Weekend Sermon -- Obadiah -- I Kings 18

     Welcome to this week’s posting of the Weekend Sermon.  As always, I am glad to be able to post the sermon today.  I hope and pray that all of you who read these words are doing well.

     We had some bad storms in my area last night.  I just want to thank the Lord that the storms weren’t damaging.  The wind blew hard, but everything made it through OK.  I’ve been very busy at work.  Work is really getting me down right now.  Please pray that I will be able to remain in good health and keep going. 

     In prayer this week, please remember the people of Italy who have experienced another earthquake.  Pray that anyone who is injured may recover.  The people of Haiti are still recovering from the hurricane.  Pray that God will meet the needs there.

     The situation in Iraq and Syria right now is very dire.  We need to be in prayer that peace will come to these two nations.  Also remember to pray for peace is South Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan.

     For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for the nations of Comoros and Kuwait.  Please pray that the Gospel will reach many people in these two countries.

     During the last several weeks here on the Weekend Sermon, we’ve been examining the lives of some of the less well-known characters of the Bible.  We are trying to learn what these individuals can teach us in our own lives right now.

     Today, we turn our attention to a man named Obadiah whose story is recorded in I Kings 18.  There are a few people in the Bible named Obadiah.  The most well-known of those with this name would be the prophet Obadiah who is the author of the Biblical book with that name.  The Obadiah that we will study today is not the Obadiah who wrote the book of Obadiah.  The author of Obadiah lived several years after the Obadiah we are studying in this message.

     Ahab was probably one of the two most wicked kings who ruled over the nations of Israel and Judah.  He married a Phoenician princess by the name of Jezebel who introduced the worship of baal into Israel.  She forbade the worship of the True and Living God, and she sought to kill all of those who retained their allegiance to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

     Into this scene came the prophet Elijah.  He brought a word of condemnation against Ahab and Jezebel, and Elijah said that it would not rain in Israel as a judgment on the sins of the nation. Because of this, Jezebel sought out Elijah vigorously in order to kill him. 

     I Kings 18 begins by telling us that no rain had fallen in Israel for three years.  The drought was so bad that Ahab was on the verge of having to kill the horses in his stable because there was no water for them to drink.  Here is where Obadiah comes in.  Obadiah was an official in Ahab’s palace.  He was in charge of the palace, and he was a faithful follower of the Lord unbeknownst to Ahab and Jezebel.  Ahab and Obadiah went out and tried to find water for the horses.

     While Obadiah was out searching for water, the prophet Elijah appeared before him.  Obadiah bowed before Elijah, and Elijah told Obadiah to tell Ahab that he wanted to speak with him.  This made Obadiah very afraid.  He knew that Ahab wanted to kill Elijah in the worst way, and Obadiah feared for his own life.

     We learn from his discussion with Elijah that Obadiah was a faithful follower of the Lord.  When Jezebel wanted to kill the prophets, Obadiah hid 100 of the prophets in two different caves, and he brought them food and water to sustain them.  This action if discovered would have brought instant death to Obadiah. 

    Elijah eventually convinced Obadiah to go and tell the king to come and meet him.  Obadiah gave the message to Ahab, who didn’t kill him by the way, and Elijah told Ahab to gather the prophets of baal on Mount Carmel for a test.  On Mount Carmel, the Lord showed that he was the True and Living God, and that baal was a false God.  After this, God allowed it to rain again in Israel.

     So, what can we learn from Obadiah.  The first thing that I notice in this encounter is that God has the right people in the right place at the right time to do what He wants to have done.  Even though Ahab and Jezebel were so wicked, right in their midst as the chief of their palace, God had one of His servants on the scene.  Obadiah was able to use his position to rescue 100 prophets from the deadly clutches of Jezebel. 

      This happened in two other places in the Bible that come readily to mind.  God had Esther in the palace at the right time in order to thwart the wicked plans of Haman.   Also, Joseph was on the scene in order to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh and save the Egyptians as well as Joseph’s own family that needed food.

     Things may look bleak in the world right now.  It seems to me, in my country at least, that moral decay is rampant.  Our leaders are just becoming worse and worse.  However, I know from stories in the Bible, like the one we are studying today, that God is in control.  He has His followers in place right now in the right place to make sure that His will is accomplished.  Nothing is taking God by surprise.  His plan will always be accomplished just as He wants it to be.

     The second thing that strikes me in looking at Obadiah is that we need to have courage to do the right thing when we are called upon to act.  This type of courage can only come when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Obadiah saved the prophets and he eventually got up enough courage to go tell Ahab where to meet Elijah. 

     The Lord calls on us to have courage to stand up for Him.  In Jude, it says that we are to earnestly contend for the faith.  Jesus told us that we are to be witnesses for Him.  We can do this as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus told His disciples not to fear.  He said that the Holy Spirit would give them the words to say when they were needed.  Jesus is always with us, and through Him we are more than conquerors.

     One other thing that I see in Obadiah is something that we should not do.  We should not try to rest in our service for the Lord by looking back at what we’ve done in the past.  Obadiah tries to bargain with Elijah.  He basically says to Elijah, I served the Lord back then don’t put me in jeopardy now.  That’s not really the right attitude. 

     It’s great if we can look back on our lives and see the things that the Lord has given us the strength to accomplish for Him as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.  However, we shouldn’t just stop there.  I know many Christians personally, however, who have done just that.  They are no longer active in any ministry because they say that they have done things for the Lord in the past. 

     We really should have an attitude of wanting to constantly be in service to the Lord.  Let us not rest on our past accomplishments and past service.  As the Lord Jesus gives each and every one of us the strength let us boldly seek to serve Him and make a difference in the world right now.  There is so much need in the world, let us each find ways to meet that need and tell others about the love of Jesus.

     Obadiah is an interesting character.  I’m glad that he was there to be an influence for the Lord.  The Lord had Obadiah working on Ahab from an insider’s position, and God had Elijah working on Ahab from an outsider’s position.  Ahab had Micaiah working on him from an outsider’s position too.  The Lord will always accomplish His will, and He will always make sure that His Word goes forth.

     Next week, I will post the verses on Monday.  I will have a review on Wednesday.  For the Weekend Sermon, we will continue our series on less well-known Bible characters. The sermon will not be posted until Saturday next week because the library is closed on Friday for Veterans Day.  May God bless you all.  Amen.