1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,640
First, Kings 18. 
We're starting in verse one, so 

2
00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:12,720
place your finger there. 
Lord, we are grateful that we 

3
00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,440
have access to the truth. 
We are so thankful, Lord, that 

4
00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:20,920
we live in a time where we have 
the full revelation needed for 

5
00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,920
us to know how to be saved and 
how to walk as the saved. 

6
00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,080
Well, we pray tonight. 
Please let this be more than 

7
00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,840
just words and thoughts 
transmitted to our ears. 

8
00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:34,800
Let there be a powerful 
transmission through the 

9
00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,400
energizing work of the Holy 
Spirit that would bring our 

10
00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,360
hearts to greater life and 
strength and devotion to the 

11
00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:45,360
person of Jesus Christ. 
We do pray, O Lord, that all men

12
00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:49,200
would disappear at this time 
except for the God man, Jesus 

13
00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,480
Christ. 
That we would see Him, we would 

14
00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:55,320
see His wisdom, we would see His
love, we would see His power and

15
00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,240
that we would fall deeper in 
love with Him. 

16
00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,840
So Lord, tonight we pray that as
the word goes forth and as we 

17
00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,280
study together as brains, that 
we would experience the life 

18
00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,640
giving, life sustaining power of
your word. 

19
00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,960
Please Lord, let this be a 
powerful time together. 

20
00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,280
We can't do it apart from the 
Holy Spirit. 

21
00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,760
And so we petition and plea that
this would be a moment where we 

22
00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,440
can look back and say God 
touched me on that Friday night.

23
00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,320
We ask for that. 
Lord we trust that only you can 

24
00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:26,560
provide that lest this become 
just a lecture, let's this 

25
00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,800
become just the time where we 
look at some words on on white 

26
00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,440
pages. 
Lord, no, we need your power and

27
00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:34,920
we look to you and trust that 
you will provide it because we 

28
00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:37,120
are hungry and thirsty for 
righteousness. 

29
00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:39,440
We long to know you in a closer 
way. 

30
00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:45,600
Meet us now as we look at the 
man Elijah and his story and 

31
00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,000
what it is that you've preserved
for us to know for our own walk 

32
00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,640
with you. 
In Jesus mighty name we pray. 

33
00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,400
Amen. 
First Kings 18. 

34
00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,200
Let's begin in verse one and 
let's read the 1st 6 verses 

35
00:01:56,200 --> 00:02:00,040
together before we pause and 
unpack these truths. 

36
00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,040
After many days the word of the 
Lord came to Elijah in the third

37
00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:10,240
year saying, go show yourself to
Ahab and I will send rain upon 

38
00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,360
the earth. 
So Elijah went to show himself 

39
00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,600
to Ahab. 
Now the famine was severe in 

40
00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:22,040
Samaria, and Ahab called Obadiah
who was over the household. 

41
00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:24,520
Now Obadiah feared the Lord 
greatly. 

42
00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,880
And when Jezebel cut off the 
prophets of the Lord, Obadiah 

43
00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:32,080
took 100 prophets and hid them 
by 50s in a cave and fed them 

44
00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,800
with bread and water. 
And Ahab said to Obadiah go 

45
00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,840
through the land to all the 
springs of water and to all the 

46
00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,640
valleys, perhaps we may find 
grass and save the horses and 

47
00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:45,800
mules alive and not lose some of
the animals. 

48
00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,600
So they divided the land between
them to pass through it. 

49
00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,760
Ahab went in One Direction by 
himself, and Obadiah went in 

50
00:02:54,760 --> 00:03:00,600
another direction by himself for
three years. 

51
00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:06,200
Elijah obeyed the Lord, who 
instructed him to be removed 

52
00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:11,960
from the public eye, first to 
remain by the brook and careth, 

53
00:03:12,640 --> 00:03:16,400
and then following that through 
the concealed care of a widow 

54
00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,400
and Zarephath. 
But after many days we are told 

55
00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,840
the one who said in first Kings 
17 three depart and hide 

56
00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:30,040
yourself, now says, go show 
yourself. 

57
00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,880
And what we see here by Elijah's
example in his connection and 

58
00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:38,480
walk with the Lord is a 
wonderful illustration of the 

59
00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,520
spheres of our obedience to the 
Lord. 

60
00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,880
Meaning our obedience to the 
Lord looks just like this. 

61
00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:51,640
We are called, like Elijah, to 
obey God in private, and we are 

62
00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:57,320
called to obey God in public. 
We are called to obey and honor 

63
00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,640
the Lord in seclusion, and we 
are also called to obey the 

64
00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:03,280
Lord. 
When everyone's watching, 

65
00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,720
whether we have an audience or 
not, we are called to honor God 

66
00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,960
as our supreme goal. 
And that is precisely what 

67
00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:13,600
Elijah does, without any 
hesitation. 

68
00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:18,079
When he was called to hide 
himself, he did not question, He

69
00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:21,959
did not present reservation. 
He immediately obeyed. 

70
00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:25,320
And now we see the same attitude
When he was called to now make 

71
00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,920
an appearance on a nationwide 
platform, He obeyed with the 

72
00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:34,080
same sincerity and earnestness. 
And this is important to learn 

73
00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:38,000
and know, because for some, 
serving God and obscurity, 

74
00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,200
serving God while you are hidden
is frustrating. 

75
00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:48,000
And it's discouraging because we
tend to measure our success or 

76
00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,440
our fruitfulness based on the 
people that we are touching or 

77
00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:57,120
observable measures and metrics.
But there are also people who, 

78
00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:03,000
in serving God before a crowd or
on a platform, is daunting and 

79
00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,520
absolutely undesirable for 
different reasons. 

80
00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,640
Fear of criticism. 
Fear of failure on a larger 

81
00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,560
scale, fear of the temptation of
pride creeping in and 

82
00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:19,440
intensifying as they receive 
more recognition or 

83
00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,720
acknowledgement or praise, 
whether it's hiddenness or 

84
00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:28,560
whether it is publicity. 
Regardless, you and I must learn

85
00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,480
contentment and confidence in 
the Lord no matter where He 

86
00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,040
calls us, no matter what the 
setting is. 

87
00:05:33,280 --> 00:05:35,800
Because you know why. 
The ultimate aim is to please 

88
00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,800
him. 
The ultimate aim is to honor 

89
00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,800
him, And this is what Elijah is 
modeling here. 

90
00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:47,520
For years, no one saw him, and 
yet he trusted the Lord and he 

91
00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:51,160
allowed God to mold him and to 
stretch faith from him. 

92
00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,920
And now, as he's arriving to a 
place where it's going to be a 

93
00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,040
lot different than it was in the
past three years, he's going to 

94
00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,440
show the same level of obedience
and trust in God. 

95
00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,440
So that's what we can learn 
already from verse one. 

96
00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,520
But now we come to verse two and
we get a description of how 

97
00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:09,280
severe the famine was in these 
past few years. 

98
00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:15,000
We're told here now the famine 
was severe in Samaria. 

99
00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:21,280
The severity of the famine is 
important to note in connection 

100
00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:24,000
to the appearance of Elijah on 
the scene. 

101
00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:29,960
Elijah appears when the 
temperature was just right after

102
00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:34,480
God initiated and controlled 
this drought, bringing it to 

103
00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,560
this point. 
This was the right time now for 

104
00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:41,920
Elijah to appear as a prophet, 
to declare his message and to 

105
00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:45,320
manifest the power of God. 
Why? 

106
00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:52,080
Because, like this time, 
devastation deprivation is often

107
00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:57,280
needed for the spiritual posture
of others to take heed to the 

108
00:06:57,280 --> 00:07:00,960
word of the Lord. 
In other words, it often takes 

109
00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:05,480
severe situations before a 
people or a person take heed to 

110
00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,440
what God has to say. 
It's unfortunate, but that is 

111
00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:12,360
human nature. 
And so in a sense, here the Lord

112
00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:16,200
knowing what was going to take 
place in the land, sees and 

113
00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,760
permits really this to happen. 
And now, says Elijah, it's time 

114
00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,440
to go. 
The people will be more open to 

115
00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,240
hearing what you have to say 
than when this whole thing 

116
00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:28,080
started. 
But understanding the severity 

117
00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:32,920
of this famine is also important
when we link it to the character

118
00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:34,840
of another individual in this 
testimony. 

119
00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,920
And that character is Ahab, and 
we're going to see why. 

120
00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:44,520
The severity of this famine 
sheds light on just how depraved

121
00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:48,120
Ahab was as a king and as a 
person altogether. 

122
00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,640
But before we examine Ahab, we 
are introduced to this 

123
00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:55,880
interesting character. 
You read his name, Obadiah. 

124
00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,280
Obadiah appears now, and there 
are many Obadiahs in the Bible. 

125
00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:04,760
But this is a unique Obadiah and
the first thing that we are told

126
00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:09,560
about Obadiah is what verse 3 
and Ahab called Obadiah who was 

127
00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:13,800
over the household. 
Over whose household? 

128
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:16,680
Ahab's. 
In other words, he was the chief

129
00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:18,880
manager. 
He was the administrator, the 

130
00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:23,040
lead administrator over the 
palace and right there, knowing 

131
00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,480
Ahab, knowing what his regime 
was like, we might have our 

132
00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:30,280
guards up, we might have flags 
concerning this Obadiah. 

133
00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:34,480
But it's as though the Holy 
Spirit wants us to swat away any

134
00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:38,400
suspicions, because in the same 
verse we are told by the author,

135
00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:39,960
was ultimately God. 
What? 

