2 Kings 1:1–18

The Second Book of Kings follows the First without any interruption. So the reader does not draw a wrong conclusion, it may help to note that this division into two books is not part of the inspired text. In the Hebrew canon it was one single book from the start.

Moab had paid tribute to Israel ever since David conquered them, more than two hundred years before. When the kingdom divided, they appear to have gone on paying their usual tribute to Jeroboam. His kingdom took in the two and a half tribes east of the Jordan, and their territory reached as far as the kingdom of Moab. Israel must have felt the loss of this huge yearly income sharply.

The change of reign gives Moab a good occasion to throw off this hated yoke. Had not Moab from ancient times hated the people of God and sought to curse them? In those days conquered nations were used to such revolts. They always waited for the death of their tyrant, so they could shake off the yoke and free themselves from the heavy taxes he had loaded on them. The tribute was 100,000 lambs and 100,000 rams with their wool, enormous for such a small country. It must have weighed heavily on Moab, on top of the humiliation this proud nation put up with so impatiently. So it is no surprise that Moab seized the first chance to free itself. The outward fact is what catches man's attention. But above it the believer sees something invisible, the only thing that matters to him: the hand of God stretched out to judge the people and their godless leader.

The politically-minded man sees nothing more than this in the rebellion of Moab, while the believer recognises God's hand in chastening or in judgment there.

The unfaithfulness of God's people is what puts power into an enemy's hands. No strength of Midian could have won, or would have won, unless the Lord allowed it. And He would not have allowed it unless Israel's condition made it necessary. Those who will not learn in communion with God must learn in the hands of the enemy.

This shows us how God judges. During Ahab's reign the word had gone out that the Lord would bring evil on the king's house in his son's days. Yet God deals with Ahaziah for his own wickedness and his own turning away from God. With this record before us, no objector can claim that Ahaziah suffered because of his father's sins.

The ancient monument known as the Moabite stone carries a striking record of this revolt and of the oppression by Omri and his son Ahab. However, if it were not for the Bible, no one would know that the inscription on the Moabite stone is truthful. The Bible proves that the record is genuine; the record does not prove that the Bible is genuine.

But repentance was foreign to the heart of the king of Israel. The Lord had no place in his thoughts or in his life. He was indifferent to the judgment of God, and saw nothing but an ordinary accident in the blow that had struck him.

The window of the East was made of trellis work. It let in air and light, but it screened the room from view. Judges 5:28; 2 Kings 1:2; Song of Solomon 2:9.

But it is impossible to harden yourself against God and prosper. Troubles gather around the wicked king. Moab rebels, and a fall from an upper room in his palace lays him flat. Will this sickness sober the king and turn his thoughts to the Lord God of Israel? Sadly, in good times he had lived without God, and in trouble he despises the Lord's discipline.

The name of Baal as the god of Ekron, meaning 'lord of the fly.' People regarded him as a protector from poisonous flies, and so as a healer of diseases. In the New Testament there is the similar name Beelzebub, and people blasphemously credited him with the Lord's miracles of casting out demons.

His own Baal, before whom he bowed, was not enough for him; he sends to the Baal of the Philistines to learn his fate. Baal-zebub, the lord of flies, was much more valuable in his eyes than Jehovah.

Idols are nothing in themselves. But demons stand behind them, as 1 Corinthians 10 teaches us. Dealing with demons is sadly common today. Men call it Spiritualism; "demonism" would be a more correct name for this great sin. This is beyond excuse where Bibles are plentiful and people freely preach the gospel of Christ.

Still the prophet insists on one thing: "Is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?" So people who face uneasy questions about their future should turn to the Word of God alone. If they despise it, they bring terrible consequences on themselves. One day that same Word will judge them. "So he died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken."

The way God dealt with him only showed the Lord's tender pity. At the same time it uncovered the desperate hardness of Ahaziah's heart. He had, as people would say, an accident, and it left him ill. That gave him a chance to examine his ways and turn to the Lord. Instead, he sent messengers into Philistine country to ask their god Baalzebub. The eyes of the Lord were on this wicked sinner, and He sent His angel to tell Elijah to go up and meet the king's messengers.

What happened to Ahaziah still happens today to every follower of a false religion. His religion cannot satisfy his heart, calm his soul's fears, or tell him the future. No more could the Baal of Jezebel and Ahab, whom Ahaziah worshipped, satisfy him. So every new superstition is welcome, as long as it offers hope of escaping the fate we fear.

Baal-zebub means "lord of flies." The belief that flies carried disease led blind heathen people to turn to this particular god for help. But Ahaziah should have known better. To inquire at Ekron was really to inquire of demons. Idols are nothing in themselves, but there are demons behind them, as 1 Corinthians 10 teaches us... An angel of the Lord told Elijah to go and meet the messengers of the "king of Samaria." The angel would not call such a man "king of Israel."

