Elijah: Prophet of Courage March 28, 2021 1 King 18:5-18.

  Ahab married Jezebel and began worshipping Baal. Ahab also builds a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. He built other idols. He did more to anger God than any other king that sat on the throne before him. He was the worse than all the kings before him.

Because of Ahab’s wickedness the Lord God sent a drought upon the land. The prophet Elijah went to Ahab and predicted the drought. Baal was in charge of the elements. So, the drought showed that Baal was useless. The drought was so severe that King Ahab and his palace administrator, Obadiah, went searching for grass to feed the mules and horses. So, they divided the land in two and they both took a section of land to search for grass. Ahab went in one direction and Obadiah went in the other direction. As Obadiah was searching he met the prophet, Elijah. The Lord had already told Elijah to inform Ahab that after three years the rain will return. Upon meeting Elijah, Obadiah feared for his life.

King Ahab organized a nationwide search of Elijah. Ahab believed that Elijah was the cause of the drought and he also believed Elijah could end the drought.  They were unable to find Elijah because God hid him. Now Elijah tells Obadiah to inform Ahab that he wants to meet with him. Obadiah is a godly man. He is a faithful servant of God who happens to work for an evil ruler. When Jezebel sought to kill God’s prophets, Obadiah hid 100 of them in caves.  But Obadiah was afraid of King Ahab. He was afraid that if he told Ahab that he met Elijah, that Elijah would disappear when they came looking for him. After all, the king initiated a nationwide search for Elijah. Elijah was reported at one place and then appeared somewhere else. Obadiah feared that the king would kill him if he set up a meeting with Elijah and the king and Elijah failed to show.  Not until Elijah swore an oath to God that he would meet with Ahab that Obadiah agreed to setup a meeting. Obadiah went to Ahab and told him that he had found Elijah. Ahab went to meet with Elijah. When they met Ahab refused to accept that it was his idolatrous behavior that caused the drought. When he came face-to-face with Elijah he said, ‘Art thou he that troubleth Israel?” Elijah told Ahab that it was he who brought disaster to Israel. Elijah told him it was he and his family who did this. They failed to obey God’s commandments and started worshipping Baal.