136
00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:44,280
Yes, he was over the household. 
But look, now Obadiah feared the

137
00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:48,720
Lord greatly. 
Look, there are people in the 

138
00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,680
Bible who are told fear the 
Lord, but if you are attributed 

139
00:08:52,680 --> 00:08:57,680
with fearing the Lord greatly, 
that is worthy of further 

140
00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:00,120
meditation. 
In fact, there's something 

141
00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,960
obviously that the Lord wants us
to learn about Obadiah, because 

142
00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:06,280
not just this description, but 
the dialogue that has been 

143
00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,240
preserved between Obadiah and 
Elijah, There's something that 

144
00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:14,080
God wants you and I to pull out 
of this man's story, the 

145
00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:17,320
situation that he's in, the 
things that he says. 

146
00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:20,120
And so we're going to look at 
that. 

147
00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,320
But see, we hear that he He 
feared the Lord greatly. 

148
00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,120
He feared the Lord greatly. 
And we are told how this 

149
00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:34,200
reverential awe for God 
manifested through Obadiah's 

150
00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:35,520
life. 
What did he do? 

151
00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:36,840
Well, he feared the Lord 
greatly. 

152
00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,520
Verse 4. 
And when Jezebel cut off the 

153
00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:44,400
prophets of the Lord, Obadiah 
took 100 prophets and hid them 

154
00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:48,400
by 50s in a cave and fed them 
with bread and water. 

155
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:55,640
So this Obadiah had these 
skills, these managerial skills,

156
00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,640
if you will. 
And he used those skills to 

157
00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,280
what, honor God by preserving 
the lives of a remnant of 

158
00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:05,360
profits and by providing for 
them regularly. 

159
00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,520
Can I remind you that this is 
more than just a nice gesture? 

160
00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:13,720
This is a life and death 
occupation. 

161
00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,160
This is a major operation. 
Can you imagine what would have 

162
00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,960
happened to Obadiah if Ahab 
found out that during a famine, 

163
00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,880
out of all the people that he 
was taking care of, it was the 

164
00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:29,160
enemies of Baal? 
And this is what this man 

165
00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:32,960
endeavored to do. 
He risked his life. 

166
00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,560
And right there, by way of 
principle, you and I learned 

167
00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:39,440
something about what it means to
fear the Lord greatly. 

168
00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:46,640
Here's what it means to pursue 
and secure honoring God as your 

169
00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:50,560
chief ambition even more than 
life itself. 

170
00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,160
You know there are some people 
who are hesitant to honor God 

171
00:10:55,680 --> 00:10:58,000
for the fear of potential 
embarrassment. 

172
00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,640
And then you have guys like 
Obadiah who are willing to honor

173
00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:05,600
God with the potential price tag
of death itself. 

174
00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:09,600
And that's what it means to fear
God, where you are willing to 

175
00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:15,280
love him, obey him, worship him,
even if in pursuit of that, your

176
00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:19,000
life is at risk. 
And so this man had a great love

177
00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,840
for God, a great awe of God. 
And this is something to keep in

178
00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:27,760
mind because you have some who 
are critical of Obadiah. 

179
00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,080
There's a lot of debate around 
this character, like people are 

180
00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:34,080
trying to figure out what kind 
of label do we give him? 

181
00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:39,040
And what do you think the major 
criticism is concerning Obadiah?

182
00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,840
Any idea? 
It's pretty simple, but I'm 

183
00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,080
asking, I'm actually asking what
do you think it is that would 

184
00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:48,960
cause us to hesitate to believe 
that he was a man who completely

185
00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,400
feared the Lord? 
Yes. 

186
00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:56,160
Lying to Ahab? 
In what way? 

187
00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:58,880
And I know exactly what you're 
saying, so just confirm that 

188
00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:02,720
this is what you mean by that. 
How is it that Obadiah can work 

189
00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:04,360
for Ahab? 
Is that what you're saying? 

190
00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:08,440
Exactly? 
That is the major criticism that

191
00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:11,960
Obadiah receives. 
How is it that with such 

192
00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:16,200
hostility against the true and 
living God, can you have a man 

193
00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:20,080
who feared the Lord greatly but 
was able to adapt in the 

194
00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:24,400
atmosphere of Ahab's Kingdom? 
How is it that you can have a 

195
00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,280
man who was tolerated and 
accepted and even given the 

196
00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:32,040
responsibility to manage the 
Kingdom if he was a man who 

197
00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:35,760
truly Revere the Lord? 
And so you have many people who 

198
00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,920
think differently about Obadiah.
They can't deny the fact that 

199
00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,520
we're told by the Spirit of God 
that he feared the Lord greatly,

200
00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,360
but they're more convinced that 
there is something compromising 

201
00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,280
about him. 
Now some would say, well look, 

202
00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:50,960
how can you say that about 
Obadiah when there are other 

203
00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:53,440
instances in the scriptures of 
people who are working for 

204
00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:59,160
terrible, evil, anti God, 
governments, administrations and

205
00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:00,520
we don't give them equal 
criticism. 

206
00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:03,200
Give me some of the names of the
people that we praise who worked

207
00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:08,960
in similar settings as Obadiah. 
Tell me, Moses. 

208
00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:13,200
OK, any other ones? 
Joseph is a strong one. 

209
00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,640
Daniel is a strong one. 
Come on, ladies. 

210
00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:17,840
There's one that you should 
know. 

211
00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:22,560
Esther. 
Esther. 

212
00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:25,360
So you have these different 
figures in the Scripture who 

213
00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:28,760
worked in the political sphere 
and for some reason we are not 

214
00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,560
so quick to give them the same 
criticism that we give to 

215
00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:34,640
Obadiah. 
And here's the counter argument.

216
00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,480
What do Daniel, Joseph and 
Esther have in common? 

217
00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:42,800
There are many things but 
exactly they were captives. 

218
00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:45,640
They were all captives. 
So in other words the counter 

219
00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:47,760
argument is they didn't really 
have a choice. 

220
00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:52,120
They didn't really have a choice
in the other argument that you 

221
00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:54,920
can make too about them is that 
they did not keep their faith 

222
00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:59,640
private, did they? 
But you can also say this, that 

223
00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:05,520
those kings that they served 
were not as hostile and 

224
00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:09,760
aggressive against God like Ahab
was. 

225
00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,720
So Pharaoh respected the fact 
that Joseph served another God. 

226
00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,880
He couldn't deny it. 
He couldn't deny those dreams of

227
00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,280
those prophecies. 
He was fine with with Joseph 

228
00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,400
doing what he wanted to do with 
his relationship with the Lord. 

229
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:24,600
And you think of Daniel and 
Esther. 

230
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:27,600
Yes, they were obviously 
worshipping idols, but whenever 

231
00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:32,440
at any point there was any kind 
of attack against the truth or a

232
00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:36,040
call to disobey the true and 
living God, there was protest, 

233
00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:39,000
were there not. 
Daniel protested, Esther 

234
00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,760
protested. 
Yes, that's true. 

235
00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,320
And so you can see the 
contention here, You can see the

236
00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,240
difficult and trying to label 
Obadiah here. 

237
00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:48,640
How? 
How is it that he was able to 

238
00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:51,600
not just camouflage these 
prophets, but it seems like he's

239
00:14:51,600 --> 00:14:57,160
hiding his own witness, Seems 
like he's adapting and and 

240
00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:01,720
that's concerning. 
So is he completely right? 

241
00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:06,120
Is he totally wrong? 
Is he like, a lot? 

242
00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:09,680
Who when you read his account in
Genesis, you're like, this guy 

243
00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:11,480
can't be saved. 
And then you go to Peter and you

244
00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:13,800
realize he's called righteous 
three times. 

245
00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,840
So he he's, he's a compromising,
worldly believer. 

246
00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:21,840
Is that what Obadiah is? 
So after the service, not now. 

247
00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:24,680
After you guys can debate all 
the people who are on this side.

248
00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:25,840
And that's it. 
You can go out of here. 

249
00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:31,480
OK, but let me give the reasons 
why I believe Obadiah is more in

250
00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:33,360
the right than he is in the 
wrong. 

251
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:38,880
I believe that there are two 
internal clues that indicate 

252
00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:43,000
that he should not receive the 
criticism that he often gets. 

253
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:47,000
The first indication is the 
tribute that the scriptures give

254
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,600
him. 
He feared the Lord greatly. 

255
00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:55,800
Full stop, plain and simple. 
The second one is something that

256
00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:01,440
is often overlooked, and it is 
Elijah's conversation with 

257
00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:05,560
Obadiah. 
How Elijah approaches and 

258
00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:10,120
responds to Obadiah when they 
meet one-on-one, and we're going

259
00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:12,840
to explore that in a moment. 
But look quickly at verse 15 and

260
00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:17,000
get a hint of the final words 
that Elijah gives to a very 

261
00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:22,240
fearful and hesitant Obadiah to 
obey the word of the Lord. 

262
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,640
Verse 15. 
And Elijah said, as the Lord of 

263
00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:30,360
hosts lives before whom I stand,
I will surely show myself to him

264
00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,560
today. 
He says that in light of Obadiah

265
00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:36,400
being afraid that if he goes and
tells Ahab, I found Elijah that 

266
00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,720
Elijah would have disappeared 
and Elijah comforts and 

267
00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:43,720
reassures him. 
Now compare that tone with 

268
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,000
Elijah's words to the nation of 
Israel when they gathered 

269
00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,320
together at Mount Carmel in 
verse 21. 

270
00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,600
Look what he says to them. 
And Elijah came near to all the 

271
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,560
people and said, how long will 
you go limping between two 

272
00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,880
different opinions. 
If the Lord is God, follow him, 

273
00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:06,119
but if bail then follow him. 
You don't you don't get that 

274
00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:09,760
kind of aggression and that 
rebuke toward Obadiah. 

275
00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:12,839
He he tells it to the people, 
but he doesn't say it to this 

276
00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:15,319
man. 
I wonder if Elijah himself 

277
00:17:15,560 --> 00:17:19,160
recognize and honor the fact 
that Obadiah did fear the Lord. 