Ekron was the great heathen oracle of that day — the shrine of the Sidonian god Baal-zebub. His followers believed he had power to heal diseases and to cast out demons. This is why, in New Testament times, the Pharisees accused the Lord of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Generations before, Saul in his desperation had turned to demons. He only heard the prophet Samuel announce his immediate doom. Ahaziah, in his day, repeats the awful sin of King Saul.

The apostasy had become so terrible and shameless that people ignored the very existence of the Lord. Right at the centre of it, Elijah is to stand up and speak. Death must prove the truth and existence of God, when unbelief refuses and rejects every other evidence. "You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die." If we do not believe that God is, what awaits us but death?

Men love the gods that are most like themselves. So it is not surprising to see Ahaziah sending to this miserable Philistine god. But the sick king's messengers never reached the oracle. The God of Israel Himself sent His prophet to intercept the king's messengers. He answered the king's question.

The way the Lord dealt with him revealed His tender pity. At the same time it uncovered the desperate hardness of Ahaziah's heart. He had, as people would say, an accident, and as a result he was ill. The Lord gave him the chance to examine his ways and turn to Him. Instead of doing either, he sent a delegation into the land of the Philistines. They were to inquire of their god Baal-zebub ("lord of flies") whether he would recover from his disease. He proved by this that he had no confidence in his own gods. Yet he would not turn to the only Source from which help could come.

God's judicial ways are worth noticing here. During Ahab's reign the Lord had said He would bring evil on the king's house in his son's days. Even so, Ahaziah is dealt with on the ground of his own wickedness and apostasy. With this record before us, no one can claim that Ahaziah suffered for his father's sins. "The soul who sins shall die" is God's own declaration. So God did not carry out the sentence on Ahab's house until his son had himself drawn down the anger of the Lord God of Israel.

At the command of the angel of the Lord, Elijah the Tishbite appears on the scene again, and we find him with all the boldness and energy of faith he had shown from the brook Cherith to the destruction of the prophets of Baal. The broom tree in the wilderness and the lesson at Horeb had borne their fruit for the prophet.

God often tests us in what seem to be little things, but these things reveal the true condition of our hearts... Where do we place our confidence when we are sick or injured? We can be truly thankful for doctors and others who work in healing, for medicines, medical equipment and tests of all kinds. We are free before God to make full use of them. But our trust must not be in things or in people, but in the Lord alone!

His own Baal, before whom he bowed, was not enough for him; he sends to the Baal of the Philistines to learn his fate. Baal-zebub, the lord of flies, was much more valuable in his eyes than the Lord. That idolatrous nation no doubt called on him to keep them safe from the plague of the eastern lands: flies. He was a powerful god to his worshippers. In their blindness they bowed down to him, and so they were worshipping or begging Satan himself — the Beelzebub so often mentioned in the New Testament.

The way God dealt with him only revealed the Lord's tender pity. At the same time it uncovered the desperate hardness of Ahaziah's heart. He had, as men would say, an accident, and as a result he was ill. This gave him a chance to examine his ways and turn to the Lord. He did neither. He sent messengers into the land of the Philistines to ask their god Baal-zebub whether he would recover from his disease. This proved that he had no confidence in his own gods. Yet he still would not turn to the only Source of help.

This is worth noticing as an illustration of God's judicial ways. During Ahab's reign the Lord had said He would bring evil on the king's house in his son's days. Yet He deals with Ahaziah on the ground of Ahaziah's own wickedness and turning from God. With this record in front of us, no objector can claim that Ahaziah suffered because of his father's sins. "The soul who sins shall die" is God's own declaration. So the sentence on Ahab's house was not carried out until his son had himself brought on the anger of the Lord God of Israel. He did it by an act of turning from God that matched, if it did not exceed, the worst deeds of his father.

Had it not in practice been proved before Ahab and Jezebel that there was a God in Israel? Where you found the man of God, you found God — a very important testimony for the dangerous days we are living through. Why did people find God there? Because God had entrusted His word to Elijah, and anyone could come to him and ask.

God often tests us in things that seem small. But these things reveal the true condition of our hearts. Ahaziah completely ignored the painful lessons his father Ahab had had to learn. He left the Lord out of his thinking — something both foolish and dangerous to do. ... Where do we place our confidence when we are sick or injured? We can be truly thankful for doctors and other healers, for medicines, medical equipment and tests of every kind. We are free before God to make full use of them. But our trust must not be in things or in people, but in the Lord alone!

But the sick king's messengers never reached the oracle. The God of Israel Himself, sending His prophet to intercept the king's messengers, answered His question. "But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them: Is it not because there is no God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?"

The Lord had heard the orders given to the king's messengers, and He sent a messenger (angel means "a messenger" in Hebrew) to Elijah the Tishbite... Elijah delivered the message; the messengers returned to Ahaziah and he heard Elijah's words from their lips. He knew at once who the mysterious person was who had turned back his messengers.

Baal-zebub means "lord of flies." People believed that flies carried disease, so blind pagans turned to this god for help. But Ahaziah should have known better. To ask at Ekron was really to ask demons. Idols are nothing in themselves, but there are demons behind them, as 1 Cor. 10 teaches us. Dealing with demons is all too common in our day. Men call it Spiritualism; "demonism" would be a more correct name for this great sin.

