King Ahaziah’s accident
1
📚Moab 📖 rebelled against Israel, after the death of Ahab 📖. 2 📚And Ahaziah 📖 fell down through a lattice in his upper room that was in Samaria and was injured. And he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go, inquire of Baalzebub 📖, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury”.3 📚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 because you think there is no God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? 4 📚Now therefore thus says the LORD, You will not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but will surely die.’ ” And Elijah departed.
5 And when the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, “Why have you now returned?”
Elijah, the king’s captains, the king’s death
6 📚And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because you think there is no God in Israel, that you send to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but will surely die.’ ”
7 📚And he said to them, “What kind of man was he who came up to meet you, and told you these words?”
8 📚And they answered him, “He was a hairy man, and had a leather belt fastened around his waist”. And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite”.
9 📚Then the king sent a captain of fifty with his fifty men to Elijah. And he went up to him; and he appeared sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ”
1:9 The king wanted to show authority over God’s prophet. He wanted either to kill him or force him to change his prophecy, hoping thereby to escape the force of the prophecy already uttered. The superstitious idea that this was possible was not uncommon in those days.⚜
10 📚And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then may fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty”. And fire 📖 came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
1:10 This was a contest between the true God and His spokesman and an unbelieving king who looked to false gods. In the circumstances it was important for God to demonstrate His reality and power. Compare the contest between Moses and Pharaoh. Notes at Ex 7:11-17; 12:12.⚜
11 📚And he also sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down quickly.’ ”
12 📚And Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty”. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
1:12 Since Ahaziah would not stop the contest, neither would Elijah.⚜
13 📚And again he sent a captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pled with him and said to him, “Man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty of your servants, be precious in your sight.
1:13 The third captain had more sense than the king – he could see who the winner of the contest was.⚜
14 📚See, fire came down from heaven, and burned up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties; therefore let my life now be precious in your sight”.
15 📚And the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him”. And he arose and went down with him to the king.
16 📚And he said to the king, “Thus says the LORD: ‘You have sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because you think there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? Therefore you will not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but will surely die.’ ”
1:16 Because of Ahaziah’s senseless stubbornness 102 men of Israel died, but the message remained the same.⚜
17 📚So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram 📖, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.
18 📚Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of The Annals 📖 of the Kings of Israel?