278
00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:25,480
Who's to say that Obadiah 
recognized that in occupying the

279
00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,480
position that he had, he could 
have done greater service to the

280
00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:32,880
Lord And protecting these 
prophets and having insight and 

281
00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:35,840
Intel, knowing their moves and 
their whereabouts and their 

282
00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:39,920
plans and being able to maneuver
this remnant of messengers. 

283
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:41,760
Who's to say that that's not 
possible? 

284
00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:45,920
And so based on, I mean, you can
disagree with me if you'd like, 

285
00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:50,040
but based on what I see here, I 
think Obadiah leans more towards

286
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,760
being in the right and being in 
error. 

287
00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:56,200
And that's an encouragement to 
me. 

288
00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,920
Because then, if that is the 
case, and Obadiah teaches us 

289
00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,320
something about what it means to
fear the Lord, he teaches us 

290
00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:07,320
that it's possible to fear the 
Lord, greatly despising the 

291
00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:11,800
compromising, spiritually 
senseless, and even hostile 

292
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:13,640
environments we find ourselves 
in. 

293
00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:16,400
Does anybody know what the name 
Obadiah means? 

294
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,120
Servant of the Lord? 
You're right. 

295
00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:22,760
And that man lived up to his 
name. 

296
00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,080
Servant of the Lord, showing us 
that listen, despite the 

297
00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:30,880
Antichrist atmospheres you find 
yourself in, whether that be 

298
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,240
your workplace, whether that be 
your home or anywhere else, 

299
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,640
being a living sacrifice unto 
God is achievable. 

300
00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,920
And listen, this man who feared 
God even teaches us something 

301
00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:46,800
else about how and the depth of 
how one can fear the Lord. 

302
00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,640
Look at verse 12 quickly and 
notice what he mentions about 

303
00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:53,400
himself in verse 12. 
The second part in verse 12. 

304
00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:55,400
Look at it quickly. 
Although I'm looking at the last

305
00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:59,080
part of verse 12. 
Although I, your servant, have 

306
00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:06,200
feared the Lord from when? 
From my youth, so this is a this

307
00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:10,040
is a plea of sincerity. 
Obadiah, who the Scripture says,

308
00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:12,400
objectively fear the Lord 
greatly, says of himself. 

309
00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:17,680
Look, I fear the Lord since my 
young days that encouraged me so

310
00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:18,560
much. 
You know why? 

311
00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:25,080
Because it gives you, and I hope
that our children do not have to

312
00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:30,520
fit into the common narrative of
drifting away from God when they

313
00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:32,680
become teenagers or young 
adults. 

314
00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:36,120
They don't have to. 
They don't have to. 

315
00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:40,680
Obadiah proves to you and I that
they can stand in sincere, 

316
00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,400
reverential awe of God in their 
youth. 

317
00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,200
We should believe God for that. 
We should disciple with that 

318
00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,720
goal in mind, our children, our 
siblings. 

319
00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,560
We should trust that even in 
their youth you can have men 

320
00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:59,320
like Obadiah, who have history 
with God, who have history with 

321
00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:00,920
God. 
It's almost like people. 

322
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:05,560
Are expecting that their 
children who grew up in the 

323
00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:08,760
church, who grew up with the 
truth are are are are going to 

324
00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,720
drift away from God and just 
brace yourself for impact and 

325
00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:13,440
hope that they come back sooner 
than later. 

326
00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:15,080
Who says that has to be their 
story? 

327
00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:18,400
Who says that has to be the 
case? 

328
00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,560
Why don't believe God for more? 
Why don't believe and trust God 

329
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,240
that they can actually serve him
and love him without skipping a 

330
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,200
beat? 
And let me speak to those who 

331
00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,960
grew up in the House of God, who
feel as though. 

332
00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:33,400
Let me stop and ask this. 
When you read a man like Obadiah

333
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:36,800
who says, I fear the Lord since 
my youth, does that encourage 

334
00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,120
you? 
Does that warm your heart? 

335
00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:42,560
Does that move you? 
Doesn't that inspire you? 

336
00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:44,000
It should. 
It did to me. 

337
00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,840
OK, so why do you discount your 
testimony because you didn't 

338
00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:50,320
drift from God? 
Why do you discount your 

339
00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:52,640
testimony? 
Because you, as long as you can 

340
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,640
remember, love the Lord Jesus, 
Serve the Lord Jesus. 

341
00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,240
You look at your arms and your 
heart, you look at your mind and

342
00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,480
you say we're I don't have scars
from sin that I can show people 

343
00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:05,120
so I can have a more dramatic 
response to my testimony. 

344
00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:09,240
I'm just a plain old boring 
Christian that just grew up in 

345
00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,080
the church and stayed put and 
love the Lord and didn't have 

346
00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:17,160
any dramatic roller coaster to 
my testimony. 

347
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:19,400
Don't ever discount that 
testimony. 

348
00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,160
The fact that you feared the 
Lord all those years is a 

349
00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:25,360
testimony. 
You should praise God for it. 

350
00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:28,240
You should rejoice in it. 
The same way that you're moved 

351
00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:30,760
by Obadiah being able to say, I 
fear the Lord, you know some 

352
00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:33,800
people, and I'm excited to hear 
the testimonies of those who are

353
00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,640
getting baptized this Sunday. 
I hope not one person in writing

354
00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:39,480
their testimony feels any 
hesitation, feels any 

355
00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,560
embarrassment, feels as though 
they can't be as impactful as 

356
00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:46,640
they stand up here and say, you 
know what I fear the Lord, since

357
00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:50,000
my youth, and I'm ready to now 
make a public declaration that I

358
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,800
want to honor him. 
Praise God, if your testimony is

359
00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,520
that long, 10 seconds we're 
going to rejoice just as much as

360
00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:57,160
the one who came from the mud in
the mire. 

361
00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:01,320
So this man fear the Lord. 
He shows us that it's possible 

362
00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:05,480
to be young and fear the Lord. 
It shows us that we should 

363
00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,760
believe the same for those that 
we know that are young as well. 

364
00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,040
Let's come back to First Kings 
18, verse 5. 

365
00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:19,080
And Ahab said to Obadiah, go 
through the land, to all the 

366
00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:23,120
springs of water and to all the 
valleys, perhaps we may find 

367
00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:28,400
grass and save the horses and 
mules alive and not lose some of

368
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,040
the animals. 
How bad was this drought? 

369
00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,680
You know how bad it was that the
king had to get up from his 

370
00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:37,200
throne and look for grass 
himself? 

371
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:42,080
That's bad. 
And so he brings Obadiah on this

372
00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:44,080
trip with them. 
And he says, look, we got to 

373
00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:47,280
find something. 
And we've heard of Ahab before, 

374
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,040
but this is the first time that 
we read of Ahab speaking. 

375
00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:54,040
And what he says in this passage
says a lot about him. 

376
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:56,320
You can't read quickly through 
these things. 

377
00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,920
You got to pause and and 
contemplate based on what Ahab 

378
00:22:59,920 --> 00:23:03,320
says in assessing the situation 
in the land, what does it reveal

379
00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:05,120
about him? 
Let me make this even more 

380
00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:08,560
clear. 
What is Ahab's main concern? 

381
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:15,160
The animals. 
The animals. 

382
00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:22,720
So in a crippling famine, the 
one thing that Ahab is concerned

383
00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:27,920
about is his horses and mules. 
So you have a man who is so 

384
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:31,720
darkened in his heart not only 
listen, the indication of him 

385
00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,640
having horses is what? 
That as a king he's defying 

386
00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:37,560
God's law for kings that you 
should not acquire many horses. 

387
00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:43,960
1-2 You are more concerned about
beasts than you are about those 

388
00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:45,560
who are created in the image of 
God. 

389
00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:49,360
That's what this man reveals 
about himself. 

390
00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:51,000
He's more concerned about his 
economy. 

391
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,360
He's more concerned about his 
military might than he is about 

392
00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:58,000
the families and the children 
and the parents that are 

393
00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:03,320
starving. 
And more concerning than that is

394
00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:08,440
the omission of God in this 
whole plan of action. 

395
00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:12,200
You know what Ahab should have 
been concerned about? 

396
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:19,200
Not seeking grass, seeking God. 
What do we see here? 

397
00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:23,800
Plain ignorance of how what's 
happening around him, the 

398
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:27,280
afflictions he and his people 
are experiencing, is being 

399
00:24:27,280 --> 00:24:29,280
orchestrated by divine 
intervention. 

400
00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:34,160
He could not interpret that, or 
he was willing to at least be 

401
00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,120
ignorant of that and be content 
in his ignorance. 

402
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:42,920
I'm reminded of another time in 
Israel's Kingdom where there was

403
00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:49,960
a three-year famine and how the 
king of that time responded 

404
00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,320
completely differently from 
Ahab. 

405
00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:56,480
Can you think of the king and 
the time that I'm thinking of? 

406
00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:00,480
If you were here during our 
study of First and Second 

407
00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:04,440
Samuel, you'll remember I kind 
of gave it away, did I not? 

408
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:08,720
There was another time where 
there was a three-year famine. 

409
00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:11,760
OK, fine. 
You have to go there, though. 

410
00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:12,960
I'm not going to give you the 
answer. 

411
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,400
It's in Second Samuel, Chapter 
21, and you're going to get your

412
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:28,430
answer in verse one. 
Second Samuel 21, verse one, are

413
00:25:28,430 --> 00:25:32,350
you there? 
Here's what it says Now there 

414
00:25:32,350 --> 00:25:38,430
was a famine in the days of 
David for three years, year 

415
00:25:38,590 --> 00:25:42,830
after year. 
And David, what did he do? 

