Serving God While Serving the Ungodly Text: 1 Kings 18:1-16 Series: Elijah A Man Like Us [#7] Pastor Lyle L. Wahl Date: August 18, 2013

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1 Serving God While Serving the Ungodly Text: 1 Kings 18:1-16 Series: Elijah A Man Like Us [#7] Pastor Lyle L. Wahl Date: August 18, 2013 Introduction Work is part of God s design for us. Sometimes it is enjoyable and rewarding. At other times it can be unpleasant and punishing. Some organizations rate jobs from best to worst. One group does that each year using five factors they think are important: environment of the job, income, outlook, stress and physical demands. They then compile their list of the top 200 jobs. The top five jobs in their 2013 raking are: at #1, Actuaries (they are the men and women who, among other things, calculate risks for insurance companies); then #2 biomedical engineers; #3, software engineers; #4, Audiologists (people who check our hearing); and, rounding out the top five for 2013, financial planners. Feel left out? Don t think that s correct? I feel left out and I know it s not correct! I have the best job as pastor here, and yet they don t rank pastors at #1! Something s wrong! Where do you think they ranked the position of pastors? [Responses]. At #110. Others in this 200-jobs rating from best to worst include: pharmacist at #7; physician in general practice #45; registered nurse at #55; electrician, #76 (they make the top half); elementary school teacher, #93; police officer at #166 followed by firefighter at #167; farmer, you may be surprised, at #190; oil rig workers, almost at the bottom #196; and at the bottom of the top 200 jobs for 2013, newspaper reporter. 1 As with any evaluation, you have to go back to the factors they used to see how important those are to you to determine its value for yourself. God s word tells us that in whatever work we do, we are to do it heartily, or from the heart, as for Him rather than people. 2 Sometimes that is difficult. But the circumstances, the attitudes and conduct of others do not change God s expectation. The apostle Peter writes,

2 be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 3 The Bible gives us examples of people who did this, including one in the record of Elijah s ministry that we are walking through in these summer weeks. In 1 Kings 18 we meet a man named Obadiah. He was an important official under King Ahab. Ahab, we know, was an ungodly man. He married Jezebel, violating God s ban on marrying gentiles. She worshiped Baal rather than God. Ahab then also worshiped Baal and set up a temple for that man-made god. The Bible tells us, Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 4 Let s think about serving God while serving the ungodly through the example of Obadiah. Meet Obadiah. What do we know about this man? Who is he? There are thirteen men with this name in the Old Testament. Obadiah means servant of the Lord. We would like to think his parents chose the name to reflect their faith and desire for their son. One of the other Obadiahs wrote the short twenty-one-verse Old Testament book of Obadiah. All we know about this Obadiah is in the first 16 verses of 1 Kings 18. We don t know who his parents were, what they did, nor where they lived. Obadiah was a man with true faith in God who held a responsible position in the administration of King Ahab. Let s begin with his faith. Some see him as a conflicted and compromising man, lacking in character because he held such an important position in the court of the ungodly duo of Ahab and Jezebel. 5 It is suggested that while he did not like the evil in the court, he was more concerned about keeping his position than confronting the evil. 6 And so those of this view see him as half-hearted in sharp contrast to Elijah, 7 and being more anxious for himself than for the work of God. 8 This view is a sad but excellent example of imagining too much, of reading too much into the text, of being too quick to look for and find fault. Why do I say that? For starters, there are two clear statements about Obadiah s faith here in 1 Kings 18. The first is a concise summary of who he is. It begins in the middle of verse 3, drop down to verse 3. Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. While Jezebel was killing off the LORD S prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water (3b-4, NIV). The second is Obadiah s testimony to Elijah in verse 12, I have worshiped the LORD since my youth (NIV). The facts we know from the text are that he hid and fed 100 prophets of God when Queen Jezebel was on her killing spree. That demonstrates conviction, courage and sacrifice of his own resources. He knew his master well, and so had fears about telling him that Elijah 2

