1st Kings 17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
[Prophets & Kings pp 120>122] The prophet set out at once and traveled night and day until he reached Samaria. At the palace he solicited no admission, nor waited to be formally announced. Clad in the coarse garments usually worn by the prophets of that time, he passed the guards, apparently unnoticed, and stood for a moment before the astonished king. Elijah made no apology for his abrupt appearance.
A Greater than the ruler of Israel had commissioned him to speak; and, lifting his hand toward heaven, he solemnly affirmed by the living God that the judgments of the Most-High were about to fall upon Israel. “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand,” he declared, “there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” It was only by the exercise of strong faith in the unfailing power of God's word that Elijah delivered his message.
Had he not possessed implicit confidence in the One whom he served, he would never have appeared before Ahab. Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, the message of impending judgment fell upon the ears of the wicked king. But before Ahab could recover from his astonishment, or frame a reply, Elijah disappeared as abruptly as he had come, without waiting to witness the effect of his message. The king made diligent inquiry, but the prophet was not to be found.
1st Kings 18:5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. 6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!