416
00:25:42,830 --> 00:25:48,070
Do you think he sought for grass
And David sought the face of the

417
00:25:48,070 --> 00:25:52,560
Lord. 
And the Lord said there is blood

418
00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:56,280
guilt on Saul and on his house 
because he put the Gibeonites to

419
00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:58,760
death and that that's a 
fascinating study. 

420
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,800
You can always go back to Second
Samuel 21 because we explored 

421
00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:04,200
that in greater detail. 
But here you have a three-year 

422
00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:05,960
famine. 
You have a king and notice the 

423
00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,600
contrast. 
You have King Ahab looking for 

424
00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:12,240
grass and you have King David 
looking for God. 

425
00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:18,440
Here's what we learn from Ahab. 
Supernatural judgments do not 

426
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:24,040
automatically promise. 
Softened hearts do not 

427
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:27,560
automatically promise spiritual 
awakening. 

428
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:33,240
And I think that's a timely word
for us in the day that we're 

429
00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,720
living in because we are 
witnessing the collapse of 

430
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:40,280
Western society. 
And we hope that with the 

431
00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:45,680
increase of perversion and 
calamities and disasters and 

432
00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:50,720
evil, something would click and 
we would stop grasping for 

433
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:55,560
temporary relief and pause and 
say we need to seek God. 

434
00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:00,120
And though these judgments that 
are given by God, these 

435
00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:04,400
permissions were when God and 
his passive wrath, let's go of 

436
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:09,440
His preserving grace, are 
designed to cause us to seek the

437
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:11,840
Lord, they don't automatically 
guarantee it. 

438
00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,480
So I want to just throw out a 
couple references to make that 

439
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,040
case. 
I think of two passages in one, 

440
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:22,600
in one book, in Isaiah, in 
Isaiah, Chapter 9, verse 13, you

441
00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:23,760
don't have to turn there, but 
listen. 

442
00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,080
You can write this down and look
for look for it yourself later. 

443
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:28,640
Listen to the words of Isaiah 
913. 

444
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:34,040
The people did not turn to him 
who struck him. 

445
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:39,920
The people did not turn to him 
who struck him, nor inquire of 

446
00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,360
the Lord of hosts. 
What was the intent of striking 

447
00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:44,720
the people? 
That they would turn to the Lord

448
00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:46,480
of hosts. 
That they would inquire of him 

449
00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:49,680
like David. 
Did the prophets repeat this? 

450
00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:51,880
In so many ways? 
I'm just staying with Isaiah. 

451
00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:57,320
You think of Isaiah 42, verse 
25, Isaiah 4225. 

452
00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:59,040
Just listen carefully to these 
words. 

453
00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:04,640
So he poured on him. 
Being Israel, He poured on him 

454
00:28:04,640 --> 00:28:08,480
the heat of his anger and the 
might of battle. 

455
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:13,600
It set him on fire all around, 
but he did not understand. 

456
00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,760
It burned him up, but he did not
take it to heart. 

457
00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:24,520
So it's possible for God to 
stretch forth his hand and wound

458
00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:29,400
a person, wound a nation, and 
they still don't get the hint. 

459
00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:33,920
And they harden themselves in 
their sin and they remain an 

460
00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:37,360
unbelief and they don't even 
have an iota of humility to 

461
00:28:37,360 --> 00:28:40,200
pause and say, maybe God is 
trying to get my attention. 

462
00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:42,440
Maybe God wants to say something
to me. 

463
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:47,240
So what do you have here? 
In verse five of First Kings 18,

464
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:51,960
you have Ahab's pursuit of 
grass, symbolizing what the 

465
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,360
wicked often do in their pain 
and misery. 

466
00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:57,440
They go searching for temporary 
relief. 

467
00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,960
See, if he would have found 
grass, he might have fed his 

468
00:28:59,960 --> 00:29:01,880
mules and his horses for a few 
days. 

469
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:03,960
But what was God intending in 
this? 

470
00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:08,240
That he would, instead of 
looking for trivial things, he 

471
00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:11,880
could look to the permanent 
relief in the Redeemer's grace. 

472
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,720
And he doesn't. 
And it's a shame. 

473
00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:19,480
He's looking for grass when he 
should be looking for God. 

474
00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,360
Let's come back to verse six of 
first Kings 18. 

475
00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:26,640
So they divided the land between
them, that is Ahab and Obadiah 

476
00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,040
to pass through it. 
Ahab went in One Direction by 

477
00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:34,320
himself and Obadiah went in 
another direction by himself. 

478
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:36,440
Now look what happens in verse 
7. 

479
00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:44,080
And as Obadiah was on the way, 
behold, Elijah met him, and 

480
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:48,680
Obadiah recognized him and fell 
on his face and said, Is it you,

481
00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:55,360
my Lord, Elijah? 
And he answered him, It is I go 

482
00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:59,840
tell your Lord, Behold, Elijah 
is here. 

483
00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:06,240
Now, up to this point, our study
of Elijah, we've been inspired 

484
00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:11,080
by this man's obedience, by this
man's growth in his faith, that 

485
00:30:11,080 --> 00:30:13,440
even in those years of 
seclusion, the Lord challenged 

486
00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:18,000
him to not depend upon natural 
resources, to even believe in 

487
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:19,720
him. 
For when a person even dies, 

488
00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:20,960
that God can raise him from the 
dead. 

489
00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:25,080
Elijah was being taught and 
trained and prepared, and what I

490
00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:28,440
find so interesting is that God 
told Elijah go show yourself to 

491
00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:32,080
who, Obadiah. 
No, he said, go show yourself to

492
00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:34,400
who Ahab. 
Go to Ahab. 

493
00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:38,720
And what's so interesting is 
that you have Ahab and Obadiah 

494
00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:41,720
splitting ways and going on 
different paths in different 

495
00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:45,200
directions. 
And you would think that Elijah 

496
00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,560
would have been steered towards 
Ahab and to meet with him 

497
00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:50,240
directly, right? 
And he was told, go and show 

498
00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,720
yourself to Ahab. 
But he doesn't. 

499
00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:57,880
Instead, he has to meet with 
Obadiah. 

500
00:30:59,200 --> 00:31:03,600
And it's going to be through 
Obadiah's participation that 

501
00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:06,200
Elijah and Ahab are going to 
have a confrontation. 

502
00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:12,480
Why? 
Because God is not just 

503
00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:17,560
concerned with prophets. 
God is equally invested in all 

504
00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:22,000
of His servants, no matter how 
or where they serve him. 

505
00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:27,720
And so, in the same way God was 
doing a work in Elijah's heart 

506
00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:31,200
and stretching his faith and 
hoping that he would graduate 

507
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:35,320
from glory to glory, God now is 
showing that he wants to work in

508
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,760
Obadiah's life to a greater 
degree. 

509
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:42,240
He feared the Lord greatly, but 
now he's giving Obadiah a chance

510
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:45,960
to trust him more and to witness
more of his power and his might 

511
00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:48,800
and his mercy. 
And it's going to take a trial. 

512
00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:51,680
It's going to take an invitation
to step out on obedience for 

513
00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:55,800
that to take place. 
And so remember that as a 

514
00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:58,480
beautiful picture here. 
We also think that God is more 

515
00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:00,840
concerned with those who have 
mighty ministries, who have 

516
00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:02,480
great, incredible gifts. 
No, no, no. 

517
00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:05,920
He he's just as concerned with 
Oba Obadiah than he is with the 

518
00:32:05,920 --> 00:32:13,080
Elijah's, and so he has Elijah 
meet with Obadiah, and Obadiah 

519
00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:15,400
here is going to be commanded to
do something. 

520
00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:22,000
But unfortunately, unlike Elijah
who showed who showed quick 

521
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,520
obedience, swift compliance, and
submission to the will of God, 

522
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,880
Obadiah is not. 
Obadiah is going to have some 

523
00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:32,800
reservations. 
Obadiah is going to hesitate 

524
00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,000
greatly to step out in the way 
that God's going to call him to 

525
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:38,480
step out. 
And what I want us to do at this

526
00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:44,520
portion of our Bible study is to
examine 33 reservations that 

527
00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:48,160
Obadiah has in obeying the Lord 
and get this. 

528
00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:52,800
It applies to common temptations
that you and I have when we know

529
00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:56,280
what God's word says about 
something and we fail to apply 

530
00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:59,280
it to that certain situation. 
Are you ready for that? 

531
00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:03,000
Well, let's do it. 
We come here to verse 8 and I 

532
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:04,760
want you to look at the first 
point. 

533
00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:11,160
Verse 9 says, And he said in 
response to Elijah saying, go 

534
00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:12,680
and tell your Lord Elijah is 
here. 

535
00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:19,280
Verse 9 And he said, how have I 
sinned that you would give your 

536
00:33:19,280 --> 00:33:24,680
servant into the hand of Ahab to
kill me As the Lord your God 

537
00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:27,800
lives. 
There is no nation or Kingdom 

538
00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:30,800
where my Lord has not sent to 
seek you. 

539
00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:34,560
And when they would say he is 
not here, he would take an oath 

540
00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:37,560
of the Kingdom or nation that 
they had not found you. 

541
00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,440
I before anything, I always want
to pause and rejoice in the 

542
00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:45,720
protective care of God. 
Can you imagine the leader of a 

543
00:33:45,720 --> 00:33:49,720
nation investigating other 
nations and the kings to try to 

544
00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:51,000
find you? 
You're talking about an 

545
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:56,080
international investigation, and
God was able to preserve his 

546
00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:59,400
servant Elijah. 
Listen, when you're walking with

547
00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:02,040
the Lord, you're a greater 
advantage. 

548
00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:06,160
And even if the nation's 
collaborate against you, I hope 

549
00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:08,239
you really believe that. 
You know what bothers me 

550
00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:10,199
sometimes about how people look 
at the Old Testament? 

