[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during November 2020]
In certain branches of Christianity, today 19th November, is respected as the feast day of St Obadiah. The name Obadiah means ‘Servant of the Lord’ and there are at least 12 people with that name mentioned in the Bible. Several of them were Levites and had a role in the teaching and leadership of the Israelite people.
One Obadiah was the chief of staff in the court of Ahab and Jezebel, who are often considered to be one of the most evil husband-and-wife partnerships in history. As was the case with Joseph, Daniel and Nehemiah, Obadiah’s faithfulness to God made him a trustworthy and valuable employee even to those who did not share his beliefs. Obadiah trusted God with his life – whilst Jezebel was viciously purging Israel of God’s prophets, Obadiah was providing food and security to some of those under threat. Does your faith enhance your secular activities?
The Old Testament includes a short book recording the vision of the prophet Obadiah. None of the writers of our 200+ reflections to date has yet referred to this book but, as part of God’s word, it should not be ignored. The prophecy, addressed to the people of Edom, descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau, warns of punishment coming to those who took advantage of Israel’s adversity. Is the book merely of historical interest or does it have something to say to us? The words of verse 12: “You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune” are taken further by the advice in Proverbs 25: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink”.
Some sources suggest that these two men are one and the same; other sources are equally insistent that they were not. Maybe it is appropriate for both of them to be venerated on this day. Certainly, they both have something to teach us. Perhaps this is aptly summed up in the words of Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, best known as the author of “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, when he wrote:
Go and bear thy brother’s burden, heed today the Lord’s command,
Find him with his load of trouble, offer him a helping hand;
Speak to Him in gentle kindness words of sympathy and love,
That a blessed balm of healing to his bleeding heart may prove.
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The account of Obadiah and the prophets can be found in 1 Kings 18.