That which happened to Ahaziah still happens today to every follower of a false religion. His religion cannot satisfy his heart, calm his fears, or tell him the future. Neither could the Baal of Jezebel and Ahab, whom Ahaziah worshipped, satisfy him. So every new superstition is welcome, as long as it offers hope of escaping the fate we fear.

The way God dealt with him only revealed the Lord's tender pity, while at the same time it uncovered the desperate hardness of Ahaziah's heart. He had, as people would say, an accident, and so he was ill. This gave him an opportunity to examine his ways and turn to the Lord. Instead he sent men into Philistine country to ask their god Baal-zebub whether he would recover. So he proved that he had no confidence in his own gods; and yet he would not turn to the only Source of help.

The falling away from God had become so terrible and reckless that people ignored His very existence. In the middle of it, Elijah stands up to declare that death must prove the truth and existence of God, when unbelief denies and rejects all other evidence. "You shall not come down from that bed on which you have gone up: you shall surely die." If we do not believe that God is, what awaits us but death?

Yet the prophet insists upon one thing: "Is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?" So people facing troubling questions about their future should turn to the Word of God alone. Despising it brings terrible consequences on themselves. One day this same Word will judge them. "He died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken."

Had it not been proven before Ahab and Jezebel that there was a God in Israel? Where people found the man of God, they found God — a very important testimony for the dangerous days we pass through. Why did they find God there? Because God had entrusted His Word to Elijah, and people could come to him to ask about it.

We now come to Elijah's last act of public testimony (2 Kings 1). He comes forward to rebuke the king of Israel for sending to Baal-zebub to ask about his sickness, as if there were no God in Israel. The apostasy had become so terrible and shameless that people ignored the Lord's very existence. In the very centre of it, Elijah is to stand up and declare this: when unbelief disowns and refuses all other evidence, death must prove the truth and existence of God.

Finding himself a sick man after a fall from a window, Ahaziah sent messengers to ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether he would recover. Baal-zebub means "lord of flies." People believed that flies carried disease, so blind pagans turned to this god for help. But Ahaziah should have known better. To inquire at Ekron was really to inquire of demons. Idols are nothing in themselves, but there are demons behind them, as 1 Cor. 10 teaches us.

Ekron was the northernmost of the five main Philistine cities, and it held the shrine and oracle of the detestable idol called Baal-zebub — the Beelzebub of the New Testament. Men love the gods that are most like themselves, so it is not surprising to see Ahaziah sending to this wretched Philistine god. But the sick king's messengers never reached the oracle. The God of Israel Himself, sending His prophet to intercept the king's messengers, answered his question.

The messengers therefore knew it was useless to go to the god of Ekron, and they returned to Ahaziah, telling him about the man who met them and about his message from the God of Israel (v.6). When Ahaziah questioned them about the man, he realised it was Elijah the Tishbite (vv.7-8), who had given his father a similar fateful message that came true.

The prophet pronounces a third judgment on Ahaziah. The first was Moab's rebellion, which struck at the glory of his kingdom. The second was his fall, which struck at his health. This third one strikes at his life: "You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die."

Notice how God judges here. During Ahab's reign the Lord had said that He would bring evil on the king's house in his son's days. Yet God deals with Ahaziah on the ground of his own wickedness and apostasy. With this record before us, no objector can claim that Ahaziah suffered because of his father's sins.

God often tests us in things that seem small. But these things reveal the true condition of our hearts... Where do we place our confidence when we are sick or injured? We can be truly thankful for doctors and other healthcare workers, for medicines, medical equipment and tests of all kinds. We are free before God to make full use of them. But our trust must not be in things or in people, but in the Lord alone!

An angel of Jehovah told Elijah to meet the messengers of the "king of Samaria." He refused to call such a man "King of Israel." Elijah was to ask them whether there was no longer a God in Israel, so that they had to go to Ekron. They were to go back to their master and tell him he would not recover, but would surely die. The messengers seemed awestruck. They did not know that it was Elijah who had spoken to them, and they went back to the king with the message. When Ahaziah asked what kind of man had stopped them, they said he was a man wearing "a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist." The king at once recognised the prophet whose warnings his father had dreaded. He said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite!"

As he questioned them about the man, he realised that it was Elijah the Tishbite (vv.7-8). Elijah had given his father a similar message of doom, and it had come true (1 Kings 21:19).

The prophet's character matched his mission. It gave him credentials before the world, so that the world could see in him an authority given by God. The Word came against Ahaziah, and he could not mistake the man who brought it. His clothing and his belt were enough to make him known. His garment, like the covering of the ark, pictured holiness that repels corruption. At the same time it pictured the simplicity that delights in what is humble. His belt kept his clothes from touching anything unclean. It was also the emblem of his complete devotion to the service of the Lord, and of thoughts fixed on one object alone.

