2 Kings 1

Ahaziah’s death

1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel.

2 Ahaziah fell out the window of his second-story room in Samaria and was hurt. He sent messengers, telling them, "Go to Ekron's god Baal-zebub, and ask if I will recover from this injury."

3 But the LORD's messenger said to Elijah from Tishbe, "Go, intercept the messengers of Samaria's king, and ask them, ‘Is it because there's no God in Israel that you are going to question Ekron's god Baal-zebub?

4 This is what the LORD says: You will never get out of the bed you are lying in; you will die for sure!'" So Elijah set off.

5 The messengers returned to Ahaziah. He said to them, "Why have you come back?"

6 They said to him, "A man met us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you. Say to him, This is what the LORD says: Is it because there's no God in Israel that you've come to question Ekron's god Baal-zebub? Because of this, you will never get out of the bed you are lying in; you will die for sure!"

7 Ahaziah said to them, "Describe the man who met you and said these things."

8 They said to him, "He wore clothes made of hair^[a] with a leather belt around his waist." Ahaziah said, "That was Elijah from Tishbe."

9 So Ahaziah sent out a commander with fifty soldiers. The commander met up with Elijah while he was sitting on a hilltop. The commander said, "Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down!'"

10 Elijah replied to the commander of the fifty soldiers, "If I really am a man of God, may fire come down from the sky and burn up you and your fifty soldiers." Then fire came down from the sky and burned up the commander and his fifty soldiers.

11 Ahaziah then sent another commander with fifty soldiers. The commander said to Elijah, "Man of God, this is what the king says: ‘Hurry and come down!'"

12 Elijah said to them, "If I really am a man of God, may fire come down from the sky and burn up you and your fifty soldiers." Then God's fire came down from the sky and burned up the commander and his fifty soldiers.

13 For a third time Ahaziah sent a commander with fifty soldiers. So the third commander arrived. He kneeled before Elijah and begged him, "Man of God! Please have some regard for my life and the lives of these fifty soldiers who are your servants.

14 Look, fire came from the sky and burned up the two earlier commanders and their troops of fifty soldiers. Please have regard for my life."

15 Then the LORD's messenger said to Elijah, "Go down with him. Don't be afraid of him." So Elijah set out to go with him to the king.

16 Elijah said to the king: "This is what the LORD says: Why did you send messengers to question Ekron's god Baal-zebub? Is there no God in Israel whose word you could seek? Because of this, you won't ever get out of the bed you are lying in; you'll die for sure!"

17 So Ahaziah died in agreement with the LORD's word that Elijah had spoken. Because Ahaziah had no son, Joram^[b] became king after him in the second year of Judah's King Jehoram, who was Jehoshaphat's son.

18 The rest of Ahaziah's deeds, aren't they written in the official records of Israel's kings?

2 Kings 1 Commentary

Chapter 1

The revolt of Moab-Sickness of Ahaziah, king of Israel. (1-8) Fire called from heaven by Elijah-Death of Ahaziah. (9-18)

Verses 1-8 When Ahaziah rebelled against the Lord, Moab revolted from him. Sin weakens and impoverishes us. Man's revolt from God is often punished by the rebellion of those who owe subjection to him. Ahaziah fell through a lattice, or railing. Wherever we go, there is but a step between us and death. A man's house is his castle, but not to secure him against God's judgments. The whole creation, which groans under the burden of man's sin, will, at length, sink and break under the weight like this lattice. He is never safe that has God for his enemy. Those that will not inquire of the word of God for their comfort, shall hear it to their terror, whether they will or no.

Verses 9-18 Elijah called for fire from heaven, to consume the haughty, daring sinners; not to secure himself, but to prove his mission, and to reveal the wrath of God from heaven, against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Elijah did this by a Divine impulse, yet our Saviour would not allow the disciples to do the like, ( Luke 9:54 ) . The dispensation of the Spirit and of grace by no means allowed it. Elijah was concerned for God's glory, those for their own reputation. The Lord judges men's practices by their principles, and his judgment is according to truth. The third captain humbled himself, and cast himself upon the mercy of God and Elijah. There is nothing to be got by contending with God; and those are wise for themselves, who learn submission from the fatal end of obstinacy in others. The courage of faith has often struck terror into the heart of the proudest sinner. So thunderstruck is Ahaziah with the prophet's words, that neither he, nor any about him, offer him violence. Who can harm those whom God shelters? Many who think to prosper in sin, are called hence like Ahaziah, when they do not expect it. All warns us to seek the Lord while he may be found.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or He was a hairy man.
• [b]. Heb Jehoram; the king’s name is variously spelled in either long Jehoram or short Joram form.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS

\\COMMONLY CALLED THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE KINGS\\

This, and the preceding book, are properly but one book divided into two parts, because of the size of it, as the book of Samuel; it is a continuation of the history of the kings of Israel and Judah; and for a further account of it the reader is referred to the title of the preceding book.

\\INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 1\\

This chapter begins with the rebellion of Moab against Israel, 2Ki 1:1, relates a fall of the king of Israel in his house, which brought on him a sickness, about which he sent messengers to inquire of the god of Ekron, who were stopped by Elijah, and bid to return, as they did; and upon the king's examination of them about the cause of their return, he perceived it was Elijah that forbad them, 2Ki 1:2-8, upon which the king sent to him two captains, with fifty men each, one after another, to bring him to him, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 2Ki 1:9-12, but a third with fifty men sent to him were spared, and he is bid to go along with them with a message to the king, as he did, 2Ki 1:13-16 and the chapter is closed with the death of Ahaziah, 2Ki 1:17,18.