“Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?”
My Notes
What Does 1 Kings 18:13 Mean?
Obadiah defends his credentials to Elijah: when Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets, Obadiah hid a hundred of them — fifty in one cave, fifty in another — and fed them with bread and water. The question "was it not told my lord?" appeals to Obadiah's record: I'm not the enemy. I risked my life to save God's prophets.
The hiding of prophets in caves represents resistance from within the system. Obadiah held a position of power (he was "over Ahab's house" — the chief steward, equivalent to a prime minister) and used that power covertly to protect God's servants. The resistance was institutional, not dramatic — a government official using his access to quietly save lives.
The bread and water Obadiah provided sustained the hidden prophets during the drought and persecution. The provision was practical, ongoing, and personally costly. Feeding a hundred people secretly while serving in Ahab's court required sustained courage and logistical skill. Obadiah risked his life not once but daily, for as long as the prophets remained hidden.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What forms of quiet, institutional faithfulness (like Obadiah's) go unrecognized in your community?
- 2.How does Obadiah's use of power (inside the system) complement Elijah's confrontation (outside the system)?
- 3.Where might you be called to the 'cave ministry' (hidden provision) rather than the 'mountaintop ministry' (public confrontation)?
- 4.What daily risk is your faithfulness requiring that nobody sees?
Devotional
I hid a hundred prophets. Fifty in one cave, fifty in another. Fed them bread and water. While Jezebel was killing every prophet she could find. Obadiah tells Elijah: I'm not a coward. I'm the reason a hundred prophets are still alive.
Obadiah's resistance is the most underappreciated heroism in the Elijah narrative. While Elijah confronted Ahab publicly on Mount Carmel, Obadiah was protecting God's people privately from inside the palace. Both forms of faithfulness were necessary. The dramatic confrontation gets the chapters; the quiet protection gets a verse. But without Obadiah's caves, the prophets Elijah represented would have been dead.
The position is the power: Obadiah was Ahab's chief steward — the highest-ranking official in the palace. He used his access, his authority, and his logistical resources to hide and feed a hundred prophets while his boss's wife was executing them. The resistance operated inside the system. The man who managed Ahab's household used Ahab's resources to subvert Jezebel's genocide.
The daily nature of the provision is what makes it extraordinary: bread and water for a hundred people, delivered secretly, for an extended period. This isn't a one-time rescue. It's sustained, risky, logistically complex underground ministry conducted by a government official who could have been killed if discovered. Obadiah chose the risk every single day.
Not every faithful person is called to the mountaintop confrontation. Some are called to the cave provision. Some faithfulness looks like Elijah facing down the prophets of Baal. Some looks like Obadiah carrying bread to a cave when nobody's watching. Both are needed. Both are dangerous. And the caves are as holy as the mountain.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Elijah said, as the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand,.... In whose presence he was, and whose prophet and…
When Jezebel slew the prophets - This persecution was probably during the dearth, for as this bad woman would attribute…
In these verses we find,
I. The sad state of Israel at this time, upon two accounts: -
1. Jezebel cut off the prophets…
Was it not told my lord Obadiah's thought seems to be that Elijah could believe nothing but evil of one who was in the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture