1 Kings 18 (in brief): Obadiah (not the prophet) was a devout believer in the Lord even though he lived in a rebellious kingdom. He served as the palace administrator for Ahab, King of Israel (the northern kingdom in Samaria). Obadiah remained a righteous man while appointed to oversee the household of this evil king.

Obadiah feared the Lord so much that without a word from the Lord, he did the right thing. His instinct was to protect the Lord’s prophets by hiding them and avoiding their slaughter while supplying them with food and water.

King Ahab had inherited a legacy of rebellion and idolatry after a long line of previous kings had been assassinated by their helpers. He and his wicked wife, Jezebel, replaced the worship of God with Baal and elevated Baal to their people as who they would worship.

Elijah was one of the prophets that Obadiah had been trying to find so he too could hide in the caves with the other prophets and be saved from Jezebel’s mandate…

1 Kings 18:1-2, 7-15 (NIV 2011)
¹ The word of the Lord came to Elijah: ‘Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land;
² So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.
⁷As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him, bowed down to the ground, and said, “Is it really you, my lord Elijah?”
⁸ “Yes,” he replied. “Go tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”
⁹ “What have I done wrong,” asked Obadiah, “that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? ¹⁰ As surely as the Lord your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. ¹¹ But now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ ¹² I don’t know where the Spirit of the Lord may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the Lord since my youth. ¹³ Haven’t you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord? I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. ¹⁴ And now you tell me to go to my master and say, ‘Elijah is here.’ He will kill me!”
¹⁵ Elijah said, “As the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today.”

Obadiah was leaning on his own understanding. He had fear about how this would turn out, no matter what, he believed that he would die. In the verses 9-14, he pours out his thoughts to Elijah. Fear and doubt was his own understanding. He had knowledge of earthly decrees and his experience with prophets of the sovereign Lord being rounded up and killed by his employers. These are his truths and what he had to work with in his own understanding.

Elijah edified Obadiah in verse 8 by saying “do your duty.” Then, Elijah listened to this monologue about what Obadiah had on his mind. Elijah didn’t give a response to the fear and worry over his impending death. In verse 15, instead, he communicated to Obadiah what was God’s truth. The words that would give Obadiah the faith he needed to fulfill his duty.

When we lean on our own understanding, things can appear complicated, difficult and even impossible. Fear and uncertainty can consume us and make us panic. If this is how we make decisions, we might be lead to destruction, loss and death. Lean on the Lord instead, open our ears to His soft whispers. He will lead us to life and His will be done.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV 2011)
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

The author of Proverbs is not telling us to ignore intelligence or common sense. God’s plan is greater. We might miss God’s will if we are too self-reliant and self-sufficient. We should live in the truth and faith that God gives each of us, and our path will have light.

1 Kings 18 (in brief): The remainder of this chapter shows the story of Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in a competitive sacrifice. God sent fire down from Heaven to prove He was superior to Baal, the false God King Ahab promoted. After the showdown on Mount Carmel, God brought an end to the drought in Israel, by sending rain for the first time in over 3 years. The prophets of Baal were eliminated.