Zechariah 13:4-5 shows that a rough or hairy garment was the mark of a prophet. When the sick Ahaziah asked what kind of man had met his messengers, they replied that he "wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist" (2 Kings 1:8). John the Baptist also wore "a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist" (Matthew 3:4).

The son of Ahab knew at once that it was Elijah the Tishbite. He had not only heard of the prophet's deeds; he also knew his appearance and person. A less hardened sinner might have trembled when the prophet appeared again, but Ahaziah only grew bolder in his defiance of God. He knew well that Elijah was Jehovah's messenger, but what of that? Was not Ahaziah the king of Israel? So, deceived by Satan, he decided to arrest the man who had dared to send him such a message.

Should it not be the same for us today? God has entrusted His word to the believer, in the middle of a Christendom that has given it up. But the believer can have no power to back up God's testimony before the world unless his conduct shows it. It must show true separation from the world, humility in his walk, and genuine devotion of his whole life to the Lord. That is how we shall have the right to speak on God's behalf. If this is so, the world will have to hear us, whether it wants to or not. If not, it will turn away and use our conduct as an excuse to despise the Word of God.

Goats' hair is a picture of Christ as Prophet. Zechariah 13:4-5 shows that a rough or hairy garment was the mark of a prophet. John the Baptist, too, wore "a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist" (Matthew 3:4).

The girdle is typical of strength, and "girding up the loins" means active service. When God gathers the Gentiles to discipline Israel, they will not loosen the belt of their loins (Isaiah 5:27). Of the Lord when He comes to reign, Scripture says, "Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins" (Isaiah 11:5). In the present warfare the Christian must wear the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14). Truth is the very thing Satan will most oppose, and the thing most people are liable to be indifferent about.

The prophet's character matched his mission and gave him credit before the world, so that the world could recognise in him an authority given by God. The word was aimed at Ahaziah, and he could not mistake him. "It is Elijah the Tishbite," he cried as soon as his servants described the man. His clothing and his belt were enough to make him known. His garment, like the covering of the ark, pictured the holiness that repels corruption. At the same time it pictured the simplicity that delights in what is humble. His belt kept his garments from touching defilement. But it was also the emblem of his absolute devotion to the service of the Lord, and of the concentration of his thoughts on one object alone.

The son of Ahab knew at once that it was Elijah the Tishbite. He had not only heard of his deeds; he knew his appearance and person. The prophet's return might have terrified a less hardened sinner, but it only provoked Ahaziah to more daring irreverence. He knew well that Elijah was Jehovah's messenger, but what of that? Was not Ahaziah the king of Israel?

Dressed like this, Elijah confronted Ahab and his court. What lay behind this amazing courage? For this we must ask the apostle James, who wrote about our prophet nearly a thousand years after his day (James 5:17). Elijah was above all a man of prayer. He was used to dealing with the Sovereign of the universe at His lofty throne. So he did not dread Israel's petty sovereign on his throne, whatever the strength of the armed guard around him.

God entrusts His word to the believer in the middle of a Christendom that has given it up. But the believer can give God's testimony credit before the world in only one way: by showing in his conduct true separation from the world, humility in his walk, and genuine consecration of his whole life to the Lord. That is how we shall have the right to speak on God's behalf. If this is so, the world will have to hear us, whether it wants to or not. If not, it will turn away and use our conduct as an excuse to despise the word of God.

Not ashamed of his godlessness, and in no way humbled, Ahaziah ordered the arrest of the prophet. But why send a captain with fifty men (presumably armed) against a helpless old man! Conscience told the king that a mysterious power went with Elijah, and that he had to reckon with it. But what could soldiers do against the power of God!

From his messengers' description King Ahaziah knew who had spoken. It was Elijah who had told them that he would not recover from his injury, but would die. The king now sent a detachment of soldiers to arrest him. Their captain rudely demanded, "The king says, Come down!" Down through the years many men of God, male and female, have faced a "Come down" from the authorities. Even today, in many lands, the militia or police still harass Christians. They haul them off to torture, fines, and imprisonment.

Both captains called Elijah "man of God." That proves they had some idea that they were contending with God. It was one thing to reject his testimony; it was quite another to try to destroy the man himself.

The mission of an Elijah is to announce this deeply-solemn truth, and then to depart from the guilty scene. That is what this honoured servant did. He withdrew and sat on the top of a hill, out of reach, consciously standing apart from the evil and above it. Is this the same man who had fled for his life into the wilderness? Captains and their hosts are as nothing to him now.

The government of the kingdom of Israel was a theocracy. No doubt the king was the representative of God's power, but it was still a throne of Jehovah. So when a king set himself in defiance of Jehovah he had to take the consequences. Nobody holding the Queen's commission, for instance, may order his men against the Queen. And the Queen has every right to punish them. Their pleading the order of the officer has nothing to do with the matter. The officer has no commission against the Queen.

