Elijah and John the Baptist both confronted spiritual corruption face-to-face

Part 4...1 Kings 18:1-19

Christ Jesus said, “And if you are willing to receive it, [John the Baptist] is Elijah who is to come.” Matthew 11:14

In the third year of Elijah’s ministry, the Lord had Elijah to present himself to Ahab, an evil king of Israel who brought harm to the true Prophets of God. John the Baptist also presented himself to very treacherous rulers, such as king Herod and the Pharisees. It was Herod who beheaded John because John revealed Herod’s sin of marrying his brother’s wife, Mark 6:14-29. There was a severe famine at this time, literal for Elijah and a famine of faithfulness to the Living God in the time of John the Baptist.

While Elijah was on his way to present himself to Ahab, Ahab was making arrangements on his own. Because of the severe drought, Ahab sent Obadiah to all of the springs of water in hopes of finding grass to keep the livestock alive. During the time of John the Baptist, the drought of food for the spirit and soul was so severe that the Jewish people were looking for water and food for the soul. Their soul was withering away under the leadership of the Pharisees.

Obadiah was faithful to the Living God while serving under the corruption of king Ahab. In fact, Obadiah hid one hundred true Prophets during the time that Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, massacred the Prophets of the Lord. Obadiah went one way in search of grazing land and king Ahab went another way to search for grazing land.

Obadiah and Elijah knew each other and had a warm relationship rooted in their faithfulness to God. They met each other as Elijah was on his way to present himself to Ahab, and Obadiah was in search of springs of water and grazing land. This shares a little insight into the social network of John the Baptist. Like Elijah, John knew people who were faithfully serving God under the corrupt leadership of the Pharisees and other rulers. John the Baptist would meet with these “insiders” from time to time. For example, John’s father, Zacharias, was a Levite in charge of duties over the temple. From that social network alone, John had insider friendships with those who were working directly under the corrupt leadership of the Pharisees, Sadduccess, and Scribes.

Elijah had Obadiah to tell his corrupt master, Ahab, that he is here and ready for a direct confrontation. Obadiah was reluctant to do so because he was afraid that Ahab would kill him. For a long time, Ahab had been searching for Elijah to put him to death, but Obadiah and many others were hiding any information they had about Elijah’s whereabouts. Likewise, John the Baptist had “undercover” friends watching out for and protecting him from the devious plans of the corrupt rulers. John took refuge in the desert wilderness, eating wild locusts and honey, and reconciling the Jewish people to the Living God. Obadiah was afraid to say to Ahab that all of a sudden he knew exactly where Elijah was, the same as the covert friends of John the Baptist would not want to reveal that they knew intimidate details about John.

Obadiah was afraid if he told Ahab where Elijah was then Elijah would not be in that same place when Ahab came to look for him. That would cause Ahab to kill Obadiah. Often times, the Pharisees and other rulers wanted to know where John was, always to scrutinize him, threaten him, to imprison him, and to kill him as Herod did. The “covert” friends of John knew that if their faithfulness to John, and disloyalty to the corrupt leaders, was found out, they would be killed. Obadiah assured Elijah of his faithfulness to him by reminding Elijah that he saved the life of one hundred true Prophets, but Obadiah could not bring himself to be discovered as an “operative” for Elijah. Elijah assured Obadiah that he would be present to confront Ahab. John the Baptist was that type of servant for the Living God, he would confront the corrupt leaders while protecting his “covert” friends who were faithful to the Living God.

Obadiah did as Elijah requested him to do, he let Ahab know where Elijah was, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. Ahab called Elijah a troubler of Israel. John the Baptist was also confronted by corrupt leaders who basically called him a troubler of Israel. They could not accept that John was authorized to do baptisms, especially since John called them unrighteous and many Jewish people were being drawn away from the authority of the Pharisees, “Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John 1:22-25

Elijah very plainly said that he was not the troubler of Israel, but Ahab was, just like John the Baptist said to the Pharisees, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew 3:7-11

Elijah had a challenge prepared for Ahab that would require gathering all of Israel to Mount Carmel, with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, those who eat at the table of Jezebel [Jezebel massacred the true Prophets of the Lord]. That gathering is spoken about in the next verse, next post. Likewise, John the Baptist knew about the gathering that would separate true believers from false worshippers, as he spoke of Jesus Christ, “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:12

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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, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria. 

And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock.” So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is that you, my lord Elijah?” And he answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’” So he said, “How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here”’! 

And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth. Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one hundred men of the Lord’s prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, ‘Go, tell your master, “Elijah is here.”’ He will kill me!” Then Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.”

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah. Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals. Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”