The contrast between the faithful boldness of Elijah with the fearful compromise of Obadiah, illustrating that true devotion to God often requires standing against prevailing wickedness. While Obadiah, a fearful but God-fearing official, hid prophets to preserve them, he ultimately feared King Ahab more than God, leading him to hesitate in delivering Elijah's message. Elijah, conversely, confronted Ahab directly, denouncing his and his father's disobedience to God. The core lesson emphasizes that compromising with sin and worldly systems, like Obadiah did in Ahab's palace, leads to an unhappy and ineffective spiritual life, whereas standing firm for God, like Elijah, brings divine vindication and reward, even amidst persecution.
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And it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon thee earth. And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. There was a sore famine in Siberia. And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house, Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. I want you to underline that. For it was so when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord that Obadiah took and hunted prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water.
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all mountains of water, and unto all brooks for adventure, we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all of the beasts. Strange, isn't it, a man should want to save beasts more than he was wanting to save men and women. Many women were dying with starvation and lack of water, but no mention of them as beasts, as animals. So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it.
Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. And as Obadiah was in the grave, behold, Elijah met him. Now who would he sooner meet than the great Elijah? This man Obadiah, a real child of God. Elijah met him, and he knew him. Obedainu, and fell on his face and said, Aren't thou that my Lord Elijah? Now notice the sarcasm. And he answered him, I am. Go tell thy Lord, Ahab's your Lord.
Go tell thy Lord. Behold, Elijah is here. And he said, What have I sinned then? thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab to slay me. In other words, you're not my brother. If you do a thing like that, you want me to go to Ahab and Ahab will kill me. As the Lord died, God delivered, there is no nation nor kingdom whether my Lord hath not sent to seek me. When they said he is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nations. that they found me not in their neighboring nations or swear to an oath that they did not see or know where Elijah was.
And now thou sayest, Go tell thy Lord, behold, Elijah is here. In other words, you are jeopardizing my life, Elijah. And it shall come to pass as soon as I am drawn from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee wither I know not. And so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me, but I, thy servant, fear the Lord, from my youth. Was it not told my Lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid in hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water?
And now thou sayest, Go tell thy Lord, behold, that Niger is here, and he shall slay me. Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, the for whom I stand, that is his favorite statement, how wonderful it is, I will surely show myself unto him today. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, poor trembling Obadiah, and told them, Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah. They have said on him, Ark thou, ye, that trouble of Israel.
Now notice the report. And he answered, I have not troubled Israel. One man standing up and saying, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's husband, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Bale. Forsaken the Lord, and followed Bale. thought it might be wise for us to mention a thing or two in our message this morning on the widow. We didn't get to that subject, but one that took in Elijah and Pilam for that length of time and the trial of meals he'll not nor did the coups of oil tail.
In other words, there are some nice truths here for the Christians. God will not be debtor to any person. God had told this woman to feed his servant, Elijah, and she did. And now God is going to reward her. She had put God first. When Elijah told her, now you go make me a cake first, and then you consider yourself and your son. In other words, putting Elijah first, God's representative, she was putting God first. And so God's going to reward her for that. And God will see that you be rewarded if you put God first. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and other things.
All other things shall be added on to you. And so here it is God rewarding this widow by giving her son back to her again. Elijah, by the power of God, was instrumental in the light in this sun being restored to light and given back to the mother. In other words, there are three attitudes about this widow. First is the consciousness of her sin. Why, when her son died, it was made her conscious of her sin. She said, My sin has come to remember. The very presence of the power of God in a light was such that when her son died, her sin was brought to remember.
She thought this is punishment for my sin. It's at last found me out. There you had the conviction of sin. But then you'll notice something else. She got her son back from the man of God. First conviction and acknowledgement of her sin Then she has life given to us. The very same thing with Abraham when he offered up Isaac. God told them to offer up Isaac. And in the mind of God, and in the reckoning of God, Abraham did slay Isaac. The Bible says that. But God stayed Abraham's hand.