Military discipline is doubtless important. Officers and men must normally obey their superiors. But every person, in every land, soldier or civilian, is first of all a servant of God. He should never surrender his conscience. It will be no answer in the day of judgement that the king or government commanded this or that. "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

What a contrast between Mount Carmel and the unnamed hill! At Carmel the fire of God consumed the sacrifice but spared the people. At this hill there was no sacrifice, and the fire consumed the ungodly. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is a safe shelter for sinners. Apart from that sacrifice, nothing but judgement is possible for any of us. Our Lord's disciples once referred to the destruction of Ahaziah's men. They were near the place where it happened, and they were angry that a Samaritan village would not welcome the Lord: "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, as Elijah did?" (Luke 9:51-56). The Lord rebuked their mistaken zeal.

What he did was right — wicked Ahaziah was really challenging God. God is no less able to act to protect His own today. But we live in a day of grace. We are to show the spirit of our Lord Jesus, who endured grief, insult, and injury, and suffered though He had done no wrong. "When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly" (1 Pet. 2:23).

"If I am a man of God, let fire come down," says the prophet. This one phrase, "a man of God," holds his whole mission to Israel. "Is it because there is not a God in Israel?" he had said to Ahaziah. God was vindicating His character in the presence of apostasy and had chosen His prophet to be the powerful witness to this.

The military parade and display of numbers leave Elijah completely unmoved. He calmly replies: "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." If Elijah is a man of God, then God is with Elijah. Ahaziah has to learn that kings, with all their armies, have no power against one man if God is with him.

The kingdom of Israel was a theocracy. The king did represent God's power, but the throne was still Jehovah's. So when a king set himself against Jehovah, he had to take the consequences. For example, no one holding the Queen's commission has the right to order his men against the Queen, and the Queen has every right to punish them. Their plea that they were following the officer's order makes no difference.

So the Lord God of Israel was a wall of fire around His servant to protect him, and "fiery indignation" to devour his enemies. A principle runs through both the Old and New Testaments: God always identifies Himself with His messengers. So Ahaziah, without knowing it, was attacking Jehovah Himself in the person of His servant.

It would be a strange mistake to think that Elijah called fire down from heaven on the captain and his fifty out of fear for his own life, or from a wish to save himself. The man who had fled at Jezebel's threat now stood fearless before the king's soldiers. He had been restored to fellowship with Jehovah's mind, and so he was the willing vessel of Jehovah's power.

At Carmel "the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the sacrifice." The fire fell on the victim as an atonement for the sins of the guilty people, and the people go free. That fire touched no Israelite... Years have passed since then, and the grace of God that provided a sacrifice and sheltered the guilty people from the fire of judgment has been forgotten. The sacrifice has been despised, and now the fire falls on the hilltop once again... But this time there is no victim between a holy God and a sinful people.

So when Elijah asked for fire from heaven to consume the men sent to arrest him, the fire came. God put His seal on that prayer, terrible as it was. Yet when the disciples asked about the Samaritans, "Lord, shall we call down fire from heaven to consume them, as Elijah did?" they met with a rebuke, not approval... But why should what was right in Elijah be wrong in them? For this reason: "the Son of Man did not come to destroy people's lives, but to save them."

Elijah "must come" in the witnesses of Revelation. Of them it is said: "If anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes" (Rev. 11:5)... Then death and judgment must glorify God, when every resource of grace is exhausted and the apostasy is complete.

The king's unrepentant state shows clearly in what he did next. Even after such a warning, he sent a second captain with his fifty to the prophet. The added word "quickly" in the second captain's address to Elijah implies greater urgency: "O man of God, this is the king's order, 'Come down quickly!'" It is as if the king could bear no further delay.

It is a principle running through both the Old and New Testaments that God always identifies Himself with His messengers. So Ahaziah, even if he did not know it, was attacking the Lord Himself in the person of His servant — and at a time when he was already under the just judgment of God.

The second captain was irritable: "O man of God, this is the king's order, 'Come down quickly!'" Military discipline is doubtless important. Officers and men must usually obey their superiors. But every man, in every land, soldier or civilian, is first of all a servant of God. He should never surrender his conscience. It will be no answer in the day of judgement that the king or government commanded this or that. "We ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29). Both captains addressed Elijah as "man of God." That proves they had some idea they were contending with God.

It is true that believers are to be subject to the governing authorities. To resist that authority is to resist what God has ordained (Rom. 13), as long as it acts within its own appointed area. But sometimes that authority tries to enter the sphere God has kept for Himself. Then it must always be resisted. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to obey the commands they were given, and so did Peter and John.

The king knows he is dealing with a man of no small power. So he sends his captains well equipped, to force one man to obey his command. Elijah is completely unmoved by this military parade and show of numbers. He calmly replies, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." If Elijah is a man of God, then God is with Elijah. Ahaziah has to learn that kings, with all their armies, have no power against one man if God is with him.

At Carmel "the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the sacrifice." The fire fell on the victim as an atonement for the sins of the guilty people, and the people go free. Not one Israelite was touched by that fire… Now the sacrifice has been despised, and once again the fire falls on the hill top. God will again vindicate His glory by the consuming fire. But this time there is no victim between a holy God and a sinful people.