551
00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:15,480
They treat it like Sunday School
stories to get children excited 

552
00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:18,080
and to open up their imagination
and hopefully their faith in 

553
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,639
God. 
These are not children's 

554
00:34:19,639 --> 00:34:22,360
stories, and they're not just 
meant for Sunday School. 

555
00:34:22,679 --> 00:34:25,840
They're meant for you and 
they're meant for me until we 

556
00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,320
see him face to face. 
So Elijah here was protected. 

557
00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:35,120
But notice what the reasoning is
for Obadiah to not step out. 

558
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:38,440
Here it is. 
Some people do not obey God #1 

559
00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:42,120
because we wrongly excuse 
ourselves from certain tasks. 

560
00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:46,080
We wrongly excuse ourselves from
certain tasks. 

561
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:48,840
What do I mean by that? 
Obadiah felt as though this 

562
00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:51,159
command was more of a punishment
than it was an honor. 

563
00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:56,560
And what we see here is that he 
sought to absolve himself from 

564
00:34:56,560 --> 00:35:02,520
such a dangerous mandate. 
Seeing that look, I didn't sin 

565
00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:09,360
or do anything to deserve such 
such a miserable job, and so he 

566
00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:13,200
he almost excuses himself based 
on his own righteousness. 

567
00:35:14,720 --> 00:35:17,080
Why are you picking me to do 
this? 

568
00:35:18,480 --> 00:35:20,080
I don't see anything in my 
history. 

569
00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:22,960
I can't think of anything in my 
conscience that would that would

570
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:26,080
call me to be a candidate for 
such a thing. 

571
00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:32,840
And so he presents himself as 
one who is worthy to be excused.

572
00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:36,440
You know, when God calls us to 
obey him in certain ways, you 

573
00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:40,840
have some who hesitate #1 
because they think they're not 

574
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:45,840
good enough. 
That's Moses to lead a nation 

575
00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:50,800
out of captivity, and he gave a 
catalogue of excuses why he was 

576
00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:54,800
not the man for the job. 
So you have some who reserve 

577
00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,600
their faith and their trust 
because they feel as though as 

578
00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:00,520
they look at themselves. 
I don't know if I'm the guy, I 

579
00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:03,280
don't know if I'm the gal for 
the mission. 

580
00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:07,720
And you have others when it 
comes to certain tasks and 

581
00:36:07,720 --> 00:36:12,440
obedience who think they're too 
good and think they should be 

582
00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:16,920
excused. 
The latter part is more 

583
00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:20,720
relatable than you might think, 
because again, we look at this 

584
00:36:20,720 --> 00:36:23,600
in a very 1 dimensional way. 
This is Obadiah asked to stand 

585
00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:29,560
before an unpredictable king, 
and so he's fearful of even 

586
00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:31,800
mentioning the name Elijah in 
his presence. 

587
00:36:31,800 --> 00:36:33,320
And we're like, OK, that's 
that's good. 

588
00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,000
No, no, dig deeper and look at 
the principle. 

589
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:42,000
You know, there are some people 
who when called to do something 

590
00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:48,440
by Providence or by invitation, 
feel as though they're too 

591
00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:52,280
qualified. 
They feel this surge of self 

592
00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:56,320
righteousness or they 
overestimate their value and not

593
00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:58,000
necessarily for dangerous tasks 
like this. 

594
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,920
But I'm thinking more for humble
chores. 

595
00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:07,640
I don't. 
I don't know if I'm part of the 

596
00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,160
praise team. 
You can't ask me to do that, 

597
00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:15,600
right? 
A lot of people, and christened 

598
00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:18,800
them today, want to be 
celebrities, especially in the 

599
00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:22,200
singing world. 
I'm a preacher. 

600
00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:27,760
I speak before people. 
You can't ask me to do this. 

601
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:30,920
And I was meditating on this 
today and I thought of one of 

602
00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:33,760
the mightiest men of God that 
the world will ever know. 

603
00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:38,600
Paul and all the mighty things 
that God did through his words 

604
00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:41,560
and did through his hands. 
And I and I and my mind went to 

605
00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:45,560
a place in Acts, in Acts 28, 
where he was abandoned and there

606
00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:48,160
was shipwrecked on an island 
called Malta. 

607
00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:55,360
And in Providence God uses Paul 
to lay hands on someone and it 

608
00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:59,320
brought healing and it brought 
many hearts to be awakened. 

609
00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:02,480
I want, I want you to hear these
words in Acts 28, verse 8. 

610
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,720
Just listen. 
It says it happened that the 

611
00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:08,440
father of Publius lay sick with 
fever in the century. 

612
00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:13,000
And Paul visited him and prayed 
and putting his hands on him 

613
00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:18,720
healed him. 
He imagined that a major figure 

614
00:38:18,720 --> 00:38:21,880
in a foreign land. 
And God uses your hands to be 

615
00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:25,400
laid upon him, and for him to be
healed miraculously, and for 

616
00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:30,560
that entire neighborhood to hear
about it and for that news to 

617
00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:32,520
spread. 
And I thought about Paul's 

618
00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:36,440
hands, how he was used to do the
miraculous, and with those same 

619
00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:38,840
hands in the same chapter. 
You read Paul doing this. 

620
00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:40,480
Just listen to this. 
You heard him laying hands on 

621
00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:42,760
the sick and then recovering. 
You know what he did earlier 

622
00:38:42,760 --> 00:38:44,160
with those same hands. 
Let me read it to you. 

623
00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:47,040
In Acts 28, verse three, when 
they came to this island 

624
00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:52,840
initially, when Paul had 
gathered a bundle of sticks and 

625
00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:56,680
put them on the fire, a Viper 
came out because of the heat and

626
00:38:56,680 --> 00:39:00,520
fastened on his hand. 
I don't know if that moves you. 

627
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,440
It moves me. 
The very same hands that God 

628
00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:08,760
used to raise the sick were used
to humbly pick up sticks and to 

629
00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:10,880
feed a fire. 
There are hundreds of other 

630
00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:14,000
people on that beach that day, 
but Paul saw it necessary to 

631
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,880
just be a servant in that 
setting, and they just pick up 

632
00:39:16,880 --> 00:39:19,480
sticks and put them in the fire.
You know what Paul could have 

633
00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,320
said? 
I'm not sure if I want to damage

634
00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:25,760
these hands. 
God's used them to touch many 

635
00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:28,720
people's lives. 
I wonder if these prisoners and 

636
00:39:28,720 --> 00:39:30,880
these citizens of Malta know who
I am. 

637
00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,720
Maybe I should let them know. 
They'll be more eager to feed 

638
00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:37,160
this fire so that I don't come 
down with a cold. 

639
00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:39,760
And, you know, because God needs
me to bring revival to this 

640
00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:41,480
island. 
Do you think that's how Paul 

641
00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:43,240
thought? 
Absolutely not. 

642
00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:46,320
Here you have this man without 
question, still dripping wet, 

643
00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:50,560
skin wrinkly from the ocean 
water picking up sticks, 

644
00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:56,680
demonstrating humility. 
And so you have Obadiah here, 

645
00:39:56,680 --> 00:39:59,080
who is hesitant to obey God 
because he wrongly excused 

646
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:01,680
himself from this task. 
And some people do that for many

647
00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:04,240
reasons. 
But we have a second reason why 

648
00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:06,960
Obadiah hesitated to obey God. 
Let's read it together in verse 

649
00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:15,680
11 says here. 
And now you say, Go tell your 

650
00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:20,880
Lord, Behold, Elijah is here, 
and as soon as I have gone from 

651
00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:23,480
you, the Spirit of the Lord will
carry you. 

652
00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:28,080
I know not where. 
And so when I come and tell Ahab

653
00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:32,560
and he cannot find you, he will 
kill me, although I, your 

654
00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:35,080
servant, have feared the Lord 
from my youth. 

655
00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:39,920
So you you see how this man is 
thinking, right? 

656
00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:42,840
It's faulty, but he's working 
off something. 

657
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:47,960
Factoring in how the Lord caused
Elijah to vanish and disappear 

658
00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:52,800
for three years, he now has this
suspicion that if he goes to 

659
00:40:52,840 --> 00:40:56,440
Ahab and says, look, I found 
Elijah, the spirit of Lord at 

660
00:40:56,440 --> 00:41:02,080
any moment can just rapture 
Elijah and cause him to be gone 

661
00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:05,920
for an undisclosed amount of 
time, putting Obadiah in a 

662
00:41:05,920 --> 00:41:10,000
dangerous position for an unmet 
expectation. 

663
00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:15,840
And so knowing what Elijah has 
been doing these past few years,

664
00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:20,360
namely being hidden, thinks what
What makes me think that you're 

665
00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:25,200
not able to do that again? 
I'm I'm not sure if I'm up for 

666
00:41:25,200 --> 00:41:28,640
that task knowing that at any 
moment God can pull a trick and 

667
00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:33,600
and I'm more in trouble than 
anything else here. 

668
00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:38,040
Here's some people and another 
reason why they are hesitant to 

669
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:40,520
obey the Lord. 
Number two, people are hesitant 

670
00:41:40,520 --> 00:41:43,040
to obey the Lord because they 
assume that obedience will set 

671
00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:50,440
them up for harm more than good.
So here you have Obadiah saying 

672
00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:52,680
the Lord is telling me to do 
this and it's going to rob me, 

673
00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:58,480
it's going to endanger me. 
And there is a wide spectrum of 

674
00:41:58,480 --> 00:42:01,480
risk when you and I contemplate 
consecration in a certain 

675
00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:06,400
circumstance. 
It's not uncommon for believers 

676
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,080
to think of the worst possible 
outcome when they want to obey 

677
00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:13,280
the Lord or when they're called 
to obey the Lord, no matter what

678
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:16,360
that call of obedience is. 
So here the Lord is nudging on 

679
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,560
your heart to ask somebody for 
forgiveness. 