God saw also that Abraham was going to go through that. And from whence he did receive Isaac from the dead, as in a figure. And so here is Abraham. God had given Abraham that life, Isaac. It was a supernatural birth. Now, says God, Abraham, that which I gave you, Isaac, and all your interests and all your affections, all your hopes are wrapped up in Isaac. Now go take Isaac onto Mount Moriah, an offering, an offering, an offering unto the Lord.
Oh, what a command! What a regret! God had given him! And fill his cup with joy, his heart to overflowing! Now does God give up that life? Get up that bundle of joy. Get up to the Lord. That's quite a request, isn't it? This is where a lot of Christians stumble. God has given you a life in Christ. When you trust Him, God gave you His Son, He that hath the Son hath life.
God gave you that spiritual life as a free gift. when you trusted the Savior on the authority of the Bible. And how Christians rejoice in that for a few days or maybe a few weeks. And then they get jarred someday when some scripture hits them or they are reminded, you know, you're not your own. You've been bought with a price. You're to glorify God in your bodies and your spirits with your hands. Do you know anything about the lordship of Christ? What do you mean? I mean giving back to God that which God gave you, that life.
He wants that life, and he wants your mind, he wants your body to be controlled by that life. Present your body as a living sacrifice. Here's where a lot of Christians fail, and this is where a lot of Christians begin to backslide. Those in Ephesus in the book of Revelation did this. They have left their first love. Through at first they were caught up with the throne of being saved, their sense forgiven, on fire from the Lord until something came in and their love began to cool.
and their claims of Christ whacking upon me. And they were in a bad state. They had left their first loss of love to Christ. It simply means this. God wants us to give back to Him that which He gave us. And do you know that only life that's really happy? When you give back your life to the Lord, Lord, I want to do what you want me to do. Go where you want me to go. Say what you want me to say. That's the point. Now here is Elijah.
This woman, she first acknowledged her sin, then she had her son given back to her. Wasn't that wonderful? Then again, you notice how she waited the result. Something to think of Elijah taking that dead son out of her bosom and going upstairs. And what could she hear upstairs? Oh, she could hear the man pray. A man pray. Oh, Lord, hear those prayers. I want my son live again. Lord, hear that man's prayers.
Here's Elijah, and he prays, he pours out his heart to God, and he pleads with God, and God answers his prayer. I wonder if we know something of this, associating ourselves with the prayers and pleas of others, as they are praying for loved ones who are unsaved. Think of the this woman. all the anguish of her heart and how she listened to Elijah praying those intense moments. Will his prayer be answered? Will my son be raised again? And finally she was rewarded for her patience when Elijah gave her son back to her again.
How wonderful to think of these lessons you have in the Bible, how hearts are exercised. concerned. To me it's grieving to think that back in our prayer room at night there are about a half a dozen men when there should be a dozen or fifteen. Certainly no sympathy toward those who are trying to reach the law. That's where God wants us to put our interest. Our main concern is in the prayer meeting and don't put anything before the prayer meeting. Nothing but anguish of heart before God and concern for the lost is going to enable the Spirit of God to work.
And Christians put other things, secondary things before prayer, yet on danger is done. And you're not going to see miracles before, as was the case here. Elijah was praying up there and here was this mother and downstairs she was praying as hard as he was praying. Lord, hear his prayer. Lord, hear his prayer. And she was rewarded. I'll tell you one thing. If God in His mercy comes in and saves so, which He had to do, those of you who haven't been exercised and haven't been praying, you didn't stay out of the joy.
You don't deserve. You didn't do any traveling. You didn't do any anguishing before God. You didn't do any griefing before God and ponder God for the deliverance of poor sinners. If you didn't get exercise before the person was saved, not much good rejoicing after. We participate in this as one individual. It's not Lester Wilson. It's the whole congregation's responsibility. for the preaching of the gospel and winning souls to Christ. It's your burden. It's not all mine. God would have us to share this thing together.
