Introduction: After the death of Ahab, king of the northern tribes of Israel, his son Ahaziah became king. This new king also had a near-death experience after he fell through a lattice (networked wooden strips) of a window! This king sent messengers to a Philistine city, Ekron, about 40 or so miles away to ask if he would recover but these messengers met Elijah instead. Then Elijah gave the messengers, and later the king himself, a message they never forgot.
1 Elijah’s message to the king’s messengers
Text: 2 Kings 1:1-8, KJV: 1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 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 unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.
5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? 6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? 8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
When the events of this story take place, Ahab had already died and Israel was not in the best of conditions. Ahab had recruited Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join his forces with Ahab’s in order to (allegedly) retake Ramoth-Gilead from the Syrians. There’s more to the story in any number of messages including one of mine which Sermon Central has accepted called “The Banquet and the Battle”. By the time the battle was over, Ahab was mortally wounded and died before the army returned to Samaria (1 Kings 22:37-40). The soldiers all fled to their homes and Israel apparently prepared for life under a new king.
This new king was Ahaziah, who was the son of Ahab and apparently Jezebel (there is no mention of his mother. Maybe it wasn’t necessary). He was just as bad as either, or both, of his parents and it’s written of him, sadly, that “he did evil in the sight of the LORD . . . [and he] served Baal, and worshiped him (see 1 Kings 22:51-53)”.
Ahaziah faced a couple of real challenges, shortly, it seems, after he began to reign. First, Moab rebelled against Israel. According to Dr, Barnes’ notes, Moab had been subject to Israel since the days of David but since Ahab had died, now Moab felt ready to revolt (paraphrased from the on-line commentary found at https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/2_kings/1.htm). Ellicott also quotes part of the “Moabite Stone” as written by Mesha, the king of Moab at the time (according to https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/2_kings/1.htm). Fascinating reading. Some think this revolt is more or less the same action of Moab against the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom recorded in 2 Kings 3 and indeed it may well be.
That was bad enough, having to face a possible attack or counter-attack against Syria, to the north, but now Ahaziah’s forces would face action against Moab, across the Jordan River and a good ways to the south, and few good places to cross that river. But worse was to come for Ahaziah, and, sadly, it was his own doing.
Verse 2 has the text that Ahaziah “fell through a lattice in his upper chamber” and there are several opinions among various commentators. The lattice was used in place of window of glass or solid wood, made of networked or trellis-work (especially as described in the online commentary at https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/2_kings/1.htm). Whatever happened, Ahaziah was “sick (or, wounded or injured, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2470.htm) and he wanted to know if he would recover.
In and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to know “Will I recover or get better after this happened to me?” but Ahaziah blundered, tremendously, in a couple of ways. First, it doesn’t seem (there’s no record) that he inquired of any doctors—and surely there were some, even in those days—or of the legion of prophets/priests of Baal and the groves. No, Ahaziah chose to enquire of a totally foreign god; a god of the Philistines!
Ahaziah sent messengers to Baal-zebub, the “god” of Ekron1 Two things I’ve found amazing were, first, that Baal-zebub means “Lord of the Flies”. Ellicott mentions that flies were not only a problem in Ekron, but also that sometimes the movements of flies were considered a source of divination, even in ancient Babylon (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/2_kings/1.htm)!
Second, Ekron was maybe 30 to 50 miles from Samaria, according to the on-line maps found at https://bibleportal.com/bible-maps/headwaters-bible-maps and I’ve never been able to figure out why Ahaziah sent messengers on such a journey. Or had the Philistines been able to erect a shrine to Baal-zebub closer to Samaria? Maybe some priests of that “god” had moved closer to Samaria? We’ll never know for sure but there is one thing to know for certain: the LORD was not pleased and He was about to send Elijah on another mission to deliver His message.
The message to the king’s messengers was direct and simple. In so many words, the Angel of the LORD—the same One Who had helped Elijah before as he had fled from Jezreel to Beersheba and then another day’s journey to Mount Horeb by providing food and water for Elijah. 1 Kings 19 has more of that story.
Here the Angel of the LORD gave Elijah the message, as noted above. Elijah was to ask them one question and give them a one-sentence message. The question was, in so many words, “Did you enquire of Baal-zebub, god of Ekron, because you forgot there is a God in Israel?” I myself would find it hard to believe that mention of Elijah or other followers of Jehovah, God of Israel, didn’t happen in the palace—but then again, there was Jezebel who probably kept a tight leash on all words, thoughts, and deeds taking place in the kingdom.
The one-sentence message was even more stark and direct. Elijah told them, again in so many words, “The LORD says this: you will never get off that bed you’re resting on now, but you will surely die.” Even then, there was hope: all Ahaziah needed to do was repent of his idols and the LORD may have changed the sentence. What’s sad is that there is no record Ahaziah ever did so.
These messengers returned to the king but it seems he didn’t expect them to return so quickly. I sense a bit of surprise when the king asked them, “Why did you return (so soon—implied)?” Their reply shows they really didn’t know who Elijah was: “A man came up to meet us (implying there was more than one messenger) and asked us why we were going to enquire of Baalzebub, god of Ekron when there is a God in Israel? He then told us to tell you, you’ll never rise off that bed you’re on now, but you will surely die.”
