After a long time, the word of the Lord came to Elijah
in the third year: “Go and present yourself to Ahab…”
1 Kings 18:1
When God sends Elijah back to Samaria to present himself to Ahab, He knows Elijah is ready.
Elijah has been living in Zarephath for three years with a widow and her son. There, God miraculously provided for them so the widow’s flour and oil never ran out.
Plus, God had promised she would continue to have enough until He sent the rain.
If that wasn’t enough, when the widow’s son got sick and died, God used Elijah to bring the boy back to life.
Elijah has learned that God is faithful in doing everything He says He will do and will also do some things that temporarily cause someone pain to display His glory.
Bringing a person back to life is indeed a way for God to show His glory. Elijah must have thought, “My God can do anything He chooses through me.” He was confident and ready to step out in faith.
But before seeing Ahab, Elijah had one more encounter. On his way back to Samaria to see the king, he runs into Obadiah, one of the king’s servants.
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What Happens When Obadiah Meets Elijah?
Obadiah is looking for grass to feed the king’s horses and mules when he comes across Elijah. Elijah tells Obadiah to let the king know he is coming to see him. Obadiah goes on and on about how unfair it is that Elijah is asking him to do such a thing. He is sure that the king will kill him because Elijah will disappear. However, Elijah assures Obadiah and swears by the Lord that he will indeed show himself to the king that very day. So, Obadiah obeys and does what Elijah asks him to do.
Who is Obadiah?
Obadiah was King Ahab’s trusted servant and the one in charge of the palace (1 Kings 18:3).
He was also a devoted follower of the Lord, evidenced by the fact that he hid one hundred of the Lord‘s prophets in two caves when Jezebel had tried to kill all of God’s prophets. He put fifty in each cave and provided them with food and water (1 Kings 18:4). I’m sure this was no easy task.
Although most of the Northern Kingdom had abandoned the Lord to follow other gods, there still remained a remnant faithful to the God of Israel. Obadiah was one such man.
When God told Elijah to return to the king, the famine was severe in Samaria. Ahab told Obadiah they would split up and look for grass to save as many horses and mules as possible.
He said, “We must check every spring and valley in the land to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules.”
Secular records show that King Ahab must have had several thousand horses. Furthermore, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III wrote that Ahab put around 2000 horse-drawn chariots into the battle of Qarqar in 853 BC.
Needless to say, the king had many horses, and provisions were crucial for military preparedness. So, sending Obadiah and himself to find grass was a top priority.
Obadiah Runs Into Elijah
As Obadiah walked along looking for grass, he unexpectedly met Elijah (God’s plan). Obadiah recognized him right away and was shocked. They had searched everywhere for this prophet of God, but no one had found him. Now, here he was.
Out of respect, he bowed down low to the ground. “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?’ Obadiah asked.
“Yes, it is,” Elijah said, “Now go tell your master ‘Elijah is here.’ “
Elijah got straight to the point. But Obadiah was afraid to go.
Obadiah’s Fearful Response
Obadiah panics. He can see it all playing out in his head. If he goes and tells the king, “Elijah is here,” and then Elijah disappears, the king will kill him.
“What sin have I committed that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab?” (v.9)
“For I swear by the Lord your God that the king has searched every nation and kingdom on earth from end to end to find you. and each time he was told, ‘Elijah isn’t here,’ King Ahab forced the king of that nation to swear to the truth of his claim.”
“And now you say, ‘Go tell your master, “Elijah is here.” but as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you away to who knows where. When Ahab comes and cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I have been a true servant of the Lord all my life.”
To convince Elijah he was a faithful servant of Yahweh, Obadiah reminded him of the time he hid one hundred prophets in two caves.
Basically, Obadiah is saying, “Don’t make me do this thing. Because if I do, Ahab will certainly kill me when he comes looking for you, and you have disappeared again.”
Elijah Assures Obadiah
Elijah is nonplussed and says, “I swear by the Lord Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day.”
John Walvoord, in the Bible Knowledge Commentary (p 525), says,
Elijah’s description of the Lord (Yahweh) Almighty who lives and whom Elijah served (cf. [1 Kings]17:1; 18:36) indicates that he was confident in God’s ability to handle the physical and spiritual situation in Israel, an assurance that had grown as a result of his experiences at Kerith and Zarephath.