3 had now returned from hiding in light of the history of God whisking the prophet away to safety. He had respect for Elijah as a leader for God, calling him my master (verse 7). He was able to evaluate situations and ask tough questions. Obadiah was a man of true and mature faith who, like many others including Joseph and Daniel, had learned how to serve God while serving an ungodly boss. One writer tells us, Obadiah has been described as a palm in the desert because he stood for the Lord in a time of great national apostasy. When others were turning to idolatry, this man, elevated to a high position, would not bow the knee to Baal. He somehow managed to serve the Lord and to keep his high position even while serving a king bent on leading the people into a spiritual free fall. 9 Now let s look at Obadiah s high position. Verse 3 tells us he was over the household or palace of the king. That, we recognize, is a description, rather than a specific title. This description usually included being in charge of the buildings, grounds, gardens and fields, as well as the servants, supplies, furnishings, equipment and budget for all that. Usually people in these positions were trusted by the king, and often had influence and responsibilities going beyond their official position. We see this in verse 5. Ahab had said to Obadiah, Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals. So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another (5-6, NIV). Notice the value, importance and confidence the king had in Obadiah as well as the responsibility he gave him: he divided the task between them; in this task the king and his palace/household manager had equal responsibilities. Obadiah had a key, crucial position. Obadiah Meets Elijah. Now we come to Obadiah meeting Elijah. The nation had been experiencing a drought for over three years as God s judgment for turning away from Him. We do not have to imagine or read into the text to see that after this announcement Elijah was not on the court s list of people to favor and invite to banquets. The king launched a manhunt for Elijah within Israel and beyond, but was unable to locate, let alone get his hands on him in these three plus years. 10 The prophet probably topped Israel s Most Wanted list. As Obadiah was searching for water and grass, we read in verse 7, As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, Is it really you, my lord [or, master] Elijah? [NIV]. This is what many people call a chance meeting. Make no mistake this was not a chance meeting, but a Divine appoint- 3

4 ment for both men. The same is true for us. With God we do not have chance meetings, but His appointments. When you bump into someone, do you look for God s purposes and opportunities? How many times did you bump into someone this last week? Did you think about, see God s purposes and opportunities for both of you in those times? Let s turn our attention to the meeting. Go to verse 7 again, which summarizes the opening moments. As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, Is it really you, my lord Elijah? [7-8, NIV]. Obadiah recognized Elijah, whether they knew each other or Obadiah had just seen him before. Even though he held a high and powerful position, Obadiah respected Elijah. He fell on his face before him, a sign of respect and recognizing him as being more important than himself. He addressed Elijah as my Lord, or my master, filling out his actions with his words. Elijah did not hold any political position or power. Obadiah recognized that he was God s key spokesman and leader at the time. The conversation immediately moved to the issues of the day, to what was on their hearts and in their plans. Obadiah s next words are puzzling if you look at them in isolation. How have I sinned, that you would give your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? (9, ESV). The next verses clarify his thoughts, questions and fears. The king had been looking long and hard to find Elijah, even extending the search into surrounding nations and making those nations swear they were unable to find him, in order to make sure they were not hiding the prophet. Elijah was impossible to find. Obadiah knew God was hiding and protecting Elijah. So now, he tells Elijah, You are directing me to tell the king you are here? But what happens if God whisks you off into hiding again? The king will be more than upset he will kill me! Elijah understood Obadiah s concerns. So he said, verse 15, As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today (NIV). And so the meeting ends. We see the outcome of the meeting starting with verse 16. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. Obadiah went to find Ahab and tell him that Elijah would meet him that day. They must have been not that far away from each other. Elijah went his own way to meet the king at the selected spot. When the prophet and king met, the record is set straight. Look at verse 17. When he [Ahab] saw Elijah, he said to him, Is that you, you troubler of Israel? I have not made trouble for Israel, Elijah replied. But you and your father s family have. You have abandoned the LORD S commands and have followed the Baals (17-18, NIV). Following this Elijah issued the challenge to gather all Israel and the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel to see who really is God Yahweh or Baal. After God demonstrated He indeed is God and the people acknowledged this, the prophets of Baal were seized and killed. 4

