Articles
The Faith of Obadiah
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Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly. For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) (1 Kgs. 18:3-4)
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There are many Obadiahs in the Old Testament, including one who wrote a book that bears his name. The Obadiah mentioned here is not the prophet, but a man whose story deserves greater exposure than it usually gets.
This Obadiah was the steward over the house of Ahab, the most notorious of Israel's kings. Together with his wife Jezebel, Ahab did more to erase the name of God from among His people than any other king. Every vestige of the true God was obliterated, and worship of the Canaanite god Baal was aggressively promoted.
One would expect all of Ahab's servants to be on board with this campaign. But not Obadiah. This man "feared the Lord greatly," faithful to the true God that everyone around him was trying to destroy. He may have been quiet, but his faith was not passive. When Jezebel began her purge of God's prophets, Obadiah used his master's resources to rescue as many as he could. One hundred men owed their lives to his courage.
We do not know how such a good man came to be in charge over Ahab's house, but one thing is certain: Had Jezebel known Obadiah's true allegiance, she would have had him executed on the spot. Obadiah was a man with a secret, an agent provocateur well positioned to serve God's purpose.
So when Elijah approached him to relay a message to Ahab, Obadiah was reluctant to push his luck. Surely, any connection with Ahab's enemy would blow his cover. He feared the worst: "He will kill me!" (v. 14).
Elijah assured him that his life was safe. So Obadiah delivered the message, an invitation that set up Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel. Thereafter, he passes from the Bible record, apparently unharmed.
Obadiah's story provides guidance to God's people today who are struggling to navigate a society that, like ancient Israel, is rushing headlong away from God. God and religion, especially Christianity, are being ripped out of the public square. Biblical morality is not just ignored, but attacked as "hate." Any Christian who sticks his head up is likely to have it taken off.
Not every one of us can be as bold as Elijah, or as fearless as Paul. But we can be an Obadiah, quietly doing what we can to advance the cause of truth and righteousness in a hostile environment. We can use our resources to surreptitiously give aid and support to those who are more eloquent in defense of the faith. We can use whatever influence we have to push back on the forces of evil in our little corner of the world. Our fear is understandable; but our faith must be stronger.
Elijah gets all the headlines in this chapter, but it was the quiet faith of Obadiah that made the prophet's victory possible. There are a handful of Elijahs fighting the Lord's battles today. Where are the Obadiahs who will support them?
--David