Elijah was also certain that God would not carry him away somewhere like Obadiah feared since God had already told him to go and present himself to King Ahab.
His words convinced Obadiah because he went and told the king that Elijah had come.
Ahab Goes Out to Meet Elijah
Ahab quickly finds Elijah, and the first words out of the king’s mouth are, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?”
Elijah immediately corrects him. “I have made no trouble for Israel. You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have followed the Baals instead.”
The plural “Baals” may include all the false Canaanite deities of which there were many. Two examples mentioned in the Bible are Baal-Berith (Judg 8:33) and Baal-Zebub (2 Kings 1:2-3; Matt 12:24).
The real reason for Israel’s troubles was that Ahab had abandoned the Lord‘s commands and followed the Baals. He had brought Baal worship to Israel primarily to appease his wife.
RELATED > > > > > Elijah Part 5 – How Were the Prophets of Baal Defeated at Mount Carmel?
What God is Doing
In our story, God is setting the stage for the showdown that is about to happen. God will decisively show the king and all of Israel that He is the Lord and there is no other God (Is 45:5).
God alone is sovereign over all He has made, including ruling over the realm of humanity (Dan 5:21).
A theme throughout Scripture is God’s sovereignty. His purposes will stand, whether it’s Elijah running into Obadiah on his way to see the king or God’s plan for Israel and the redemption of all people.
RELATED > > > > > Does God Want All People to Be Saved? – 1 Timothy 2:4
Final Thoughts
Obadiah served King Ahab but was also a follower of Yahweh.
Rather than trusting God when Elijah told him to go say to the king, “Elijah is here,” Obadiah didn’t want to do it. He was afraid King Ahab would kill him because God would take Elijah away. The king would think Obadiah was either lying or that he let Elijah escape.
However, Obadiah does what Elijah told him to do after Elijah swears by the Lord Almighty that he isn’t going anywhere and will see the king that day. And he did.
God had told Elijah, when he was still in Zarephath, to go see the king, and then He would send rain on the earth (1 Kings 18:1). But first, there would be a contest to show everyone who the real God was.
God’s plans will succeed; it was no accident that Obadiah met Elijah on the road.
Have you seen God work in a similar way to how He did by having Obadiah meet Elijah so His bigger plan could be realized?
What was God’s bigger plan?
Hi Lynn,
Your article is very interesting indeed as you have effectively illustrate the interplay of fear, faith, and divine purpose through the narrative of Obadiah and Elijah. It encourages readers to reflect on their own faith journeys, the importance of trusting God’s plans, and the reassurance that comes from recognizing His sovereignty in all aspects of life. The following questions did arise from your article:
How do the experiences of Elijah in Zarephath prepare him for his encounter with Ahab and the subsequent events on Mount Carmel?
What can we learn from Obadiah’s initial fear and eventual obedience when faced with a potentially life-threatening task?
How does the theme of God’s sovereignty in this narrative encourage us to trust in His plans for our lives, especially in challenging situations?
Thanks for the enlightenment and journey.
Gary
Hi Gary,
Thank you for your comment and for bringing up some very good questions.
I tried to answer your first question in my intro with a short recap of Elijah’s experiences at the Brook Cherith where God protected and provided for him in a supernatural way. And then at Zarephath, where he saw God multiply the flour and oil so it never ran out and then used Elijah to raise the widow’s dead son back to life. Elijah believed God would do everything He promised to do, and that was important for what would happen at Mount Carmel.
I like to think of Obadiah’s fear as what any human would experience when faced with a potentially life-threatening task. Since he was a follower of God and Elijah was God’s prophet, eventually, Obadiah was willing to risk the faith required to go to the king. We can trust God’s Word (the Bible) because He will do what He says He will do. Ultimately, though, it requires faith in God on our part. I’m not sure I answered your question satisfactorily.
I find great comfort in knowing God is sovereign. When I read stories like Elijah’s and see how God is working everything out, I know He is doing the same for me. Just like Elijah didn’t know everything in advance, neither do we. That’s why we have to trust Him every step of the way. And knowing He is sovereign (as well other attributes such as good, faithful, loving, and merciful) lets me know I can trust Him.
Lynn