680
00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:22,440
And what goes through your mind?
Well, I'm going to look 

681
00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:23,680
vulnerable. 
I'm going to look weak. 

682
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:25,680
I'm going to look like I'm in 
the wrong here. 

683
00:42:26,240 --> 00:42:28,880
They're the ones who should be 
asking me for forgiveness, not 

684
00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:33,440
me asking them for forgiveness. 
And here you are called in a 

685
00:42:33,440 --> 00:42:35,440
moment where you can be 
dishonest. 

686
00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:39,240
And in being dishonest you can 
preserve a little bit more money

687
00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:42,600
in your bank account. 
But if you're honest, you're 

688
00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:45,080
going to have to add a little 
bit more figures to the report, 

689
00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:47,880
and that's going to cost you 
more and you're in a very tight 

690
00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:51,000
place. 
So maybe I can just God will 

691
00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:56,440
understand because if I'm if I'm
true to this then it might rob 

692
00:42:56,440 --> 00:43:01,560
me. 
Or then here you are in a moment

693
00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:04,880
where you can defend the truth, 
stand up for righteousness. 

694
00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:08,720
But now all these crashing 
thoughts come in because if you 

695
00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:12,520
do stand up for this you might 
come off as a self-righteous, 

696
00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:18,760
out of touch Puritan. 
Not sure I want to stand out for

697
00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:21,840
this when everybody else seems 
to be OK with it, when I know 

698
00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:25,160
the word of God says else 
elsewhere and otherwise. 

699
00:43:26,800 --> 00:43:29,840
So there are times in those 
moments where we feel like this 

700
00:43:29,840 --> 00:43:32,400
is. 
If I do this, I think it's going

701
00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:34,040
to hurt me more than anything 
else. 

702
00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:36,160
And in this case, he thought he 
was going to be killed. 

703
00:43:37,600 --> 00:43:40,680
Listen, you can never go wrong 
with obeying God. 

704
00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:44,120
Never. 
You will never lose. 

705
00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:49,440
And no matter what losses you 
may gain, they are temporary 

706
00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:51,600
losses. 
And they will always, always, 

707
00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:53,960
always be outweighed by the 
rewards. 

708
00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:59,240
Always, always remember that no 
matter what that call is, and no

709
00:43:59,240 --> 00:44:03,080
matter what the hesitations are,
trust and obey, for there's no 

710
00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:07,480
other way. 
So Obadiah here is worried if I 

711
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:12,960
do this, I'm going to be in more
perilous position. 

712
00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:15,600
But that's not the only 
hesitation he has in obeying the

713
00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:17,000
Lord. 
There's a third and final one. 

714
00:44:17,480 --> 00:44:19,320
It's found in verse 13. 
Let's read it together. 

715
00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:27,320
Has it not been told, my Lord, 
what I did when Jezebel killed 

716
00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:32,080
the prophets of the Lord? 
How I hid 100 men of the Lord's 

717
00:44:32,080 --> 00:44:36,280
prophets by 50s in a cave and 
fed them with bread and water? 

718
00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:40,360
And now you say, go tell your 
Lord, behold, Elijah is here, 

719
00:44:40,360 --> 00:44:41,600
and he will kill me like he 
can't. 

720
00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:44,000
He can't stop thinking about it.
He's like, I can't believe 

721
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:50,280
you're asking me to go and say 
Elijah is here and you just 

722
00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:51,520
think everything's going to be 
OK. 

723
00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:53,160
He keeps saying that it's so 
human. 

724
00:44:53,160 --> 00:44:55,440
I love it. 
It's like you keep saying that. 

725
00:44:55,800 --> 00:44:59,240
No. 
What's the third excuse here? 

726
00:44:59,240 --> 00:45:01,120
What's the third reservation? 
Hesitation. 

727
00:45:02,840 --> 00:45:05,960
There are some people who are 
hesitant to obey because they 

728
00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:08,320
wrongly excuse themselves from 
certain tasks. 

729
00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:10,880
There are some were hesitant to 
obey because they think 

730
00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:14,480
obedience will harm them more 
than bless them. 

731
00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:20,640
And lastly, there are some 
people today who are in current 

732
00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:25,840
disobedience because of their 
justification of past obedience.

733
00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:31,400
So what does he tell Elijah? 
He's like, hey, do you know what

734
00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:36,560
I did for the Lord? 
I hid these men like your guys, 

735
00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:38,640
like prophets. 
I hid them. 

736
00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:42,560
I risk my life for them. 
And he's rehearsing history. 

737
00:45:42,840 --> 00:45:47,440
He's rehearsing what he's done 
in the past, and he's allowed 

738
00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:52,440
that to soothe him to the degree
where now he is paralyzed in 

739
00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:57,560
further obedience. 
This is far too common among 

740
00:45:57,560 --> 00:46:03,400
Christians, who currently, 
presently, are not as zealous as

741
00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:06,560
they should be, are not as 
committed as they should be, and

742
00:46:06,560 --> 00:46:08,200
not as willing as they should 
be. 

743
00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:12,520
And part of the reason why is 
because they recall and even 

744
00:46:12,520 --> 00:46:17,800
retell of a time where they were
devoted to the Lord, and they 

745
00:46:17,800 --> 00:46:20,800
did this and that for the Lord. 
And they did give this amount 

746
00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:24,240
and they did go there and they 
did step away and they did step 

747
00:46:24,240 --> 00:46:30,760
in and they just look back at 
that and use that as a means, as

748
00:46:30,760 --> 00:46:34,280
though nothing else is required 
of them anymore. 

749
00:46:35,280 --> 00:46:39,840
That one time deal is enough. 
And that's a dangerous way of 

750
00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:42,440
thinking, because your 
recollection and testifying of 

751
00:46:42,440 --> 00:46:46,000
what God has done in and through
you is important. 

752
00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:49,800
It's wonderful, but it should 
never encourage idleness. 

753
00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:55,440
If anything, it should stimulate
you to be further expectant that

754
00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:57,520
God would do greater things in 
and through you. 

755
00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:01,160
You know, if Obadiah was in the 
right frame of mind when he 

756
00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:04,480
heard this instruction from 
Elijah, he should have felt OK. 

757
00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:07,200
The same God who protected me 
while I protected those men is 

758
00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:09,160
going to be the same God who's 
going to walk with me now. 

759
00:47:09,960 --> 00:47:12,960
And the same God who has shown 
me His wisdom and care and love 

760
00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:15,440
in the season of hiding these 
men. 

761
00:47:15,600 --> 00:47:18,000
Surely now He's ready to 
demonstrate greater power, 

762
00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:22,000
wisdom and mercy as I'm about to
face Ahab, But that's not how 

763
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:25,040
he's thinking. 
And listen, you have 

764
00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:29,040
unfortunately too many people in
the church who are indifferent 

765
00:47:29,320 --> 00:47:33,720
or inactive in the things of God
because Once Upon a time they 

766
00:47:33,720 --> 00:47:37,160
were and they're happy to just 
live in memory lane. 

767
00:47:39,240 --> 00:47:43,880
I've talked to people like that,
and it's a sad thing to see 

768
00:47:43,880 --> 00:47:46,200
because God has so much more for
you and I. 

769
00:47:47,320 --> 00:47:51,320
One of my favorite passages that
reignites my faith, it's in the 

770
00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:55,360
Old Testament and it's about 
Moses when he's so desperately 

771
00:47:55,360 --> 00:47:57,840
wanted to go into the promised. 
And this is after he disobeyed 

772
00:47:57,840 --> 00:47:59,880
God. 
This is after God had given him 

773
00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:01,560
the verdict. 
You are not going into the 

774
00:48:01,560 --> 00:48:03,280
promised land. 
You dishonored me before the 

775
00:48:03,280 --> 00:48:06,080
people, and because you are a 
leader, there's greater 

776
00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:08,000
accountability for you than the 
average person. 

777
00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:11,880
And so he's so wanted these you 
could just feel his pain and 

778
00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:15,040
saying, Lord, please let me go 
in and in one of the please. 

779
00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:19,800
In Deuteronomy 3, I often go to 
that place whenever I feel as 

780
00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:23,080
though my faith or my 
expectation begins to get stale.

781
00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:26,920
Notice what Moses says in 
Deuteronomy 324. 

782
00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:33,240
He tells the Lord, oh Lord God, 
you have only begun to show your

783
00:48:33,240 --> 00:48:35,920
servant your greatness and your 
mighty hand. 

784
00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:39,080
Wow, did you hear the reference?
Here It is. 

785
00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:41,480
So you never forget it. 
Deuteronomy 324. 

786
00:48:41,920 --> 00:48:46,160
Oh, Lord God, you have only 
begun to show your servant. 

787
00:48:48,400 --> 00:48:52,360
Are you kidding me? 
Do you know what Moses witnessed

788
00:48:52,440 --> 00:48:56,280
up to this point? 
The miracles, the interventions,

789
00:48:57,240 --> 00:49:01,920
the suspension of natural 
things, judgments and 

790
00:49:01,920 --> 00:49:04,400
provisions. 
All that Moses experience and he

791
00:49:04,400 --> 00:49:07,640
dares to say in a form of a 
prayer you only started. 

792
00:49:08,680 --> 00:49:12,480
You only started to show me your
greatness and your might Well 

793
00:49:12,480 --> 00:49:14,640
hold on. 
If that's what Moses says in his

794
00:49:14,960 --> 00:49:17,280
experience of God, what makes 
you and I think that we have the

795
00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:19,040
right to get bored with our walk
with the Lord. 

796
00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:22,480
What makes you? 
What makes you? 

