first-kings

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Ahaziah Did Not Learn from His Father 

Second Kings 1

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • December 21, In the year of our Lord, 2016

  1. Second Kings 1.1 | Moab Rebels

    1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

    1. Why is this in the story?
    2. David had subdued the Moabites, but
      1. Omri and Ahab had oppressed the Moabites.
      2. Therefore, when Ahab died, they saw their opportunity for freedom from oppression.
  2. Second Kings 1.2 | The New King Seeks Baal-zebub

    2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.”

    1. What kind of an injury that happened from a second story fall leads to death?
    2. This man was broken in body and in spirit.
      1. Broken in body because of his fall from the second story.
      2. Broken in spirit because of his fall from the Lord God of Israel.
    3. Where was Ekron?
    4. Do you know how “Baal-zebub” translates?
      1. It means “Lord of Flies.”
      2. Why would a king of Israel trade the God of the universe for a lord of the flies?
      3. Why does anyone walk away from God?
  3. Second Kings 1.3–6 | The Lord’s Message to Ahaziah

    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 there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4 Now therefore, thus says the LORD: You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.” So Elijah departed. 5 And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, “Why have you come back?” 6 So 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 there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.”

    1. Ahaziah did not even consider the historical God of Israel as an option.
      1. It is shocking that Israel had strayed that far away!
      2. How could a situation like this happen?
      3. It reminds us of:
        1. The Pharaoh who did not know Joseph – Exo 1.8
        2. The Pharaoh who did not know the Lord – Exo 5.2
        3. 2Ch 15.3
    2. Consider the message of the Lord to Ahaziah:
      1. His prophecy showed that Yahweh is the only true God.
      2. Yet, the prophecy spelled doom for the king.
    3. What a sad way to discover the true and living God.
    4. Why did the messengers come back quickly?
      1. While Ahaziah sought Baal-zebub,
      2. the God of Israel sought Ahaziah.
        1. This also shows that Baal-zebub was false and dead.
        2. He could not do what Yahweh could do.
  4. Second Kings 1.7–8 | It Must Be Elijah!

    7 Then he said to them, “What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?” 8 So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

    1. Why did Ahaziah suspect that it might be Elijah?
    2. How did Elijah appear?
      1. We will see later that Elisha had a very different appearance.
      2. Who else looked like Elijah and even preached as he did? See Mark 1.6.
  5. Second Kings 1.9–12 | There Goes 102 Men!

    9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: “Man of God, the king has said, Come down!” 10 So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he answered and said to him: “Man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly!” 12 So Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

    1. Why did Elijah respond as he did?
      1. The captain began by calling Elijah a man of God, but did the captain believe it?
      2. Does Elijah’s response indicate that the captain probably did not?
      3. I think this was a way of showing that he was a man of God, by calling down fire upon a messenger of the king who mocked the God of Israel.
    2. The king thought he could order Elijah around, but the king himself would to submit to Elijah’s God.
  6. Second Kings 1.13–14 | Ahaziah’s Captain Pleads for Mercy

    13 Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: “Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14 Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight.”

    1. We certainly understand this man.
    2. What did this captain believe about Elijah as a man of God?
    3. How did this captain differ from the others in attitude?
      1. The others approached Elijah arrogantly.
      2. This one approached Elijah with humility.
  7. Second Kings 1.15–18 | Why Did Ahaziah Want to See Elijah?

    15 And the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. 16 Then he said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.” 17 So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. 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 chronicles of the kings of Israel?

    1. Elijah presented the same to the king as Elijah had done to the captains.
    2. Do you think that Ahaziah thought Elijah would melt in the king’s presence?
    3. Apparently Ahaziah had not learned from his father’s confrontations with Elijah, which were truly confrontations between Elijah’s God and Ahab’s gods.
    4. Ahaziah still died.
    5. Who followed Ahaziah?
      1. Jehoram. Who was he?
      2. Who was the king reigning in Judah at that time?