Can we trust God?

At a doctoral board meeting of a secular university, I was struck by the vitriolic comments made by fellow (secular) board members who were commenting on the proposal of a Christian master’s student. I must admit that the level of animosity took me by surprise. Not all think like that in society, nevertheless, in New Zealand at least, I often feel a barrier going up even when I just mention going to church. This seems a far cry from an earlier generation’s experience where being a Christian was generally seen as admirable (even if the listener had no Christian commitment). Nowadays, the God of the Bible is made into a caricature of an angry deity out to get one for their sins, a spoilsport of our happiness and oppressive of human freedom and dignity for all who do not follow a narrow Christian morality. Thus, Christians who follow such a God are treated with suspicion. While the issues are somewhat different in the ancient world, there is likewise mistrust of God, His Word and His servants in Elijah’s story.

A test of trust

In fact, the widow of Zarephath’s story parallels Obadiah’s in many ways. Although she comes from a pagan background and Obadiah is God’s servant already (1 Kings 18:3),[1] they both show trust when they feed a prophet/prophets (1 Kings 17:12-13; 18:4). At the same time, they both face a challenge of trust under the threat of death. The widow blames God’s representative for her son’s death (1 Kings 17:18). Obadiah fears death and he, too, blames Elijah (1 Kings 18:9). Both imply in their moment of doubt that God brings death, not life. It is odd why Obadiah’s faith crumbles now when he has already shown great courage. Interestingly, announcing the prophet’s presence may be read as a confession of faith. In Hebrew, the sentence runs, ‘Look, Elijah!’ where the prophet’s name, eli-ya-hu, means ‘my god, Yahweh (is) he’.  The clear meaning in the context is to point out Elijah, but perhaps it is meant as a double entendre for the reader to indicate that more is at stake than a simple announcement. For Obadiah it will become a test of trust in a public statement. Will God and Elijah stand by their word, or will Obadiah become entrapped and killed when Elijah does not show up (1 Kings 18:12)? In the end, Obadiah, like the widow, makes a verbal statement (1 Kings 17:24; 18:16) that affirms his trust shown earlier through actions.

Who is the cause of our trouble?

The encounter between Ahab and Elijah develops the questions of trust and blame further. Ahab’s concern is not for human life but only for what benefits him (the life of his cattle, his possession, 1 Kings 18:5). In his self-centred perspective, God’s prophet is ‘the troublemaker’ (‘okher), who stirs things up (1 Kings 18:17). The term is infelicitous in Ahab’s mouth because the quintessential troublemaker (‘okher) was Achan who took in his greed what belonged to God (Josh 7:25). Ahab’s greed for a prosperous life meant that he gave the worship due God to Baal, expecting rain and fertility of the land in return. Elijah counters with his estimate that it is Ahab’s sin that has caused all this trouble (1 Kings 18:18). The scene for the showdown is now set (1 Kings 18:19).

Can we trust God?

This episode around Obadiah, Elijah and Ahab challenges us to ask if we trust God. Like the widow and Obadiah, we may do so in some areas but not in others. When things go awry in our lives, does God get the blame? Do we feel He was not there for us when we needed Him? Do we assume at times, like Obadiah, that God cares little for our lives? When we express our commitment publicly for Him that He can change lives, bring fulfilment, answer prayer and so on, do we fear that He will not show up? Can God be trusted to come through with what He said He would do? Do we truly believe the reality of what we act on? These incidents around the widow and Obadiah affirm that our Lord can be trusted, but as Christians we also have our confirmation in the Lord Jesus’ willingness to give Himself in death that we might have life. In Him all the promises of God come true.

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[1] Obadiah means ‘servant of Yahweh’ and to fear God/the LORD (Yahweh) is a shorthand for a godly person, who obeys the Lord.

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