Call to True Worship

1 Kings 18:1-19
    1 And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth."  2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria. 3 And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly. 4 For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock." 6 So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
    7 Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is that you, my lord Elijah?"  8 And he answered him, "It is I. Go, tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'"
    9 So he said, "How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? 10 As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. 11 And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here"'! 12 And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth. 13 Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here."' He will kill me!"  15 Then Elijah said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today."  16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
    17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?"  18 And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals. 19 Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

Elijah's message from the LORD to Ahab was clear.  After three years of drought, he was to tell Ahab that it would now rain again by His command according to His will and in His time.  In the meanwhile, Ahab had sent Obadiah to look for water in one direction while he searched in another.  Then Obadiah met Elijah, who instructed him to let his master know of Elijah’s presence there whom he could not find on his own those three years.  This is the Obadiah who had saved the lives of one hundred prophets when Jezebel killed them off in hatred of the LORD and His word against her.  After convincing Obadiah that he would actually show himself to Ahab, he went and delivered the message.  However, when Ahab met Elijah, he tried to blame him for Israel’s troubles with the drought when it was His and Jezebel’s sin which brought the troubles as consequences for their rejection in rebellious sin of false worship against the LORD as the first commandment stated clearly.  Elijah followed God’s plan for the response as a challenge to bring all the idol worshippers of Baal together on Mount Carmel to decide the matter.  We learn that God will judge those who reject Him and worship other gods.  Only those acceptable to Him in taking Him at His word and obeying it will live; Christ is that word and only way.  This is the call to true worship.