You notice what Elijah did in verse twenty one. He recognized God was the one who did this. He said, Oh my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come unto him again. Elijah knew that God did it. Elijah didn't do it. God did it. And it's God who does it. I don't care who the man is who preaches the gospel, even though he might preach it with power. Yet it's God that saves souls. The man doesn't do it. The human element is out. It's God who pickens. It's God who saves on God only.
Here are lessons from Elijah. His prayer was intercessory. It was on behalf of others. On behalf of others. It was the solitude. He was alone with God. Out there alone with a corpse. That wasn't very pleasant, naturally wasn't it? No, the presence of God withers up the flesh. And there's one place you can't pray to be heard by men when you're alone with God. When you're alone as only you and the Lord and you're having dealings with God, you don't pray then to be heard of men.
You're praying to be heard by God. And I believe in our case praying publicly, concerning all the brethren, if you pray... as to be heard of God regardless of what men hear or say. Do it as unto the Lord. You're not praying to man, you're praying to God, and God is the one who hears and answers prayer. This lonely wrestling with God. We are publicly what we are privately, that we have dealings with God in private, we know something of dealings with God in public.
Dude is how definitely he was. Let this child's soul come into him again. He's praying definitely, and he's not remembering the famine. He doesn't say, Lord, remember this awful famine going on for nearly three and a half years. Lord, think of all the sick people out there and all those who have died. Think of the great need. Lord, remember the powers that be. No, we must pray definitely this something here. And this has got to be first. It's this soul. Let this child's soul come in again. He's praying deaf enough. So the point, specific, and how earnest he is.
Strange thing, he's touched upon the child, up upon the child three times. Was he trying to impart warmth to the child's body? Did he think the child wasn't dead? He might give it some warmth. Or was it mouth-to-mouth association? Was he trying that, hoping he'd bring this child back? Whatever it was, he did it. And it wasn't very pleasant to the flesh to come into contact with the courts. And let me tell you, when you're dealing with sin and sinners, then it's you coming in contact with facts.
And it's not very pleasant to the old man, the flesh, when you're dealing with souls who were sinners lost in sin, dead in trespass and in sin. And here it is Elijah, and he's in contact with the courts. Oh, if ever he felt his helplessness, his helplessness, it was then. What can I do with this court? Our minds may try and impart some more, but that will. I may try and blow breath or life in, but that won't do. God's got to do it. Oh, no, but persistence. He tried one, and he walked.
He walked up and down in the window below, listening to those footsteps. He'd come back a second time, trying to do something, humanly speaking, something natural to get life into that body. It failed. And he gets up and walks to the floor again. And he comes back the third time. Here is persistence. Persistency. Oh, the prayer, the anguish, or the light. He's got one thing before him, and that's the light of this child. And here's the miracle of resurrection, the fourth miracle. We spoke to the other three this morning, and here's the last one, the miracle of resurrection.
Elijah applying himself. And when we apply ourselves to one thing, foolishness, loss and helpless sometimes just one is on the heart of the Christian. Years ago it used to be wonderful when someone would stay back, wanting to be saved. You know what would happen? All of a sudden a husk would come over the Christians and they'd tiptoe away in the Sunday school rooms in groups of praise of that one being dead with upstairs. And they didn't have to wait long. It wasn't long until the light burst in upon that poor sinner and he or she found Christ as a result of one who was down there.
Pray, pray, laying old abroad for this one. Sometimes it was more than one. But this is the price paid for winning souls at Christ. How practical it was. He could not do anything. This is the work of God. He couldn't answer his own prayers. God had to do it, but here's his anger. And God responded to it. Now you notice the confidence of this woman got. I love this as I read this text, the last verse of that chapter. Now by this know that, and now by this I know, that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.
That's lovely, isn't it? Now I know. I know. When she got that light back, oh, I know that you are a man of God, and the word that's in your mouth is truth. the very truth of God assures us. When a soul trusts Christ, when he really passes from death unto life, they can say, Now I know that the world that you speak is truth, is God's word, and that's what saves a soul God's word. They see beyond the human instrument, it's God's word.