Elijah could rightly call down fire from heaven to consume those who dishonored him, and in him despised the prophet and servant of God. But the disciples of Jesus wanted to copy that example in a similar case (Luke 9:54-56). The Lord held them back and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of." Elijah acted here as the representative of the law, which showed no leniency. The disciples of Christ represented the gospel, which proclaims the forgiveness of sins.

The king shows he has not repented: even after such a warning, he sent a second captain with his fifty to the prophet. The added word "quickly" in the second captain's address to Elijah shows greater urgency: "O man of God, the king has said, Come down quickly." It is as if the king could allow no further delay. The same result followed. The fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. Notice that it is now called the fire of God.

Set apart from the evil around him, Elijah is not only beyond his enemies' reach; the fire of God is at his disposal to destroy them... The king realizes he is dealing with a man of no small power. So he sends his captains well equipped to force one man to obey his blunt command. Elijah is unmoved by this military parade and display of numbers. He replies: "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." If Elijah is a man of God, then God is with Elijah. Ahaziah has to learn that kings, with all their armies, have no power against one man if God is with him.

Military discipline is no doubt important. As a rule, officers and men must obey their superiors. But every person, in every land, soldier or civilian, is first of all a servant of God. He should never hand over his conscience. On the day of judgment it will be no excuse that the king or the government ordered it. "We ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29). Both captains called Elijah "man of God." That proves they had some idea they were fighting against God.

At Carmel "the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the sacrifice." The fire fell on the victim as an atonement for the sins of the guilty people, and the people go free. Not one Israelite was touched by that fire... Years have passed since the fire fell on the victim at Carmel. God's grace provided a sacrifice and sheltered the guilty people from the fire of judgment, and all of it has been forgotten. They have despised the sacrifice, and now, once again, the fire falls on the hilltop... But this time there is no victim between a holy God and a sinful people. They have neglected the sacrifice. So the fire does not fall on a victim. It falls on the guilty people and destroys them.

Elijah, the man of God, is here a representative of Christ. Does he have less power now that He is seated in heaven than when He walked on earth, despised and hated by all?... If God judges the world for rejecting Jesus in His humiliation, what will become of it when it makes war on Him who sits on His throne? "He who sits in the heavens laughs," it says in the second Psalm.

In Luke 9, when the Lord Jesus was refused entry into a Samaritan village, His disciples wanted to act as Elijah did toward Ahaziah's captains, but the Lord forbade them. They did not know what spirit they were of. That is, they did not discern the time. They did not understand the Lord and His work in this world. They mistook the period they were living in, and would have treated it as a time of judgment... Their affections were right. Their purpose and design will be answered in due time, when the day of vengeance comes.

Three things mark his humble address. He took the place of one who begs. He acknowledged the judgment of God on the previous captains. And he owned that his life was in Elijah's hands as the Lord's servant.

The third captain fears God and takes the attitude that suits a sinful man before Him. He came begging, on his knees, acknowledging God in Elijah by calling him "Man of God" — in a completely different spirit from the first two captains. He knows that God can exercise grace: "please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight." He has not yet received the assurance that what God is able to do, He is willing to do. But he is convinced that the God of judgment is able to be a God of grace to whoever submits to Him. He is sure that God does not desire the death of the sinner, and that his life may be precious to Him... He acknowledged His full character of majesty, holiness, righteousness, and goodness. That conviction is necessary if anyone is to approach Him. But he also believed that God "rewards those who seek him" (Heb. 11:6). So he finds the reward of his faith.

Submission to God, represented by Elijah, saved those fifty-one men. "Your servants" — note the words addressed by a military officer to a humble man from Gilead. In the same way, no sinner need perish if he will only humble himself under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6).

Suppose there had been remorse of heart and an active conscience in the captains of these fifties. Then not one of them would have perished. We see that most clearly from the last captain and his company. He humbles himself, and the mercy of God flows out at once. So we can be certain that in the others there was hardness of conscience and indifference. Every one of the captains knew the prophet Elijah, and I do not doubt every one of the fifties knew him too. Each of them had the fullest testimony to his heart and conscience that this man was the most faithful representative of God's will and glory and power.

"Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." Elijah can have confidence in such a man. God counts on him too in entrusting His servant to him, for He can always rest on the faith which He Himself has given. The prophet had nothing to fear. He was no more in danger at the call of the first captain than at the call of the third. He was just as safe before the bloodthirsty king as on the mountain top. But God takes care to reassure him, for He knows our feeble hearts.

Mercy was shown to this captain and his fifty men, for the captain feared God and honored Elijah as His representative. His words breathe humility and his prayer showed that he owned the power of God. Such mercy is also in store for those who humble themselves when the coming judgments are in the earth.

Three things mark his humble words. He took the place of a beggar. He agreed that God had judged the captains before him. And he admitted that his life lay in the hands of Elijah, the LORD's servant.

