Lord and lord

Good morning all,
Our readings from Elijah's story so far have taken place during the drought God sent to let the Kings of Israel know God's power and anger with their idolatry. Today Elijah hears the announcement that God's drought is coming to an end. God sends him to tell the news to King Ahab. Elijah's contact person is a man named Obadiah. If you watch the word "lord" (both Lord and lord) in the story you'll see some interesting plays on how challenging loyalty can be in the real world. Obadiah works for the king and also follows the Lord. That's put him in some tough spots before because the queen led persecutions of God's prophets.

Obadiah is reverent of Elijah when he appears, but he's also scared. It's dangerous to take one's faith seriously, especially when faith brings persecution, so Obadiah fears that Elijah's appearance will make his tough balancing act even tougher. The question this passage and the few after it really focus on is "who is the Lord?" That's a question we have to answer everyday with our actions as well as our words. May we always find the courage to answer truly.

God bless,
Sam

1 Kings 18:1-16
After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth.” 2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.

The famine was severe in Samaria. 3Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah revered the Lord greatly; 4when Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) 5Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” 6So they divided the land between them to pass through it; Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

7As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him; Obadiah recognized him, fell on his face, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” 8He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.” 9And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would hand your servant over to Ahab, to kill me? 10As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent to seek you; and when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would require an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you.

11But now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.’ 12As soon as I have gone from you, the spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where; so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have revered the Lord from my youth. 13Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water? 14Yet now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here’; he will surely kill me.” 15Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” 16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.