That which you speak is truth. the very truth of God. Salvation is of the Lord. And this vindicated Elijah. All that Elijah went through and will think for a moment, it's easy. You read the story and see how this man prevailed and how he prayed. But oh, a lonely price was high sometimes. He was well paid when he saw his prayers answered. Yet he gave all the glory to God, salvations of the Lord, but at the same time had vindicated, God vindicated Elijah.
Make it very plain that Elijah had the mind of God in his face. What he was saying was from God, not from himself. I can pray for you. I can preach to you. But I can say that's something you've got. you believe the message as you get it from God's word. Now we get over to Obadiah. You know there are thirteen Obadiah's in the Scripture. You look them up, there's one has a book by his name, Obadiah Jonah. It follows Jonah. Just one chapter.
But that's not this Obadiah. As I say there are thirteen. But if this fellow were to write a little epistle, or a book? And in the Bible, you know what he'd write about? Well, he'd write something like this. You know that famine under Ahab was terrible. Oh, it was terrible. The rain stopped, the crops began littering up, the fields were dying up, and the cattle were dying, the horses were dying, human beings were dying. It was awful. The waters were drying up in the rivers. Yes, it was terrible. And I'll tell you, Ahab was a wicked king, and the life around the palace was deplorable.
It was just awful, the sin against God and the idolatry, and the altars of God being done away with, and the altars of Baal taking their place. The prophets of God were being killed and slaughtered by Jezebel, and the prophets of Baal took their place. Oh, it was awful. Oh, but I was right. Well, you know, Although there were terrible days, there was so much sin, I'll tell you what it is. I took a hundred of the Lord's prophets, and I had fifty in this cave and fifty in that cave. And I slipped in some bread and water, and I kept them alive.
Yes, O Bada'er, you did all that. Did you rebuke Ahab and Jezebel for their wicked? Did you lift your voice in protest? Did you denounce they're giving up the truth God forbade? Did you denounce their idolatry? Oh, I know you. I didn't do that, but I didn't think I should. No. You were willing to be expedient. You were willing to compromise. You never stop to think, oh, Bada'a, unless someone faces Ahab and rebukes him.
There'll be no rain coming down from heaven. And those hundred prophets that you put in those two caves, will all die along with yourself. Someone's got to face up to either. Someone's got to face them up with their sins and shame and as I call it. This compromise is not going to do it over dire. What a story he would have to tell if you were to write a book about himself. And I did this, he says, and I did that. And you'll find people today who are compromising the truth of God when it comes to gather into the Lord's name.
They say, oh, but I did this. I did that. God didn't tell us that we were sugar. He said, you're soft. He said, oh, you should be sugar. You know, soft and sweet. You shouldn't hurt anybody's feelings. Salt is what prevents corruption from spreading. And then if you've lost that salted masonry news, when you can rebuke sin and take your stand for God, God says it's not worth any. Salt that has lost its favor is not worth any. And all this sugary stuff is compromised.
Oh, I know. things are going on that shouldn't. But you know, I teach a Sunday school class. I know it's a modernistic church, but I teach some church. And I do some things around it. I think I can help you. You can. If you think you can lift a modernistic church, I've got news for you. Instead of you lifting them up, they'll pull you down. That's true of the district. not to mention the wife. This is Obadiah's stuff. Staying in there, staying in the palace, imagine being governor of the palace, of a wicked, one of the most wicked kings in history, and the most wicked queen, Jesse, and a child of God putting up with that apostasy.
Obadiah did. Oh, he wouldn't ruffle Ahab. He might lose his life. Twice he says, Why, you slay me. He'll slay me. Yes, my father better die as a martyr to God, Obadiah, than to die a backslider and a compromise of faith. For Obadiah. You know, he feared the Lord greatly. I drew your attention to that. He feared the Lord greatly in verse three and verse nine, but he feared Ahab more. He feared the Lord greatly, but he feared Ahab more.
