was at the height of its power. The Phoenician dynasty arose around the time of Moses (around 1500 BCE) and lasted until 600 AD. A few weeks ago, we studied Lydia of Thyatira, a contemporary of the Apostle Paul, in fact, Paul’s first convert to Christ in Philippi, in Europe. Lydia was a seller of purple, dyed cloth that was so expensive it could only be purchased by royalty. As it turns out, Lydia was from the area known as Phoenicia during the time of Ahab and Elijah. In fact, the word ‘Phoenicia’ means ‘purple’. As I mentioned before, Phoenicia was at the height of its influence in Ahab’s day. Below is a map outlining the extent of their influence around the Mediterranean
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Ahab’s influence had grown to the point that he could send emissaries to foreign nations in search of Elijah. Additionally, his temperament was such that he demanded the respect and obeisance of those leaders, requiring them to swear that they had no knowledge of Elijah’s whereabouts.
1 Kings 18:11-12 NASB
11 Yet now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here!”’ 12 And it will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to where I do not know; so when I come and inform Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, though I, your servant, have [c]feared the Lord from my youth.
Obadiah continues to plead his case by pointing out that God might suddenly whisk Elijah away so that he, again would be shielded from Ahab’s grasp, thus exposing Obadiah to the king’s wrath. Obadiah reminds Elijah that he has been a faithful servant of the Lord, God since his youth.
1 Kings 18:13-14 NASB
13 Has it not been reported to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid a hundred [d]prophets of the Lord by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? 14 Yet now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me!”
No other king of Israel to that point had purged the prophets of God so violently as Ahab had done. In his lust for power, he had literally tried to erase the God of Israel from Israel. And he had done so with extreme prejudice. Conversely, Obadiah had shown great courage in hiding and protecting one hundred of the Lord’s true prophets from the sword of Ahab. Obadiah wanted assurance from Elijah that he wasn’t risking the wrath of Ahab a second time.
1 Kings 18:15-16 NASB
15 Then Elijah said, “As surely as the Lord of armies lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly present myself to him today.” 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and informed him; then Ahab went to meet Elijah.
Elijah knows the risk, but he also knows God, Whom he serves. Most certainly, he will stand before Ahab. On this very day.
Romans 8:31 NLT
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
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1 Kings 18:17 NASB
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?”
As Elijah approaches, Ahab calls him out, “Is that you, the troubler of Israel?” He has been looking for Elijah everywhere. Not only has he sought Elijah, but he has sought to kill him. He places the blame for Israel’s drought on Elijah. However, that blame is misplaced. Elijah did not cause the drought. God did. Elijah was only the messenger who delivered the Word of God to Ahab before the onset of the drought.
1 Kings 18:18 NASB
18 He said, “I have not brought disaster to Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals.
Elijah responds by telling Ahab the unvarnished truth. He will not sugar coat it: The fault for Israel’s problems rest with Ahab, Indeed, not only is Ahab guilty of grave sins against God but, so was his father before him, Omri. In their time as the leaders of Israel, they had utterly abandoned the commandments of God and had caused the nation of Israel to fall into grave idolatry. Elijah, the prophet of God, had been sent to inform Ahab that his time would soon come to an inglorious end.
Epilogue
1 Kings 18:21a NASB
21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to [g]struggle with the two choices? If the Lord is God, follow Him…
Elijah follows up his confrontation with Ahab by challenging the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. His purpose? To challenge the citizens of the nation of Israel to reject the idolatry they were steeped in and return to God. This episode comes to culmination after Elijah rebuilds the altar of God and then makes an offering and prayer to God at the altar. God answers by fire from Heaven, thus demonstrating His superiority over false idols Ahab had embraced and thereby by signifying to all of Israel that Elijah was, indeed God’s servant. The false prophets of Baal were rounded up and summarily executed and Ahab was eventually killed in battle.
This lesson is rich in symbolism, there are so many lessons that can be taken from the text. Ultimately, it comes down to a couple of fundamental tenets for Christians today. God will prevail. His truth, His Word will prevail. Hold to God’s truths and so will you. Elijah did.
Romans 4:21b NASB
21b ...what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
The other thing that stands out is this…
Matthew 6:24 NASB
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [a]wealth.
Ahab wasn’t trying to serve two masters. No one can. We must never make the mistake of believing that we can serve God whole-heartedly and serve ourselves whole-heartedly. We must choose. Choose wisely. Choose life.
Ephesians 6:14 NASB
14 Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Selah
wb
(Brother Williams, Brother Wright: Mission accomplished) (smile)
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