Sermons
The Troubler Of Israel
Series: Days of Elijah: God’s Righteous Mountain ManTHE TROUBLER OF ISRAEL
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / February 18, 2018
} Open your Bible to 1Kgs.18:1-19 |
1Kgs.17:1 opens with Elijah prophesying to King Ahab that an extended drought would strike the land.
This prophecy was God-given. It wasn’t just that Elijah woke up cranky one day and capriciously cast a spell.
This severe drought (lasting 3 ½ years / Js.5:17) was punishment by God for the evil wrought by King Ahab.
King Ahab was a wicked king - - at that time, the wickedest so far in the northern kingdom of Israel (1Kgs16:30).
His marriage to Jezebel opened the floodgates for the worshipping of Baal.
1Kgs.21:25b notes that Jezebel incited Ahab to do evil in the sight of the Lord.
After Elijah’s ominous forecast, 1Kgs.17:3 states that God told him to, Go…and hide yourself .
God directed him to go to the brook Cherith where he dwelt in isolation for about a year.
Then God sent him to the widow of Zarephath where he resided for a little of two years.
Now 1Kgs.18:1 opens with God telling Elijah to –
Go (and) show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.
God’s judgment on Israel is about to end.
The protracted drought which has severely crippled the entire nation is about to come to a close.
But before the rains return there will be a showdown on Mount Carmel with/against the prophets of Baal.
(This will be our study for next Sunday morning).
So Elijah begins a fourth journey to confirm a set date with Ahab for the contest on Carmel.
The drought was so devastating that the King and his governor named Obadiah were scouting out the land of Samaria
seeking any trickle of water and looking desperately for grassy sustenance to feed their horses and livestock.
1Kgs.18:5-6 - - Then Ahab said to Obadiah, ‘Go through the land to all the springs of
water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive,
and not have to kill some of the cattle.’ So they divided the land between them to survey it;
Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.
1Kgs.18:7 records, Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him…
Before we continue this story I want to introduce us to OBADIAH.
There are about a dozen Obadiahs in the Old Testament.
The only thing we know about this Obadiah is found in these verses here in 1Kgs.18.
Some think this man is the same as the prophet Obadiah (the shortest prophecy in the Old Testament).
The fourth prophet in our Bible collection of “minor prophets” - - Hosea … Joel … Amos … Obadiah … just before Jonah.
I don’t think the evidence is strong for arguing that this is the same Obadiah that we read of in 1Kgs.18.
I want to interject here - - in Biblical scholarship the are two prominent & extremely differing assessments of Obadiah.
One is that Obadiah is a compromiser - - a half-hearted believer in Jehovah God.
This view is promoted by C. F. Keil (of Keil & Delitzsch fame) and Leon Wood.
The other is that Obadiah is a faithful servant of God (C. H. Spurgeon argues for this view).
You might have comments on this, one way or the other, in your study Bibles.
Everything we know about this Obadiah is found right here, exclusively in this text - - 1Kgs.18:3-16.
First of all, for what its worth - - his name means, “servant of Jehovah”.
Vs.3a – he was King Ahab’s chief officer - - (the governor) over his household/palace/kingdom.
Vs.3b – Obadiah feared the Lord greatly
Vs.4 – Evidence of his faith in Jehovah God is noted here and in reiterated in vs.13 - -
It came about, when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took a
hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.
Vs.7 – Obadiah greets Elijah respectfully - - he fell on his face and said, ‘Is this you, Elijah my master?’
In vss.8-15, Obadiah “argues” with Elijah’s concerning his directive.
After Elijah confirms that he indeed is Elijah, he tells Obadiah - -
Go say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’ Obadiah responds by saying - -
‘What sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab, to put me to death?’
Obadiah then proceeds to tell Elijah the following (I’m paraphrasing) - -
King Ahab has been looking high and low for you. His rage is red hot toward you.
He has even searched for you in other nations, making them swear that they are not hiding you.
And now you want me to go tell Ahab that I have found you.
When I do so, you will quickly disappear to who knows where (as you have done previously).
If I tell Ahab I have found you and then you don’t show yourself, he will kill me.
In vs.12b, Obadiah assures Elijah saying, I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth.
He then details how he hid the prophets of God from Jezebel’s wrath.
Elijah promises Obadiah (vs.15) - - As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.
Vs.16 – so Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
You’ll have to make up your own mind as to whether you think Obadiah is a good man or a half-hearted compromiser.
This is a classic case of where two people can assess another person so differently.
One argues that Obadiah is weak. He lacks courage to stand up against the wicked King and his wife.
He hides his faith under the comfortable safety of serving as the king’s right hand man.
He claims Jehovah is his master, but his master is really King Ahab.
He is self-serving and self-justifying. He is not willing to risk his neck for the Lord.
Another (myself included) views Obadiah as a good man.
He is not Elijah, but then not all are cut from the same cloth.
He has loved the Lord from the days of his youth. He has feared the Lord greatly.
If you accuse him of being faint-hearted, how do you explain his courage in hiding and feeding God’s prophets?
Perhaps part of the tension and problem comes in comparing Obadiah to Elijah.
The Scriptures are clear that God can use men and women of all backgrounds with varying personalities and vocations.
Not everybody is an Elijah. Not everyone is a Paul. We need not all be cookie-cutter Christians.
I seem to remember than Joseph served Pharaoh and that Daniel served in King Darius’ court.
I mentioned recently that we are sometimes blindsided by first impressions.
Elijah may have struggled with that weakness when he first met the poor widow of Zarephath.
Might this be a lesson for all of us to tread gently in acknowledging views that may differ from our own.
In Rom.14 Paul addresses differing views held by Christians. He warns against passing judgments too harshly.
Things are not always as black and white as you or I might perceive them to be.
According to Paul (who was inspired), two Christians can hold differing views and still both be Christians.
In Rom.14:5, he states: one man regards one day above another, another regards each day alike.
Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind.
In Rom.14:4 & 10 Paul admonishes: Why do you judge your brother?...why do you regard your brother with contempt?
Paul summarizes by saying (Rom.14:12) - - So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Now let us conclude this episode in our story by reading the three remaining verse of this section (1Kgs.18:17-19) - -
In these verses we will encounter the words that supply our sermon title for today.
And it came about, when Ahab saw Elijah that Ahab said to him,
‘Is this you, YOU TROUBLER OF ISRAEL?’
And (Elijah said back to Ahab), ‘I have not troubled Israel, but your and your father’s house have,
because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you have followed after the Baals.’
Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with
450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezeebel’s table.
This appears to be a brief meeting.
King Ahab accuses Elijah of causing trouble for Israel (he did prophesy the drought).
But Elijah gives it right back to him saying - - you and your sinful ways are to blame for the drought.
An agreement to settle the matter with a contest of mount Carmel is struck and a date is set.
Elijah invites 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah to contend for their gods against Jehovah God, and then he adds
one final caveat - - he insists that all Israel shall assemble on the mountain to view this confrontation first hand.