The third captain (vv. 13-14) fears God and takes the attitude that suits a sinful man before Him. He came begging, on his knees. He recognised God in Elijah when he called him "Man of God" — a different spirit altogether from the first two captains. He knows that God can show grace. He has not yet received the assurance that what God is able to do He is willing to do. But he is convinced that the God of judgment can be a God of grace to whoever submits to Him. He is convinced that God does not desire the death of the sinner, and that his life may be precious to Him… He acknowledged God's full character of majesty, holiness, righteousness, and goodness — the conviction anyone needs in order to approach Him. He also believed that God rewards those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6). So he finds the reward of his faith.

If there had been any stirring of heart and conscience in the captains of these fifties, not one of them would have perished. We see that most clearly from the last captain and his company. He humbles himself, and the mercy of God flows out at once. So there can be no doubt: in the others there was hardness of conscience and indifference. For every one of the captains — and I have no doubt, every one of the fifties — knew the prophet Elijah. Every one of them had the fullest testimony in his heart and conscience that this man was the most faithful representative of God's will and glory and power.

If men chose to take that risk, they had to take the consequences. Their aim was to injure, if not to kill, that very servant of God — and this while God was acting on the ground of righteousness and law. A government where God Himself rules would be impossible if He did not keep the right to punish, and so impress on others the need for obedience.

What a contrast between Mount Carmel and the unnamed hill! At the one the fire of God consumed the sacrifice, but spared the people; at the other there was no sacrifice and the fire consumed the ungodly. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is a safe shelter for sinners. Apart from that sacrifice, nothing but judgment is possible for any of us.

Mercy was shown to this captain and his fifty men, for the captain feared God and honoured Elijah as His representative. His words breathe humility, and his prayer showed that he owned the power of God. Such mercy is also in store for those who humble themselves when the coming judgments are on the earth.

In this place of moral separation, Elijah's enemies cannot touch him. More than that, the fire of God is at his disposal to destroy them. He truly finds it so. The Angel of the Lord who sends a message of judgment to the godless king is also the Angel of the Lord who "encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them" (Ps. 34:7).

"Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." Elijah can trust such a man. God trusts him too, and puts His servant into his hands, because He can always rely on the faith He Himself has given. The prophet had nothing to fear. He was in no more danger when the first captain called him than when the third one did. He was just as safe before the bloodthirsty king as on the mountain top. But God takes care to reassure him, for He knows our feeble hearts.

Elijah always served with prompt, unquestioning obedience. So "he arose and went down with him to the king." Knowing he was on the Lord's path gave him courage. Knowing that divine power covered him assured him that neither the king nor the king's officer could harm him. And so he went into the palace without fear, and to the bedside of the enraged and wicked ruler.

Twice God certifies the authority of His servant by a miracle. Then He tells him to go down and complete his mission. To all appearances his life was at their mercy. But in the power of God he was as safe in the king's court as on the top of the hill. Elijah obeys. In the king's presence he repeats God's solemn judgment, defending the name of God without fear at the very centre of the nation's revolt against Him, where its power and evil were strongest. It was a fitting end to his honoured career of public service.

Submission to God, represented by Elijah, saved those fifty-one men. "Your servants" — note how a military officer speaks to a humble peasant from Gilead. In the same way, no sinner need perish if he will only humble himself under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6).

Mercy was shown to this captain and his fifty men, for the captain feared God and honoured Elijah as His representative. His words breathe humility and his prayer showed that he owned the power of God. Such mercy is also in store for those who humble themselves when the coming judgments are in the earth.

We have already noticed the prophet's unquestioning obedience. His faithfulness in delivering his message is just as striking. He gave the message he received without enlargement or addition. He took care to pass it on in the exact form he had received it.

Standing before the king, the prophet repeats to him, word for word, the things he had told his messengers. In God's ways with men there comes a time when fresh explanations are useless. People have hardened their hearts. Yet the prophet insists on one thing: "Is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?" So people facing anxious questions about their future should turn only to the Word of God. Despising it will bring terrible consequences on them. One day that same Word will judge them. "So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken."

But what had the king gained? Only the repetition of the judgment message. His own messengers had brought it to him first. He had sent them to ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether he would recover from his illness. Elijah himself now spoke it again over his bed, and it contained the king's irrevocable doom. The prophet's faithfulness in delivering his message stands out as much as his obedience. He gave the message he received, adding nothing and enlarging nothing.

Baal-zebub means "lord of flies." People who did not know God believed flies carried disease, so they turned to this god for help. But Ahaziah should have known better. To inquire at Ekron was to inquire of demons. Idols are nothing in themselves, but there are demons behind them, as 1 Corinthians 10 teaches us. Dealings with demons are painfully common in our day. Men call it Spiritualism; "demonism" would be a more correct name for this great sin. This cannot be excused where Bibles are everywhere and the gospel of Christ is preached freely.