5 A very dramatic and powerful outcome of a chance meeting, of what we know was God s appointment for Obadiah and Elijah. Neither of them knew in advance the full scope of what God would do as a result of that meeting. The Lessons To Be Learned. Obadiah served God while serving ungodly King Ahab. Let s look at a few lessons from him for us in our work and relationships with people who are not godly. The first lesson is to serve God where He places you. Obadiah was over the king s household. We don t know how he got the position or how long he had been in it. It is clear that he did not leave the position when he established for himself that Ahab as an ungodly man. We wish God would have pulled the curtain back so we could see more of Obadiah s process of serving God faithfully while serving King Ahab. But we don t have that. Obadiah, along with Joseph, Daniel, and many others, shows us we can be faithful to God and work for, have relationships with those who don t know God, and are even opposed to Him. We should serve where God places us. This does not mean you should never leave a position or relationship with someone who is ungodly or unjust. But just because someone is ungodly doesn t mean you shouldn t work for them or know them. That might make it difficult to find a job. And it would make it impossible for you to be a witness and lead others to Christ. Have you ever met someone who has a grass is greener on the other side of the fence outlook, or an itchy feet perspective? That can distort or block their view of God s will. Sometimes the not nice, ungodly boss is used to justify escaping the situation without considering what God might want them to be and do there. At the same time, serve your employer faithfully, but never compromise your faith and loyalty to God. The Biblical record shows Obadiah did not compromise his faith and loyalty to God. He must have done an excellent job, been reliable and truthful for Ahab to trust him, to keep him in that position, to give him extra responsibilities. You see, people like King Ahab admire the qualities of a godly person, even if they don t believe in and follow God. How do we serve ungodly people faithfully without compromising our faith? It starts with knowing the essentials. Do you ever get tired of hearing how important it is to read, know and apply the truth of the Bible? Well, here it is again. The essentials of what to stand for and what not to allow come from Scripture. God gives us both specifics and broad principles. Serving God without compromise requires knowing our purpose and mission in the world and seeing people as God does. The Bible gives us that knowledge. For example, knowing the truth of Romans 8:31-39 personally, that if God is for me who, in the final analysis, is against me? It takes steadfast faith that even if we suffer loss because of the faith, we are still secure in God, no matter what happens to us. 5

6 Then there is the important lesson of counting the cost and taking risks as we live for and serve God. Obadiah did this. When he saw Queen Jezebel killing God s prophets he knew it was wrong and that something should be done. He could not intervene openly. So he considered the situation, and developed a plan to hide some of the prophets. Getting them into the caves was just the first, and perhaps easiest step. Then he had to provide food and water, day after day to those 100 men, without the Queen s agents discovering what he was doing. This required careful planning, execution and a substantial personal financial cost. We need to count the costs and take risks as God directs us. It is both/and count the costs and respond to God in taking risks. One writer comments, How many among us would place our lives in jeopardy for one of the Lord s servants? He also said, I do not know how many servants of the Lord any of you support, but I have not had the privilege of knowing any[one] who sustains a hundred ministers. 11 Yes, count the costs and take risks for God. One more lesson, and certainly are more we can learn from this remarkable man, is to work through our fears. We have only 14 verses directly about Obadiah (verses 3-16). Half of them (9-15) describe him working through his fears. He said, Elijah, how can I tell the king you ve come out of hiding? What if God takes you back into hiding? The king will kill me! This was a real, not imagined, and serious fear. Because Obadiah had deep, mature faith, he did not casually brush his fears aside, nor did he allow them to paralyze him. He faced the fears. He explored them with Elijah. And so, we read, he went to meet Ahab. 12 I think he followed a similar pattern when he saw Jezebel killing the prophets of God and wondered what should be done, what he could do about that. That is how we can conquer our fears, and move ahead in spite of them. When we detect fear the first thing to do is recognize and face it, going to God, asking Him to help us see it for what it is and not allow it to be in control. Just as Obadiah explored his fears with Elijah, so we can and should talk with others involved and people we trust to give good, godly counsel. I know people who have a long established patterns of not facing and working through their fears. In one way or another, they become the victims of those fears. Some have a long history of running away from fears and then also the lessons, strength, character and opportunities God would provide if they face them and work through them. So follow Obadiah s example, face and work your way through fears. 6

7 Conclusion. One of the many things that excites me about the Bible is God s gracious gift of good examples. I have enjoyed renewing and deepening my relationship, if you will, with Obadiah, and what God wants me to learn from him. We have the life-long challenge of serving God while also serving ungodly people. Thank God for Obadiah, how he was faithful, and how he shows you something of what being faithful is about. Thank God for His presence, peace and power to face, work through and move ahead in spite of dangers and fears. Thank God for giving you the ability to serve Him right now, right where you are. Ask God to keep you focused on and faithful to Him in all things and times. To make you an example of faithfulness for others. Let s bow our heads and do that now. 1 Jobs Rated 2013 Methodology. CareerCast.com. < Accessed 12 August Jobs Rated 2013: Ranking 200 Jobs From Best To Worst. CareerCast.com. < Accessed 12 August Colossians 3: Peter 2: Kings 16:33. 5 F. B. Meyer. Elijah and the Secret of His Power. Chicago: Moody Press, 1976, pages Meyer, page Meyer, page Meyer, page Ray Pritchard. Fire And Rain. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2007, page Kings 18: C. H. Spurgeon. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Obadiah; or, Early Piety Eminent Piety. 19 October < htm>. Accessed 12 July Kings 18: Lyle L. Wahl 7

8 Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 8