Serving to Save
Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 18:1-15
Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves … and had supplied them with food …
1 Kings 18:4
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A confrontation was coming. God sent Elijah back to confront King Ahab, who had brought Baal worship into Israel and whose wife, Jezebel, was trying to kill off the Lord’s prophets. In the midst of this turmoil was Obadiah. He was in charge of Ahab’s palace, but he was also a devout believer in the Lord.
What was it like to be in such an important position in a corrupt administration? Obadiah did not confuse his position with his purpose for living. Obadiah knew he had been placed in such a position not for his personal gain but to be an instrument of God, and particularly an instrument of life. Knowing that his purpose was to save others, Obadiah protected a hundred prophets of God from certain death.
We do not know much about Obadiah’s rescue mission, but we know it was intentional, strategic, and dangerous. As Obadiah supplied food and water for the prophets whom Jezebel was trying to kill, he may even have diverted food and water from the queen’s table.
In a difficult situation, Obadiah marked his course by clarifying his mission in life: to serve God and be an instrument of salvation. From that foundation, Obadiah found the freedom that comes from serving God.
God of life and salvation, help me not to confuse my position in life with my purpose for living. Help me to see that you desire to work through me as an ambassador for you. Amen.
About the author — Jul Medenblik
Rev. Jul Medenblik is a former attorney who was called to pastoral ministry and became the church-planting pastor of a congregation in New Lenox, Illinois. Since 2011 he has served as the seventh president of Calvin Theological Seminary, which, together with Calvin University, is celebrating 150 years of God’s faithfulness in their history as the educational institutions of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (see calvinseminary.edu/150th). Jul and his wife, Jackie, have been married for over 40 years and are blessed with two adult children and a son-in-law.
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