797
00:49:22,480 --> 00:49:26,760
And I feel as though we can just
go into cruise control mode and 

798
00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:29,520
and limit our Christian 
experience to making sure we get

799
00:49:29,520 --> 00:49:35,040
to church on time. 
There's so much more, and the 

800
00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:38,960
only reason why you and I are 
not seeing more, or at least 

801
00:49:38,960 --> 00:49:40,840
positioning ourselves to do so, 
is because we don't take the 

802
00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:44,160
commands of God seriously. 
If you position yourself and 

803
00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:47,880
frame your life just with this, 
just with the Great Commission, 

804
00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:52,200
whether you are the sent out one
or you are helping those to be 

805
00:49:52,200 --> 00:49:57,600
sent out, that alone frames your
life to see God do mighty and 

806
00:49:57,600 --> 00:50:01,200
wonderful things. 
Never mind a prayer life, never 

807
00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:04,160
mind being part of a local 
church, never mind all the micro

808
00:50:04,160 --> 00:50:06,000
ministries that you and I are 
invited to. 

809
00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:09,720
Never mind all of those things. 
But see, if you and I position 

810
00:50:09,720 --> 00:50:14,720
ourselves in a way the Bible 
calls us to, we go from glory to

811
00:50:14,720 --> 00:50:18,520
glory. 
And unfortunately Obadiah was 

812
00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:22,840
satisfied to remain in what he 
has done at one time and was 

813
00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:26,160
hesitant to not see what God 
wanted to do in his today and 

814
00:50:26,160 --> 00:50:29,160
his tomorrow. 
How does Elijah respond to this?

815
00:50:30,600 --> 00:50:34,800
Look at verse 14 again, says And
now you say, go tell your Lord, 

816
00:50:34,800 --> 00:50:36,840
behold, Elijah is here and he 
will kill me. 

817
00:50:37,280 --> 00:50:41,560
And Elijah said as the Lord of 
Hosts lives before whom I stand,

818
00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:44,080
I will surely show myself to 
him. 

819
00:50:44,520 --> 00:50:48,920
Today again, Elijah is known as 
a fire breathing prophet, is he 

820
00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:51,680
not? 
You're going to read that as we 

821
00:50:51,680 --> 00:50:54,640
move on. 
But here you have Elijah in the 

822
00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:59,480
presence of a cold laborer, and 
it's so clear that Obadiah loves

823
00:50:59,480 --> 00:51:01,120
God, right? 
It's so clear. 

824
00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:06,680
But this man who loved God was 
in a moment of weak faith, And 

825
00:51:06,680 --> 00:51:10,680
Elijah teaches you and I how we 
deal with such people who are 

826
00:51:10,680 --> 00:51:13,520
standing at the threshold of 
obedience, but can't seem to 

827
00:51:13,520 --> 00:51:16,560
make that first step. 
What are you and I called to do?

828
00:51:17,040 --> 00:51:21,240
Build them up with the truth? 
Out of all the things that 

829
00:51:21,240 --> 00:51:24,200
Elijah could have said to 
Obadiah to reassure him, how 

830
00:51:24,200 --> 00:51:26,280
does he address him? 
In what name? 

831
00:51:26,640 --> 00:51:28,360
The name of the Lord? 
Of what? 

832
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:32,280
Of Hosts. 
That is an appropriate title to 

833
00:51:32,280 --> 00:51:36,360
resurface in the mind of 
Obadiah's foggy faith. 

834
00:51:37,200 --> 00:51:40,320
The Lord of Hosts. 
You know what the translation of

835
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:43,280
that is? 
The Lord of Angel armies. 

836
00:51:44,160 --> 00:51:48,560
The Lord who has innumerable 
spiritual agents at his 

837
00:51:48,560 --> 00:51:51,120
disposal. 
I'm talking to you, and I'm 

838
00:51:51,120 --> 00:51:53,600
admonishing, admonishing you in 
that name. 

839
00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:57,720
What a truth that Obadiah would 
need to hear as he stands before

840
00:51:57,720 --> 00:52:01,040
a king. 
The one who is by you has Angel 

841
00:52:01,040 --> 00:52:04,400
armies by him and by you, 
Obadiah. 

842
00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:10,080
So it's with a specific tailor 
made truth that Elijah deposits 

843
00:52:10,080 --> 00:52:12,200
in the heart of Obadiah that 
gives him the grace and the 

844
00:52:12,200 --> 00:52:14,720
strength to actually do it. 
But there's something else that 

845
00:52:14,720 --> 00:52:16,640
I'm inspired by concerning 
Elijah's words here. 

846
00:52:16,640 --> 00:52:18,800
Look again with me. 
Look at verse 15. 

847
00:52:19,760 --> 00:52:23,880
And Elijah said, as the Lord of 
hosts lives before whom I stand,

848
00:52:24,160 --> 00:52:26,400
I will surely show myself to him
today. 

849
00:52:26,720 --> 00:52:29,280
Is there a phrase in that verse 
that stands out to you? 

850
00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:35,200
Yes. 
Good, you are careful students 

851
00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:39,480
of the Bible. 
Notice that Elijah says before 

852
00:52:39,560 --> 00:52:42,720
whom I stand. 
Is that the first time that 

853
00:52:42,720 --> 00:52:45,400
Elijah says that? 
Go back to verse one of chapter 

854
00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:51,760
17. 
What do we read now, Elijah? 

855
00:52:51,760 --> 00:52:56,120
The tishbite of Tishby in Gilead
said to Ahab, as the Lord, the 

856
00:52:56,120 --> 00:53:00,600
God of Israel is before whom I 
stand. 

857
00:53:02,320 --> 00:53:04,880
It's the very first statement 
that Elijah makes when he is 

858
00:53:04,880 --> 00:53:08,360
introduced to us in the word of 
God and when he says before whom

859
00:53:08,360 --> 00:53:09,440
I stand. 
This is what it means. 

860
00:53:09,440 --> 00:53:13,120
Let me remind you, the Lord 
before, before whom, whose 

861
00:53:13,120 --> 00:53:18,920
presence I live in, and before 
whom I am standing ready to be 

862
00:53:18,920 --> 00:53:21,120
at His service, no matter what 
he asks of me. 

863
00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:26,040
To be standing means I am ready 
to be called upon, to perform 

864
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:29,560
anything that you desire. 
And to say before whom I stand 

865
00:53:29,560 --> 00:53:33,120
also means that you are in the 
very presence of the one who is 

866
00:53:33,120 --> 00:53:34,960
superior to you, namely the 
Lord. 

867
00:53:35,840 --> 00:53:38,720
Here's what blesses me about 
this, He says in the First 

868
00:53:38,720 --> 00:53:43,760
Kings, 1713. 
Years later, in First Kings 18, 

869
00:53:44,040 --> 00:53:45,640
he's able to still say the same 
thing. 

870
00:53:48,320 --> 00:53:49,560
You know what my prayer is for 
you? 

871
00:53:49,600 --> 00:53:54,440
Each and every single one of us 
Is that three years from now you

872
00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:58,080
can say, I live before the 
presence of the Lord, and I 

873
00:53:58,080 --> 00:54:00,040
stand ready to do whatever he 
asks of me. 

874
00:54:01,240 --> 00:54:03,080
And my prayer is not that you 
would only be able to say that 

875
00:54:03,080 --> 00:54:04,800
three years from now. 
I pray that you'd be able to say

876
00:54:04,800 --> 00:54:09,600
that 13 years from now, not just
1330 years from now, that you 

877
00:54:09,600 --> 00:54:13,520
would be able to say the Lord 
before whom I stand, the Lord 

878
00:54:13,520 --> 00:54:16,480
Jesus Christ, the one that I 
worship, love and adore. 

879
00:54:16,480 --> 00:54:18,240
I still live for him. 
I still love him. 

880
00:54:18,240 --> 00:54:22,280
I still serve him. 
We say, well, Elijah is a unique

881
00:54:22,280 --> 00:54:25,720
case, my friend, It's easy for 
you to say in an inspirational 

882
00:54:25,720 --> 00:54:29,240
message like this, but Elijah 
had experiences that all of us 

883
00:54:29,240 --> 00:54:31,360
combined cannot even come close 
to. 

884
00:54:31,520 --> 00:54:33,760
And Elijah had unique 
dispositions. 

885
00:54:33,760 --> 00:54:36,040
Maybe he was a very disciplined 
man to begin with. 

886
00:54:36,240 --> 00:54:40,440
And yet James comes to say, oh, 
hold on, let me remind you that 

887
00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:42,560
Elijah was a man with a nature 
like ours. 

888
00:54:45,760 --> 00:54:49,920
And So what is the excuse? 
Yeah, sure, he is unique in his 

889
00:54:49,920 --> 00:54:53,520
prophetic ministry in office, 
but the heart posture towards 

890
00:54:53,520 --> 00:54:58,600
the Lord can be shared and we 
have to believe that if we want 

891
00:54:58,600 --> 00:55:04,760
to experience it. 
So now let's come, because it's 

892
00:55:04,760 --> 00:55:08,040
not since First Kings 17 one 
where Ahab and Elijah meet face 

893
00:55:08,040 --> 00:55:10,200
to face. 
Here's where we're wrapping up 

894
00:55:10,640 --> 00:55:14,120
verse 16. 
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and

895
00:55:14,120 --> 00:55:16,480
told them. 
And Ahab went to meet Elijah. 

896
00:55:17,320 --> 00:55:20,040
See, nobody died. 
What were you afraid of? 

897
00:55:20,040 --> 00:55:22,640
Obadiah? 
God was with you. 

898
00:55:25,440 --> 00:55:30,840
Verse 17. 
When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said 

899
00:55:30,840 --> 00:55:34,960
to him, is it you, you troubler 
of Israel? 

900
00:55:37,360 --> 00:55:40,040
You thought he was messed up 
when he was looking for grass, 

901
00:55:42,000 --> 00:55:44,400
and Elijah is not slow to 
respond. 