Elijah was just the opposite. Ahab, rather Elijah feared Ahab or feared Ahab or feared his God so much. He didn't fear Ahab at all. That's the difference. Oh, but I am. He feared God, but he feared Ahab that much more. So much that he feared Ahab more than his God that he wouldn't talk about his God. On the other hand, he feared God so much that he didn't fear any man. Men were not. And he rebuked Ahab to his face. When Ahab said, Ahab, thou he, the trouble is with No, you troubled Israel, king, you forsaken the commandments of the Lord unto all of me.
You're the trouble of Israel, not me. Just like Nathan said to David, thou art the next. And here you find Elijah. He's showing the mettle he's got. There's nothing compromised above on that. I wonder if we can see ourselves in either one of these men. Two children to rebuke Ahab and Jezebel for adultery and sin and the persecution of God's people. For that's what they were doing. Jezebel had all the Lord's coughed that she'd get her hands on. Put to death! And here's a man right in her presence.
O but I, not raising a complaint. Not objected. Not objected. How can people stay in places and see so much greatness go on and so more plus formality and so much unscripturalness and say nothing and not object? They just stay up, stay up. They're fearing men, more than they're fearing God. They're fearing their friends, the more than they're fearing God. That's the old story. How could he be governor of the palace? And at the same time, be true to the Lord. It's absolutely impossible.
So we've all got a choice to make same as Lot did. While Lot, he looked towards Sodom, the first thing you know, he was in Sodom. He was an elder in Sodom. And he sat in the gate. In other words, he's going to try and lift Sodom. Elevate Sodom. Stop the corruption. Did he do that? No. Sodom reduced him. He lost everything. And his wife, his sons-in-law, and his daughters went to hell. Because Lot was compromised. He tried to make a place for himself.
And he lost all but his two daughters. That's what he does. Of old Abraham who stayed in the outside place, the separated man had to come and deliver it. Lot. Get him out of this job. Now there you have another case. Here you have Elijah or the daughter. There you have Abraham and Lot. Those who were standing for the truth of God and those who were compromised. fearful at the presence of Elijah. We notice that. You know, those who compromise are unhappy in both atmospheres.
They're unhappy when they're in the world and trying to lift a modernistic church or trying to put up with world and is coming in. They're unhappy. They know things go wrong and shouldn't and they're unhappy. But they're also unhappy if they get in a church where they're impenetrable with God and when God's working. And the gospel is being preached, and the saints are living for God. They're unhappy too. They're not in both places. They're a compromiser when they're among those who are seeking to live for the Lord. They've got a guilty conscience. They go the other way and they're unhappy in a modernistic church. They know there's something going on there. They're unhappy in both cases.
Oh, but I was like that. He was unhappy in the house. He was unhappy when he met a like. No, this was a trouble today. This business of trying to walk the road. Just be in the middle, a tight-rope walker, caught in the middle between duty to the king and duty to the law. Notice how Elijah shrewdly and sarcastically reduced it. And he says to Elijah, my law. But as you come back, Adam, he said, listen, Abraham's your Lord, your Lord, our Lord's beside the true Lord has dominion over you.
Ahab really, your Lord. He's the one you're submitting to. And that is not often true, though. We allow some other authority to come in and we submit to it real day. as we turn our backs upon the truth of God. The light of policy and expediency is a species of rope walking. It needs considerable practice in the art of balance. You know you find that. Trying to walk down the middle and avoid taking sides beneath a clock.
They make pretents and excuses to satisfy an uneasy conscience. They feel sorry for those who are being persecuted, but they're not willing to take their place among them. That's the compromise. That was true of this man over that. Are this true of ourselves? Are we ready to take our stand for that which we know to be of God, the truth of God, and be Elijah? That's what the Lord wants of you, and that's what he wants to be. No compromise. No walk in the rope. One of these times you're going to get off that rope, and in many cases you get off the wrong side, to your embarrassment.
I know some men who knew the truths of the assemblies, who knew the truths of the New Testament church, And they decided their gift was too big for the Ascendants, too big for those who gathered to his name. And so they decided to get out and broaden their sphere of their usefulness as they thought. Do you know what happened? Those places where they went knew where they came from and held them under suspicion. Because they knew that these men knew truth. They didn't practice in these places.
