Introduction:  Elijah has led a life of obedience to the Lord.  He showed himself to be a man of God by preaching exactly what the Lord wanted him to with fear or compromise.

      Three and a half years ago, Elijah informed the king that the Lord was going to withhold the rain.  He was going to show the enemies of God that He was in control.  The devil may be the prince of the power of the air but the Lord’s domain spans eternity and beyond. 

      None of the parts of Elijah’s ministry would ever occurred if he had not been obedient.  He is obedient when he tells the king that the Lord said “no rain”.  He is obeys when he goes to the brook Cherith.  His needs are met with the water and the raven delivery service.  Then when the brook dried up, he trusted God to provide and he went to Zarephath where the Lord provide a widow lady and provide his needs.  Then the Lord at the hand of Elijah does the first resurrection of the dead in the Bible.  When Elijah first appeared before the throne of king Ahab and announced the drought, he was a man of faith.  However, as he passed through the trials of the dried brook, the empty meal barrel and the dead son, Elijah was transformed into a man of God.

      He is a man wholly dedicated to the Lord God! As he reenters the public eye, Elijah's first encounter is with a fellow believer by the name of Obadiah. While both are believers, the contrast between these men is striking! Elijah is seen to be a faithful servant of God, while Obadiah is pictured as a mere hireling, that is, one who gives lip service to God, but by his life he denies the God he claims to serve.

      I have met a few men who I felt were hirelings.  They are in the ministry as a job instead of a holy calling.  If you took away the money, they take their families and leave.  Where God guides, He also provides.

      Sadly, there are many people like Obadiah in the modern church. People who talk about being saved and who claim to love the Lord, but who by the lives they live deny Him, His power and His presence in their lives. Of course, this is as Paul said it would be in the last days, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.", 2 Tim. 3:5. However, it does not have to remain that way!

      I would like for us to listen in on this encounter between Elijah and Obadiah. In this passage, we will meet a hireling and a servant. In fact, we may even meet ourselves this morning. If we find that we are more like Obadiah than we are like Elijah, may God give us grace to change today!

      This is the first step to Mount Carmel for Elijah.   

I.   ELIJAH'S SURRENDERED SERVICE

                                                Vs. 1-2

“And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.”

      If there was an Israel’s most wanted, Elijah would have been first on the list.  When Elijah left Zarephath, his mind was utterly destitute of any fixed plan of action. He knew that he must show himself to Ahab and than rain was not far away, for these were his definite marching orders: "Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth."  Do you realized based on what we find in verse one that Elijah does not know exactly what he was going to do?  He is ready for what the Lord wants him to do but he is still not in the clear what is to be done except God told him to go.  Elijah was surrendered.  You could see Psalms 62:5 in His life.  (“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”)

      The plan for the campaign against Baal worship may have been revealed to Elijah as he goes but we don’t know for sure.  We do know three things that are evident in this surrendered servant of God.

1. He was filled with a consuming passion for the glory of God.

2. He was profoundly convinced that he was only a servant.

3. Elijah was eagerly desirous to know and work out the plans of God.

      How do we know all this?  In a few verses ahead we find these words. 

                              Vs. 36

“And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.”

      There are three truths that Elijah could put his faith.

A. His commander Vs. 1

      “The word of the LORD came to Elijah”

            His marching orders were based on His commander’s words.  After all this time, Elijah is still serving the Lord.  All the trials and difficulties he has had to endure have not dulled his sense of service to God Almighty.  They have not made him feel as though God has let him down.  Just the opposite is true! Elijah has been honed by his afflictions into an instrument of power and ability.  He is still serving God and is more than ready for the task that lies ahead. This is a man committed to serving God with his whole being!

      We should learn that God allows the trials that come into our lives so that He might help us to grow into His image.  Romans 8:28

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

      Of course, when the trials of life come, we can respond in one of two ways. We can allow the trials to bring us closer to God, or we can allow the trials to drive us away from God!  It should be our prayer that the Lord help us to be like Elijah, who walked through the valley and came out the other side still praising the name of the Lord.

      The shame is that some folks just need to get it settled in their hearts whom they really serve anyway.  Sadly, many are in live with self more so than they are with the Saviour.  We need to be honest with ourselves and ask the hard questions.

