The reign of Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, was marked by darkness, bloodshed, and the relentless pursuit of power. Their rule of Israel, described in 1 Kings 16 – 22, was an era of wickedness and oppression. The prophets of Yahweh were hunted down and slaughtered, and the people were led astray to the worship of the Phoenician god Ba’al.
Into this darkness stepped Obadiah, a high-ranking official working in Ahab’s court. Despite Ahab’s wickedness and Jezebel’s bloodthirstiness, Obadiah – acting at great personal risk – secretly rescued and fed 100 of Yahweh’s prophets.
In 1 Kings 18:1 – 16, Obadiah played a crucial role in the prophet Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Ba’al. It was Obadiah who met and reported to Elijah that King Ahab sought Elijah’s life. And it was Obadiah who – despite his own great fear – served as an emissary between Elijah and Ahab.
Though he feared Ahab and Jezebel, Obadiah “feared the Lord [even more] greatly” (18:3). And his courageous fear of the Lord echoes through history. Nearly 3,000 years later, nineteenth century German theologian Johann Lange’s commentary noted:
To be pious with the pious, to maintain one’s faith in the midst of the faithful, is not difficult; but in the midst of the world, to preserve one’s self unspotted from it, to keep a pure heart, and have God before our eyes and in our hearts, wherever the Lord places us, this is indeed greatly to fear the Lord.
What did Obadiah’s fear of the Lord look like? From 1 Kings 18, we can see:
- Faithfulness: Despite being surrounded by idolatry and wickedness, Obadiah remained true to his faith and even risked his own life to protect other believers (18:3 – 4). He is an example of quietly remaining faithful to God and refusing to compromise that faithfulness in the face of evil.
- Humility: Even though Obadiah held a high position in Ahab’s court, he addressed Elijah as “my lord” (18:7). His humility led him to risk his own safety to serve the prophets of Yahweh.
- Action: When the prophets’ lives were threatened, Obadiah did not just pray for their safety. He secretly stepped forward and worked to rescue them from certain death. Though Obadiah’s love and compassion for God’s servants was hidden from Ahab and Jezebel, it was not hidden from God. And God’s Holy Spirit has revealed it to us.
- Courage: Obadiah’s faithfulness, humility, and action were the “building blocks” of his courage. They gave him strength to honour the Lord and to care for His servants, even when he was very afraid to do so.
Obadiah served one of the worst kings in Israel’s history. But God used Obadiah’s faithful, humble, obedient courage to protect His own servants.
Obadiah’s example gives us the tools to stand firm in our faith, even when doing so may be difficult and dangerous. We do not need status or wealth, or to be in a leadership role. God looks only for faithfulness, humble service, and obedient action.
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