They were held under suspicion by modernistic churches. And also the assemblies feared them too. People who compromise like that, they're not very much helpless. They find themselves caught in it. Here's the principle of God's word. There are two things concerning compromise. Two insurmountable difficulties you're up against if you're trying to compromise the truth of God. What's the verse of it? The word of God. What does the scripture say? Come out from among them and be ye shepherds, saith the Lord, and also come out of her, my people, and go forth unto him without the touch, bearing his reproach.
This has been the battle cry of God's people down the city. Thoughts and saints of battle. This has been the battle. Shall Christ suffer without the camp than shall not I? Will I stay within and deny his name? Or shall I take my place within outside him? Shall I be an Obadiah in the palace with all its wickedness and shame? Or shall I be an Elijah outside of it all continually? God said to Jeremiah, you come out of it. Don't you return to them, but let them return to you.
That's the policy. That's the pathway in God's word. So the scripture makes it very plain. The second thing against compromising is it just won't work. He said that a few minutes. First you've got Scripture and next. You've got the fact it will not work. As I've already mentioned, Abraham and Robert, and I know case after case where it just hasn't worked. The tight group walking has failed, and sometimes they're pretty uncountable. Try to balance.
Try to make friends of all and enemies of none. That's not possible. Why was the Bible said? The Lord Jesus says, Marvel not that the world hates you. You would have read concerning this man, Ahar, Obadiah, and also Ahar. He said concerning another prophet of God, when he tried to get Jehoshaphat to go with him to battle, There was a prophet of God who warned Jehoshaphat, and we'll come to that in chapter twenty-two. And Ahab says, I want to go to battle.
I want you to go with me, Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat is a good king. And so some of Ahab's prophets encouraged him. Jehoshaphat says, let's get another prophet. Let's get another prophet. And he mentioned the prophet. No, says Ahab. I hate him, for he doesn't prophesy good concerning me. This prophet says, Ahab, you're going to die in this war. And he did. And we'll come to that in chapter twenty-two. There is Ahab. He hates the prophets of God.
He hates those who view to the land. He hates those who speak the truth of God's will. He just cannot. hold hands with whole power. There's the outside place. The Lord Jesus has marveled not that the world hates you. It hated me, therefore, it hated you. Why did the world hate it? He says, the world hates me because the things I say unto us. That's why I hate you. It hates me because I tell them the truth. And that's what the world hates today.
Christ is our great example of this. He says the world cannot hate you but me it hateeth because I testify of it that the works there are not evil. That's what the Lord Jesus said. Christ is our example. It's to go forth unto him without the camp bearing his reproach. Here's a text of Scripture I thought of this afternoon. Over in Matthew, blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you, falsely for my sake.
The choice and the exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For so persecuted day the prophets which were before you, just like Elijah. Now this is not a reward on a blessing or a benediction for winning souls. This is not a reward or a benediction for doing something great for God. This is not a reward or a benediction for being well liked. well loved to look up to and afford it. This is a reward and a blessing for being persecuted for Christ's sake.
Have you gone in for that reward? Will I read that again? Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. What are you going to do? compromise like Obadiah? No. Rejoice! And the exceeding lack, for great is your reward and kept, for so persecuted they the prophets, which were before you. That's a reward again for it. Think of Moses in the court, the Egyptian court, of Pharaoh.
Think of Daniel. in the Babylonian court. Think of John in Herod's court. Think of the unnamed saints of God who was in Caesar's house. Think of Paul's son. Think of Paul of son. He said, I must stand before Caesar, a poor tent maker, face to face with Caesar. And he didn't flinch, he didn't bow down. He stood for God. He had a greater monarch to be responsible for. One may add to me. Are we strong and true and determined and devoted like Elijah?
Or are we weak and wobbly and worthless like Obadiah? No spine, no backbone, no grip, wanting to be on good terms with every fire. Woe me unto you and all men. keep one of you. If you're being persecuted for loving this book and preaching God's word, you ought to rejoice and not be miserable. Christ says, marvell not, that the world hates you. He hated me first.