And Elijah said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”
Obadiah has just told Elijah he is too afraid of Ahab to carry his message. Elijah answers with an oath, and one phrase in it holds the whole difference between the two men.
Standing Before God
Elijah had said the same thing when he first stood before Ahab. One writer finds the foundation of his whole service in these words.
C. H. MackintoshThere is great power in the words, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand." They show us in a very special way what this outstanding servant of God rested his soul on. They also show the principle that kept him going in his service. He stood before "the LORD, the God of Israel," and standing there he could speak with a measure of power and authority.
The word "stand" is not about posture. It describes how Elijah lived.
W. W. FeredayWhatever the Lord might be to Obadiah, He was a living God to the outlawed prophet; and he was standing — that is, speaking and acting — always conscious that God was present.
Why "the LORD of Hosts"
Elijah calls God "the LORD of hosts." That name turns up at a certain kind of moment in Scripture.
Truth & TestimonyWe first find this title in the first book of Samuel, in the time of the judges, when every man did what was right in his own eyes, much as is the case today... Many of the prophets use the name, especially in days of weakness and failure. It is good to know that, despite man's failure, there is an all-sufficient God who has unlimited resources at His disposal.
Two Men, Two Masters
Obadiah had begged Elijah not to send him. Elijah's reply set the two men side by side.
Leslie M. GrantObadiah should not have escaped the force of these words. Elijah stood before the Lord of hosts, but Obadiah stood before Ahab!
The Same Words to a Believer and to the King
Obadiah was a believer, not an enemy of God. One writer finds Elijah's answer to him solemn for that reason.
Hamilton SmithHow different Elijah's attitude is. He walks apart from evil, and he is full of holy boldness. Yet his confidence was not in himself, or in his own separate walk, but in the living God... How solemn that Elijah has to speak to a saint of God in the very words he had used on the king who had abandoned God (1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:15). Obadiah stands before the king, and he is full of the fear of death. Elijah stands before the living God, and he is full of calm and holy confidence. Faith in the living God made him warn the king of the coming drought. Faith in the living God sustained him in hiding through the years of drought. Faith in the living God lets him face the king once more and say without a trace of fear, "I will surely show myself to him today."
Commentators differ on the tone of the reply. Another writer hears reassurance in it.
H. L. RossierElijah reassures this poor, frightened, trembling man (vv. 15, 16). As surely as he stands before the Lord, he will show himself to Ahab that very day, for he has nothing to fear. God is with His servant; what is the power of the king compared to that of God?
An Oath That Was Kept
Elijah's words are an oath. One writer weighs how serious that is.
L. M. GrantAn oath that calls on God's name is a most serious matter. Elijah made such an oath to Obadiah, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand" (1 Kings 18:15), and he kept that oath. But men often dare to use God's name when they do not even intend to keep their word. That is using it completely in vain, and it is a gross evil.
Summary
- Stand — To "stand before" God means speaking and acting while aware He is present; Elijah's confidence rested there, not in himself or in his own separate walk.
- Sustains — The same faith announced the drought and carried him through it. Now it sends him back to the king unafraid.
- Supplies — "The LORD of hosts" is the name for days of weakness and failure. Man has failed, but an all-sufficient God still has unlimited resources.
- Swears — The words are an oath, and Elijah kept it that same day. Using God's name with no intention of keeping your word is a gross evil.
- Sifts — One man stood before the LORD of hosts, the other before Ahab. That one difference explains why Obadiah trembled at a message and Elijah delivered it.