So, I was teaching the Sunday School lesson one week. (I know, people call it Bible Fellowship now, but since I’m the one teaching, I like the word school.) The story is an Old Testament favorite. Elijah calls out the prophets of Baal on top of Mount Carmel, God rains down fire, and later sends the first actual downpour after 3 years of drought.

 

All the elements of a great Bible lesson, told repeatedly through the years to all ages. If you don’t know (or remember) what happens I refer you to I Kings 18 for a great devotional read. ¹ But I’m always wary of beginning a story in the middle. And no matter how many times I’ve read Scripture there is always something new the Lord has to say to me. So…

 

Recap: Elijah has been sitting by a brook for three years drinking stream water and being fed by ravens. No picnic. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel want to kill him. God says, It’s time. Go back and tell Ahab I’m sending rain. Elijah gets up and starts back, but little does he know God has already made a divine appointment for him along the way.

 

Those who truly love God follow and obey Him. ²

 

Obadiah…No, not the prophet who wrote the book. He comes later in the Scriptures. This Obadiah is the head of Ahab’s household and he’s out in the countryside with no less than King Ahab searching for grass to keep the cattle and mules from starving. Hmmm…must have been mighty important work for the King and his right hand man to go personally, but that’s how God does things.

 

Elijah finds Obadiah alone in a field and tells him to arrange a meeting with Ahab. Obadiah (to use today’s vernacular) flips out. In fairness, King Ahab is not the most rational man and if Obadiah admits he knows where Elijah is, he will most likely be killed along with Elijah. Now before you pick up a stone to throw at our supporting player here, you should know another thing or two about this Obadiah.

 

First, he does take Elijah to King Ahab. More than that, for the last three years he’s been working undercover for God’s resistance priests. Jezebel destroyed the altars and killed all of God’s priests she could find. But Obadiah wasn’t killed. Scripture insists he loved God with all his heart and for those past three years he’s been hiding a hundred priests in two separate caves, feeding and taking care of them.

 

Obadiahs are in the world, ready for God’s call.

 

He’s certainly no coward. All along Obadiah has been working right under the noses of the King and Queen and they obviously don’t have a clue. And maybe when he flips out, he isn’t afraid only for himself. He is also afraid for the hundred priests who depend on him to keep them safe and alive.

 

In the end Elijah is center stage, has the most lines, gets the dramatic moments, and gives God the glory. And Obadiah? He goes back to work and we don’t hear of him again. Maybe those hundred priests never tell what he’s done for them because it’s a secret they choose to keep. His actions merit a mention in Hebrews 11 but his name is never mentioned.

 

I wonder who knew, but I don’t think Obadiah cared. He was the quiet one, the one working behind the scenes, whose self-control was exemplary, whose life was in just as much danger if not more. The one who didn’t care if he got credit as long as God’s work was done and His priests lived on.

 

Where are the Obadiah’s today? Be encouraged. God knows where they are and He’s in control. They love God with all their hearts and they serve Him. They are working and waiting in the shadows because that’s where God has put them for His own good purposes and in His own good time.

 

KC

 

KC Pearcey is a devoted follower of Jesus…a wife, a mom, a grandmother…a retired teacher with 40 years experience who spends her days traveling with Darling Husband, writing a series of cozy murder mystery novels, and planning a new series of books for young people, all while she looks for the miracles in everyday life.

 

 

Footnotes: (1) For more of the amazing story…Read 1 Kings 16:29 through 18:39. (2) Read John 14:21.

 

Pictures: Banner: 1 Corinthians 16:13, from Paul Coughlin Quotes, quotefancy.com. (1) Life Worthy of the Calling, from Bible.com, creator unknown. (2) Those Who Love Me, creator unknown. (3) KC Pearcey, photo by Steve Glass, Steve Glass Photography.