The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 420

to us altogether out of the quesLion. "What communion,'' we should ask, "hath licrht with darkness? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel ? " " IV. H1s PIETY. Yet we find that Obadiah, the inten,lant of the palace of Sa,maria the trusted and faithful minister of Ahab, the "third ruler in the kingclom," 11 fe:i.red the Lord greatly" (ver. 3), and, though surrounded by Ba.al-worshippers, never bowed the knee to Baal; though risking his life by his devotion to Jehovah, yet served Him truly, and succoured His prophets. We have a parallel to this, and a still more striking instance of piety under the most adverse and discouraging circumstances in the New Testament. ·we have something like it, indeed, in the case of Daniel and the three Hebrew childroen ; something approaching it in the case of Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward (Luke viii. 3) ; but we find a still closer analogue in the saints of Cresa.r's household (Phil. iv. 22). When we remember that the saints of Rome were the talk, the admiration, the patterns of the early Christian Churches II throughout the whole world" (Rom. i. 8) ; that among the saints of Rome, those of the palace or of the barracks (Phil. i. 13) attached to Ciesar's palace on the Palatine, were conspicuous, at least (eh. iv. 22) for their charity, for the crowning Christian grace of tf,i>..aoEXtf,ia, the stamp and seal royal of the saints (John xiii. 35; 1 John iv. 20); when we remember, too, that this was in Rome, at that period the very worst city in the world, the resort-their own writers being witness-of all the knaves and charlatans and libertines of the empire ; that this was in the year A.D. 63, when the palace of the Cresars was occupied by Nero, of all those born of women perhaps the meanest, basest, most infamous, most prof- ligate; that this Nero was murderer of brother, murderer of mother, of wife, of paramour; persecutor and butcher of the Christians, sworn foe of goodness and purity in every shape, patron and abettor of every l!Snd of abomination, according to some the " Beast'' of the Apocalypse; when we consider that under his roof, in the pandemonium which he had crentedaround him, saints were found, meek followers of the unspotted Christ, we cannot but be impressed with the fact that the wis'1om of God has preserved for our encouragement two conspicuous instauces-one unciet· the Old Dispensation, one under the New-of fervent piety liviug and thriving in e. palace under the most adverse circumstances, amid the overflowings of ungodliness. And these facts may suggest the following lessons : 1. "Let every man, wherein he is called, there abide with God" (1 Cor. vii. 20, 24). The temptation to desert our post, because of the cli.fficulties, seductions, perse- cutions it affords, is peculiarly strong, because it presents itself under the garb of a religious duty. We thiuk we shall" one day fall by the hand of Saul" (1 Sam. xxvii. 1). We fear the temptation may be too strong for us, and we consult, as we fancy, only for our safety, in flight. But we forget that " every man's life is a plan of God;" that we have been placed where we are by Him, and placed there to do His work. We forget olso that His " grace is sufficient" for us ; that with every temptation He can make a way to escape \l Cor. x. 18} ; that He will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear; and that flight under such circum- stances must be mere cowardice and faithlessness. It was o. great mistake of the hermits and the religious of e. past age to leave the world because it was so wicked, for this was to take the salt out of the earth, and to leave it to corruption. If the men who alone can leaven society shut themselves up in a cloister or a study, it is simply leaving it to the dev'J to do his worst. This is not to fight, but to flee. Except these a.bide in the ship, how can it be saved? (Acts xxvii. 31.) Itis egregious selfishness to hide our candle under a bushel, lest perchance the blasts of temptation ehoulJ extinguish it. Obadiah was called by the providence of God to be governor of Ahab's house. The post must have been one of extreme difficulty, of constant trial and imminent peril. We see from vers. 10, 14 the kind of man he hail to deal with, andhow, from day to day,he carried his life in his hand. But he diil not desert the state of life into which it had pleased God to call him. He considered that he was there for some good purpose; that he had a work to do which only he could do, and he resolved to stop and do his duty. Perhaps he remembered the ruler of fh/l,ra.9h's 4o~se, ud the delivere.ace he wrought for Isro.el (Gen. xlv. 7, 3),  132 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [OB. XVIII. 1--46.