LOOKING FOR GRASS?

Elijah left the home of the widow and her son in Zarephath a changed man. In the years between his first encounter with Ahab and his journey to Mt. Carmel, Elijah had matured and his faith and obedience had deepened. He began the next portion of his journey with no more direction than, “Go and present yourself to Ahab” (1 Kings 18:1).

One of Ahab’s closest associates, Obadiah, was out wandering in the countryside looking for patches of grass (and, no, I don’t think he was looking to smoke a joint) to feed the kings livestock. Obadiah and Elijah had what seemed to be a chance encounter on the dusty, rain-starved plain.

Chance encounter? I recall the statement of one prayer warrior who said, “The more I pray and seek the Lord, the more I have chance encounters that open new doors for ministry.” While it seemed like an accidental meeting, it was not.

Elijah’s “chance encounter” with Obadiah was the first part of God’s plan to get the prophet back in Ahab’s face. But the encounter also gives us a glimpse into the terrible spiritual condition of Israel.

It’s easy to lose sight of Obadiah’s pathetic spiritual condition if you only see him as the person hiding one hundred of God’s prophets from the murderous Jezebel. That was a commendable act, of course. But you also must ask yourself, “How did this man get into a position of authority if he wasn’t a willing participant in the evil religious behavior of his day?” Baal worship included child sacrifice and all types of deviant sexual behavior—it was grossly evil.

Obadiah was an example, an illustration of what was going on in the whole nation. Later in this story, when he finally arrived on Mt. Carmel, Elijah challenged the thousands of Jews that had gathered. “How long will you waver (halt) between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him” (18:21 NIV).

The meaning of the word waver (halt) means “to limp.” Elijah’s statement to the assembled Jews was, “Your attempt to live in two worlds has crippled you.” The Jews were nominally following the teachings of Jehovah God but they were also freely indulging in the pagan idolatry of Baal. Elijah called them to a decision: “Who are you going to serve?”

Obadiah was a conflicted and fearful person. He didn’t trust Elijah and he was afraid of Ahab. He was a man with a divided, fearful heart, trying to please God while also eating at the table of the devil, and it had crippled him in spirit.
Obadiah and the Jewish nation at this time form a picture of many in the church world today. They love the Lord but they don’t fully trust Him. At the same time, they are afraid of the world, afraid to displease, afraid they will be made to pay a price if they show a full allegiance to God and so they live with a divided heart.

Elijah asked Obadiah to take the message to Ahab that he wanted to meet with him. The idea of being the messenger did not thrill Obadiah and he responded, “What did I do wrong? Do you want to get me killed?” (vv. 9 and14).

Finally Elijah prevailed and Obadiah agreed to take the message to Ahab. Interestingly, Ahab immediately responded and went to meet the prophet he has been hunting for three and a half years. Ahab was so determined to kill Elijah that he sent assassins to every nearby nation to look for him.

When the two protagonists finally met, Ahab greeted Elijah with, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” It is the nature of the carnal world to blame everything they can on the righteous. Human nature does not change. In Acts 17, Paul was preaching in Thessalonica and, as often happened, the Jews got very irritated and began to demonstrate against the gospel and Paul. They took some of the new believers before the city officials and accused them, “Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” To the carnal, when the world is turned right side up, their distorted mind views it as turned upside down.

Elijah’s response to Ahab was simple and direct. “I am not the one who has troubled Israel. You and your family have brought this pain on the nation. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and given yourself to Baal. Call the nation to come to Mt. Carmel and bring four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who are under your wife’s protection. Let’s get it on!”

Surprisingly, Ahab offered no resistance. I wonder if in his perverted mind he reasoned, “One man can’t stand up to eight hundred and fifty.” So Ahab sent word throughout the nation that the “Grand Smackdown” would take place on Mt. Carmel.

What a showdown that would be! In the natural, the odds were eight hundred and fifty to one. One man of God against eight hundred and fifty demon-possessed prophets of hell In the spiritual world it was war, and it would be Baal, the demonic god of fertility and productivity, against Jehovah God, Who answers by fire (18:22).

Next week, “The God Who Answers by Fire.”