This is well worth noticing, because it shows how God judges. During Ahab's reign the Lord had said He would bring evil on the king's house in his son's days. Yet He deals with Ahaziah on the ground of Ahaziah's own wickedness and rejection of God. With this record before us, no one can claim that Ahaziah suffered for his father's sins. "The soul who sins shall die" is God's own declaration. So the sentence on Ahab's house waited. It fell only when his son had himself provoked the anger of the Lord God of Israel. He did that by an act of turning from God that matched, if it did not exceed, the worst deeds of his father.

The turning from God had become so terrible and shameless that people ignored the existence of the Lord. Right in the middle of it, Elijah must stand up and declare one truth. When unbelief disowns and rejects every other evidence, death must prove the truth and existence of God. "You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die." If we do not believe that God exists, what awaits us but death?

God often tests us in small things, but these things reveal the true condition of our hearts. Ahaziah left the Lord completely out of his thinking — something both foolish and dangerous to do. He sent messengers to ask the "lord of flies," Baal-Zebub, the god of the Philistine city of Ekron, a god linked with healing. Where do we place our confidence when we are sick or injured? We can truly be thankful for doctors and other practitioners of the healing arts, for medicines, medical equipment and tests of all kinds. We are free before God to make full use of them. But our trust must not be in things or in people, but in the Lord alone!

Come before the king, the prophet repeats to him, word for word, the things he had told his messengers. In God's ways with men there is a time when fresh explanations are useless, because they have hardened their hearts. Yet the prophet insists on one thing: "Is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?" So men facing uneasy questions about their future ought to turn only to the Word of God. Despising it will bring terrible consequences on them. One day that same Word will judge them. "So he died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken."

Note how God's judicial ways work here. During Ahab's reign the Lord had said He would bring evil on the king's house in his son's days. Yet Ahaziah is dealt with on the ground of his own wickedness and apostasy. With this record in front of us, no objector can claim that Ahaziah suffered because of his father's sins. "The soul who sins shall die" is God's own declaration. So the sentence passed on Ahab's house was not carried out until his son had himself provoked the anger of the Lord God of Israel. He did it by an act of apostasy that equalled, if it did not exceed, the worst deeds of his father. God is always justified when He speaks, and clear when He judges.

He had known Elijah, so he must have heard of his warnings and of his mission from the Lord. But he had not profited from what he had seen and heard, even though he must have known that judgment hung over his own head.

The way he was dealt with revealed the Lord's tender pity, while at the same time exposing the desperate hardness of Ahaziah's heart. He had, as men would say, an accident, and as a result was ill. This gave him the opportunity to examine his ways and turn to the Lord. Instead of doing either, he sent a delegation into the land of the Philistines. They were to ask their god Baal-zebub ("lord of flies") whether he would recover from his disease. He thereby proved that he had no confidence in his own gods; and yet he would not turn to the only Source from which help could come.

The prophet pronounces a third judgment on Ahaziah. The first, Moab's rebellion, struck at the glory of his kingdom. The second, his fall, struck at his health. This third strikes at his life: "You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die."

The death of Ahaziah soon fulfilled Elijah's words. Sadly, he showed no sign of repentance toward God. He had no son, so his brother, Jehoram, became king of Israel. This took place in the second year of another Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, who ruled in Judah.

The word of the Lord had said it. What foolishness is ours, that we could ever doubt a word of God! And what has God given us all this for, except that we may know that if that word stands in what is evil, how much more in what is good? If God carries out His threats to the letter, can His promises fail for an instant? I grant that His promises continually seem to fail, precisely so that our faith should not rest on appearances, but on the word of God.

These books often point to the chronicles of the kings of Israel, or to those of the kings of Judah. Those chronicles were written during the reigns of all the rulers of that time, both Jewish and Gentile. They have nothing to do with the Word of God. What the Lord did not choose to record or explain is written there. These chronicles have been lost... The believer has no need of any of them; he has God's Word. In God's account he finds everything he needs, and God's own evaluation of people, events, and things. Some deeds may be written down in books that are not inspired, and written with great exactness, but nothing goes with them except human evaluation.

This is not the scripture Book of Chronicles, which deals more with Judah than with Israel.

"Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?" Yes — and those acts, along with the wicked acts recorded here, are written in God's books above. Those books are not merely "the chronicles of the kings of Israel." They hold the deeds and doings of every person's life, whether good or evil. Solemn facts for us all!

So all the "works" of men are recorded, and He is the One who records them. His all-seeing eye shows what every action really is. Deeds long forgotten, and sins people thought too small to matter and have faded from memory — all of them will come out as the ground of condemnation.

It is a dark list of wickedness, yet only what you would expect from the child of a couple like Ahab and Jezebel. His parents were so well matched in evil that nothing short of a miracle of grace could have made him any better than the description given of him here.

Yet the prophet presses one thing: "Is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?" So people who face uneasy questions about their future should go to the Word of God and nowhere else. If they despise it, they bring terrible consequences on themselves. One day that same Word will judge them.

Notice what follows: "So he died according to the word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken" (2 Kings 1:17). "And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). Tremendous contrast!