902
00:55:44,400 --> 00:55:48,640
Verse 18 And he answered, I have
not troubled Israel, but you 

903
00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:52,760
have and your father's house, 
because you have abandoned the 

904
00:55:52,760 --> 00:55:54,640
commandments of the Lord and 
followed the bills. 

905
00:55:54,840 --> 00:55:58,200
I love Elijah, so gentle with 
Obadiah, but when he came to 

906
00:55:58,200 --> 00:56:07,120
Ahab's straight to the point 
cutthroat contrast the greeting 

907
00:56:07,120 --> 00:56:10,560
that Ahab gives with Obadiah. 
What does he say? 

908
00:56:10,960 --> 00:56:13,840
Look at verse 17. 
Is it you you troubler of 

909
00:56:13,840 --> 00:56:18,520
Israel? 
Now scroll back to verse 7. 

910
00:56:20,880 --> 00:56:23,920
And Obadiah recognized him and 
fell on his face and said, Is it

911
00:56:23,920 --> 00:56:28,440
you my Lord Elijah? 
What a difference, huh? 

912
00:56:29,600 --> 00:56:32,640
Is it you, my Lord Elijah? 
And then Ahab, is it you, you 

913
00:56:32,640 --> 00:56:36,720
troubler of Israel? 
And looking at this, you're 

914
00:56:36,720 --> 00:56:41,200
supposed to understand that one 
offered respect while the other 

915
00:56:41,200 --> 00:56:44,800
one spewed disdain. 
And if you are going to serve 

916
00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:48,880
the Lord to the degree that 
Elijah did, then you must be 

917
00:56:48,880 --> 00:56:53,520
ready to expect. 
You may not get the admiration 

918
00:56:53,520 --> 00:56:56,840
of Obadiah's, but you should 
definitely expect the false 

919
00:56:56,840 --> 00:57:03,120
accusations of Ahab's. 
We We think that if we serve the

920
00:57:03,120 --> 00:57:06,480
Lord and live holy in our good 
and charitable and bless our 

921
00:57:06,480 --> 00:57:09,120
neighbors and give the truth, 
the truth that sets people 

922
00:57:09,120 --> 00:57:11,320
through, that everybody's going 
to love us or at least tolerate 

923
00:57:11,320 --> 00:57:13,520
us. 
Yeah, you might get some of the 

924
00:57:13,520 --> 00:57:17,040
flowering compliments of 
Obadiah's the respect of some 

925
00:57:17,040 --> 00:57:19,200
who recognize the hand of God on
your life. 

926
00:57:19,360 --> 00:57:24,200
But don't expect everybody 
expect some Ahab's to arrive and

927
00:57:24,640 --> 00:57:27,000
blame you and accuse you and 
slander you. 

928
00:57:28,520 --> 00:57:30,640
Is it you you troubler of 
Israel? 

929
00:57:30,640 --> 00:57:35,320
It's it's amazing how short 
sighted this man is. 

930
00:57:36,120 --> 00:57:38,800
It's amazing how this man can't 
recognize what this famine is 

931
00:57:38,800 --> 00:57:41,640
about and can't even recognize 
the reason for it. 

932
00:57:42,440 --> 00:57:46,360
And Elijah is quick to remind 
him you're the reason for the 

933
00:57:46,360 --> 00:57:52,720
trouble in this land. 
And he gives the significance of

934
00:57:53,160 --> 00:57:57,440
this moment by reminding him 
that it's not because of Ahab's 

935
00:57:57,440 --> 00:58:00,480
anything other than his 
abandonment of the commandments 

936
00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:05,720
of the Lord. 
Here's where I want to end off 

937
00:58:06,360 --> 00:58:10,880
trouble. 
Trouble with your conscience, 

938
00:58:11,480 --> 00:58:16,600
trouble with your relationships,
trouble in your marriage, 

939
00:58:16,960 --> 00:58:23,600
trouble in the streets, trouble 
in society can all stem from one

940
00:58:23,760 --> 00:58:27,040
thing abandoning the 
commandments of the Lord. 

941
00:58:29,680 --> 00:58:31,880
And when you and I experience 
trouble while we're obeying God,

942
00:58:31,880 --> 00:58:34,640
we can take comfort to know that
this is a trial that's going to 

943
00:58:34,640 --> 00:58:36,360
purify us. 
But I'm not talking about that 

944
00:58:36,360 --> 00:58:38,680
kind of trouble. 
I'm talking about the trouble 

945
00:58:38,680 --> 00:58:43,120
that could have been avoided if 
you had just obeyed, if you had 

946
00:58:43,120 --> 00:58:46,360
just elevated the word of God 
and submitted to it. 

947
00:58:46,600 --> 00:58:51,880
If not, trouble is on its way. 
And for the rest of this 

948
00:58:51,880 --> 00:58:56,000
chapter, we will pause and wait 
till we recollect next week to 

949
00:58:56,000 --> 00:59:00,160
see how this man will usher in 
revival in a troubled land. 

950
00:59:00,160 --> 00:59:02,120
Let's pray and thank God for our
time tonight. 

951
00:59:08,270 --> 00:59:11,990
Father, we thank you for giving 
us the grace to not just be 

952
00:59:11,990 --> 00:59:17,230
attentive to the Word, but to 
absorb the personal applications

953
00:59:17,230 --> 00:59:22,830
of it. 
Yet once again, we are amazed at

954
00:59:22,830 --> 00:59:24,630
the depth of the wisdom of your 
Word. 

955
00:59:25,390 --> 00:59:33,080
We are moved by how these truths
are undoubtedly authored by a 

956
00:59:33,080 --> 00:59:41,080
perfect, holy, loving God, Lord.
Tonight we believe that what's 

957
00:59:41,080 --> 00:59:46,640
been installed in our hearts 
would give us the fuel to be 

958
00:59:46,640 --> 00:59:51,080
just like Elijah. 
Whether in hiddenness or out in 

959
00:59:51,080 --> 00:59:56,760
the open, being able to say with
confidence, I stand before the 

960
00:59:56,760 --> 01:00:01,920
Lord, I worship the Lord, I love
the Lord. 

961
01:00:03,600 --> 01:00:10,280
Lord may not be true of any 
person here, that they walk away

962
01:00:10,280 --> 01:00:15,320
from the Lord in the years to 
come, but may be said that we 

963
01:00:15,320 --> 01:00:18,880
walk closer with thee, and we 
know that you will help us do 

964
01:00:18,880 --> 01:00:21,320
that as we hunger for a day 
after day. 

965
01:00:22,400 --> 01:00:25,240
Lord, if there is any hesitation
in any person's heart to obey 

966
01:00:25,240 --> 01:00:27,160
you for the reasons that we gave
her, for the reasons that were 

967
01:00:27,160 --> 01:00:31,760
not mentioned, may this Bible 
study serve as a reminder that 

968
01:00:31,760 --> 01:00:35,160
we can never go wrong and 
trusting you and obeying you. 

969
01:00:36,400 --> 01:00:39,080
Lord, if there's anyone here who
is frustrated because they feel 

970
01:00:39,080 --> 01:00:40,840
as though no one sees them, 
they're overlooked. 

971
01:00:40,840 --> 01:00:42,360
They're hidden. 
They love you, they serve you, 

972
01:00:42,360 --> 01:00:47,520
but they they want to see more. 
May they rest with contentment. 

973
01:00:48,200 --> 01:00:51,080
It's all about you anyway. 
And for the one who might be 

974
01:00:51,080 --> 01:00:54,320
fearful because they feel as 
though a more attention is being

975
01:00:54,320 --> 01:00:57,640
given to them than they desire, 
may they trust you in that as 

976
01:00:57,640 --> 01:01:00,720
well. 
Lord, we thank you that you know

977
01:01:00,720 --> 01:01:03,480
all things. 
We thank you that you're not 

978
01:01:03,480 --> 01:01:05,800
just concerned with the 
Elijah's, you're concerned with 

979
01:01:05,800 --> 01:01:09,200
the Obadiah's and every person 
in here. 

980
01:01:09,200 --> 01:01:12,120
You are committed to completing 
the work that you began in US. 

981
01:01:12,680 --> 01:01:17,160
And there is not one accident in
our lives, not one surprise to 

982
01:01:17,160 --> 01:01:18,800
us. 
That is a surprise to you. 

983
01:01:19,640 --> 01:01:22,160
We bless you for that, Lord, and
we want to worship you now. 

984
01:01:22,160 --> 01:01:25,320
Oh God, we want to give you 
thanks and song and glorify you,

985
01:01:25,720 --> 01:01:27,600
for you have spoken to our 
hearts today. 

986
01:01:28,040 --> 01:01:30,000
We bless the name that has saved
us. 

987
01:01:30,000 --> 01:01:31,400
We bless the name that will 
preserve us. 

988
01:01:31,400 --> 01:01:34,080
We bless the name that has 
provided for us, protected us, 

989
01:01:34,080 --> 01:01:36,440
and will go before us forever 
and ever. 

990
01:01:36,800 --> 01:01:38,720
That precious name, that sweet 
name. 

991
01:01:38,840 --> 01:01:41,640
That lovely name. 
That that name that calms and 

992
01:01:41,640 --> 01:01:44,760
soothes and heals and redeems. 
The name of Jesus. 

993
01:01:45,200 --> 01:01:47,280
In Jesus name we pray. 
Amen. 

994
01:01:47,680 --> 01:01:49,880
Precious Saints, let's stand and
worship the Lord together. 

995
01:01:50,320 --> 01:01:53,240
Give him glory and honor for 
this time in His word. 

996
01:01:53,560 --> 01:01:55,680
I wouldn't want to be anywhere 
else on a Friday night. 

997
01:01:56,480 --> 01:01:59,600
To be with God's people in God's
Word is my delight.