1. Who is the Lord of your life?

2. Can I honestly say that God is on control?

3. Or would I have to admit that, for the most part, you call the shots in your life?

      Most people do not want to be this honest.  They would rather die wrong than live right.

      Our commander has never made a bad call.  He is not in the rear with the gear.  He has never left us nor forsaken us.  He is there all the time.

                  B. The command Vs. 1

                        “Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.”

      Once again, Elijah must show obedience to the Lord’s commands in order for the Lord to show Himself strong.  You and I need to be obedient to the Lord’s command.

      The command from God is for Elijah to come out of hiding and present himself to his archenemy Ahab.  For Elijah, this may have been a more difficult command than the one to hide himself in 1^st Kings 17:3.

      After all, the nation of Israel has been in a drought for over three years! Thousands have died as a result! Starvation is rampant, poverty is all around, people are angry and Elijah is the man who God used to announce the drought.  The call to "hide thyself" came at a time when the flesh wanted to show itself.  The command to "shew thyself" came when there was every reason that Elijah did not to want to so.  If I were Elijah, I would probably want to stay in seclusion for a little while longer! Yet, God's command is to show you before the king.

      There are times when God's commands just don't make sense from a human perspective.  Let me just remind you that God's ways are not our ways.

                        Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” 

      If we were in a position to figure God out, He wouldn't be much of a God. We should have learned over the years that when you can't trace God, just trust Him, He knows what He is doing.

                  C. The comfort

      Elijah may not know all the details, but he is reminded that God is still in control. God promises Elijah that if he will present himself to Ahab, that rain will come again. Basically, God is telling Elijah, "Things are going to work out." 

      My Lord knows the way thru the wilderness

            All I have to do is follow.

      My Lord knows the way thru the wilderness

            All I have to do is follow.

      Strength for today is mine all the way

            And all I need for tomorrow.

      My Lord knows the way thru the wilderness

            All I have to do is follow.

      We do not always know what God is doing. However, when God gives a command, He is ready with whatever provisions are necessary to see that you are able to carry it out.  God's commands are always been accompanied by God's provisions.  Regardless of how large or impossible the task may seem, God is always there and He is ready with His promise of victory and provision.

      Let’s look at a few people in the Bible in which we know that God’s clear commands seem dark but God showed Himself true.

1. Abraham  Genesis 12:1-2

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing”

      Abraham did not know all that would happen in his life but the Lord knew.  As long as Abraham followed the command of God, he was blessed.  In fact, we are over four thousand years after Abraham and we are still talking about him and his obedience.

2. Moses  Exodus 4:12

“Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”

      Moses learned where God leads, He always promises His provision and His presence.  He will not leave us out there alone.  That is that exceeding abundant grace that is sufficient for all our needs.

                  D.  The Compliance  Vs. 2

                        “And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.”

      Elijah's response reveals his heart for God.  He didn't need all the details, he just needed God to give him a command and he was ready to obey.  Elijah's obedience to the Father sets the standard that all of God's children should strive to reach.  This is why I say that Elijah is surrendered to the Lord. When God speaks, he moves. Elijah does not object, point out the difficulties or try to reason with God.  When God speaks, he moves. This is a lesson that is for us.  God's call is enough to spur the prophet into action. 

Conclusion:  We know that nothing reveals the truth of our love for God any more clearly than our obedience to Him.  We can say anything we wish to say, but we prove we love the Lord when we cheerfully obey the commands He has given us.

                                                John 14:15

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

      Obedience to the Lord's commands carries with it a special promise.

                                                John 14:21

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

      What do our actions reveal about our heart?  What does your obedience say about your love for the Lord God today?  Elijah was a man totally surrendered to God. When God's command came, he responded by faith. When he didn't understand, he simply obeyed.  This is the kind of heart and attitude God is seeking. This is the kind of life God can and will bless.

   Here is the song that we ought to sing like Elijah’s life displayed.

I want to do thy will O’ Lord.

I want to do thy will O’ Lord.

Take me, break me, mold and make me.

I want to do thy will O’ Lord.

    Next time we will look at Obadiah.  This is all the prep work before Mount Carmel.