What can we learn about obedience from Obadiah's fear in 1 Kings 18:12? Setting the scene • Famine grips Israel while Ahab hunts for Elijah, the prophet who announced the drought (1 Kings 18:1-10). • Obadiah, Ahab’s palace administrator, secretly hid and fed one hundred prophets of the LORD (v. 4), proving his devotion in hostile territory. • When Elijah suddenly appears, he tells Obadiah, “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here’ ” (v. 8). Obadiah’s fear expressed 1 Kings 18:12—“And when I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off I do not know where. Then, when I go and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth.” • Obadiah believes Elijah might vanish again by the Spirit’s power. • He foresees Ahab’s wrath turning deadly toward him. • He reminds Elijah of his lifelong reverence for God, hoping for reassurance. Obedience under pressure • Obadiah is already risking his life daily in a wicked court—obedience has a track record. • Fear surfaces, yet he does not flee; he dialogues with Elijah seeking clarity. • Elijah’s word (“As surely as the LORD Almighty lives, I will present myself to Ahab today,” v. 15) calms his fear and anchors his next step. • Obadiah proceeds to obey (v. 16), illustrating that obedience is not the absence of fear but the decision to act on God’s word despite it. Spiritual insights • Healthy godly fear outweighs deadly human fear. See Proverbs 29:25—“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.” • Past faithfulness equips us for present obedience; obedience is cumulative (Luke 16:10). • God often asks us to obey through uncertain outcomes; the Spirit’s sovereign freedom (v. 12) forces us to trust, not control. • Obedience aligns us with God’s larger redemptive plan; Obadiah’s small step helps set up Mount Carmel’s public victory (vv. 20-40). Practical applications • When fear arises, articulate it honestly before God, as Obadiah did to Elijah. • Seek and cling to a clear word from the Lord—Scripture, not speculation—before moving forward. • Measure risks by eternal stakes, not temporal threats (Matthew 10:28). • Cultivate daily obedience now; crises expose, they don’t create, our habits. • Remember that obeying may look small in the moment yet advance God’s dramatic purposes. Key Scriptures for further meditation • 1 Samuel 15:22—“To obey is better than sacrifice.” • Joshua 1:9—“Be strong and courageous… the LORD your God is with you.” • Acts 5:29—“We must obey God rather than men.” • John 14:15—“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” • Hebrews 5:8—“He learned obedience from what He suffered.” |
    |