Obadiah with weakness / 1 Kings 18:7-9
Obadiah with weakness / 1 Kings 18:7-9
“When Obadiah was on the road, Elijah met him. He recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Are you, my lord Elijah?” He answered, “Yes, go and tell your lord, Elijah is here.” Do you intend to give your servant into the hand of Ahab to kill?"
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1 Kings 18:3 "Ahab called Obadiah in the palace, and this Obadiah greatly feared the Lord."
A person who feared the Lord was not convinced of the words of Elijah, the prophet of God, and begged for fear of death for his own life. Also, the fact that the people who feared God were the ministers of the palace of Ahab the king of Baal was a compromising and worldly person and harsh. Criticism cannot be avoided. That's right. Obadiah was clearly weak in that respect. The problem is that, nonetheless, God used Obadiah of weakness. Here we must learn a lesson from Obadiah.
Second, Obadiah gave his power as an instrument of God.
1 Kings 18:3-4,13 "Ahab summoned Obadiah, who feared the Lord greatly. When Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them in a cave by fifty, and ate bread and water. "Didn't my lord not hear that I hid one hundred of the prophets of the LORD in a cave by fifty when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, and fed them with bread and water?"
As a substitute for Ahab's palace, he had considerable power and wealth. He used the power and financial resources God gave him as a tool for God, not as a personal product to achieve and enjoy his attainments. King Ahab's wife, Jezebel, took full advantage of her position when she killed the prophets of the Lord and took care of her to the fullest. In fact, this is the faithful image of the people of God, which is proved by faith principledism and works, even risking their own status and life.
What privileges have we received from God today? How are we using our knowledge, power, wealth, talents, health, etc.? Obadiah is sounding the alarm in the current trend of those in high rank and those who have it, wanting to be recognized by the church as if it were their own. Instead of expecting God to recognize me and the church to treat me worthy of my social status, I need to reflect deeply on how much I am glorifying God as an instrument of God through my privilege in the world. If you prefer to be treated rather than to give, you are not truly a servant of the Lord. Like Paul, you may not be able to dedicate the rest of the sufferings of Christ to the body of the church, but if you prefer to be a casual Sunday Christian without giving up your devotion and sacrifice for the church, you should check if you are God's people.
Third, Obadiah nevertheless had a weakness. He risked his life to hide and care for 100 prophets of God, but he was suddenly afraid of Ahab's sword in front of Elijah. This is by no means a weakness of Obadiah alone. All humans have similar weaknesses. Noah, who was greatly saved from the great flood, was drunk after coming out of the ark, and he was naked in front of his children. Abraham, too, could not wait after receiving the promise to give Isaac, and gave birth to Ishmael through his maidservant Hagar. King David also sent her husband, a loyal servant Uriah, to the front line to take Bathsheba and killed him. That's right. We too have all of our weaknesses. However, God does not look at our faults, but sees us as holy saints and sons who have been saved to the end. 's status does not change.
2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
God never commends us for our mistakes. However, after seeing our faith, He forgave us generously and generously, and He always evaluates us as children.
Conclusion. How am I being used now? A vessel that is not used is not chosen. What privileges do I have over others? What talents have I received as a gift? Let any talent be used for the glory of God from God's point of view without social prejudice. Wealth and authority in themselves are not glory to God. Be vigilant. Only when it is revealed as the way of the cross as the light of the world can it be glorified to God. Also, what weaknesses do we have? Humans have a habit of exposing and holding onto the weaknesses of others. let's not do that Let's bear with each other, cover, embrace, heal, and work hard for the kingdom of the Lord as we look to heaven as saved saints. The Lord who placed Obadiah in Ahab's palace has placed me here. How am I being used by God now? Weaknesses cannot be an excuse. However, God's work begins with overcoming it.