Ahaziah’s interest seemed to leap forward. He asked the messengers, “What type of man was he, who told you these words?” Clearly the messengers either didn’t know or didn’t want to tell the king whom they had met, so they tried to be discreet: “He was a hairy man, and had a leather belt around his waist.”
With that, Ahaziah knew it was Elijah. And Ahaziah decided to take some action against Elijah.
2 Elijah’s words for the king’s soldiers
Text, 2 Kings 1:9-15, KJV: 9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. 15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.
I readily admit that these words of Elijah were spoken to the king’s soldiers and not directly to the king himself. That these men were sent by the king, on orders from the king, to bring Elijah back to the king, seems clear enough to me: they asked (demanded?) Elijah leave where he was staying but they didn’t kill Elijah on the spot. Still, they were in the king’s service and as such were the king’s representatives.
The first group of 50 (let’s use round numbers) went to where Elijah was staying. Now, we’re never told which hill Elijah was using as his more or less dwelling place, nor how anyone found out where he was staying. Find him, they did, though, and this first group was prepared to do their duty. The leader (captain, “sar” in Hebrew, https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8269.htm) promptly gave the command: “O man of God, the king says, ‘come down’”. No request, no guarantee of protection while going to the palace, no greeting, not much of anything, really.
And I’m sure Elijah either “smelled a rat” or suspected a trap. My thought is that Elijah knew he might not make Samaria alive if he went voluntarily with these 50 soldiers. In one of the boldest moves in Scripture, Elijah very tersely said, “If I’m a man of God (as you have said but don’t really believe--implied), then let fire come down from Heaven and consume you plus your fifty”.
Sure enough, that’s what happened. Amos would prophesy later that the LORD would “send a fire” on various groups (see Amos 1 and 2) and the people of Israel might well have recalled this event when the LORD did indeed send a fire on 51 soldiers.
The king didn’t give up, though. He sent another platoon of 50 plus a captain or leader and once again found where Elijah was living. I can almost see this group of 50, standing in ranks, waiting for Elijah to come down to them, just as the captain uttered these words, “O man of God, the king says, ‘come down quickly.’”
Well, the only thing that came down quickly was more fire from Heaven! Elijah once again made a one-sentence prayer/judgment, “If I am a man of God (as you suspect but won’t recognize as a fact), then let fire come down from Heaven to consume you and your fifty.
And it was so,
Ahaziah the king wasn’t about to give up, though. He sent another captain of 50 with the 50 and once again the group found where Elijah was staying. Chances are they formed in ranks, but this time, the captain did something a little different. Instead of what the other two had done (and I think they had shouted to Elijah once they saw him—but never approached him), this man went directly to Elijah and showed him a lot of respect. At the very least, he had learned about what had happened to the two other captains and didn’t want that to be his fate as well!
Then when he found Elijah, this captain fell on his knees. This of course was not to worship but to give Elijah a measure of respect. Notice, too, how this man phrased his request on behalf of himself and his men. Like a good leader, he wanted to take care of those in his command even though he knew he had a difficult mission.
He requested, “Please let our lives be precious in your sight.” Besides the other 102 soldiers who had died on this “Operation Prophet-Snag”, he might have recalled the execution of the 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). At the very least, he knew Elijah had the power of life and death at his command at that moment.
The captain once again pleaded with Elijah to let the lives of him and his fifty be precious in his sight. Elijah did nothing, though, until the Angel of the LORD said, “Go down with him and don’t be afraid of him.”
So they, and Elijah, “went down ... unto the king.”
But what would happen next?
3 Elijah’s words to the king himself
Text, 2 Kings 1:16-18, KJV: 16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. 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?
This last passage or section begins with Elijah standing in front of the king. Again, we’re not told how long it took Elijah and the 51 soldiers to arrive at Samaria or how long Elijah had to wait before the king agreed to see him. But one thing is for sure: Elijah had no fear or uncertainty, even as he stood before a ruler, a king, who could have had him executed for just about any reason at all. Hadn’t the king’s own mother done much the same thing a few years before, in plotting to steal Naboth’s vineyard for Ahab (see 1 Kings 21)?
We’re not even given any conversation or dialogue between Ahaziah and Elijah. That didn’t matter to Elijah, though, as he went straight to the point, repeating the message he had heard from the LORD, and what he had told the original group of the king’s messengers. That message was, in so many words, “You will never recover and you will surely die”.
Could Ahaziah have hoped he would hear something different once Elijah and he were face to face? Was he hoping Elijah would cure him of his illness or injury, whatever it was? We’ll never know for sure down here, but I find it striking that Ahaziah, even though half-Hebrew, didn’t ask Elijah to pray for him.
When one does not feel the need or the request for prayer, that person is on dangerous ground indeed. Ahaziah went on suffering, trying to rule his nation, never once calling again for Elijah or any other of the the LORD’s prophets, in any way, according to the text. If he had done so, or at least called out to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the True God, his life, like Ahab his father, may have ended very differently.
Ahaziah came to the end of his days, never recovering from his sickness or injury from his fall through the lattice. He died, leaving no son or male heir, so his relative Jehoram reigned in his place. Ahaziah had a sad beginning and a very sad end, all of it because he rejected the God of the Hebrews, Jehovah. May we learn from his errors and seek the True and the Living God at all times, not just when we have sickness or injury, and may we always seek prayer when we need it! After all, who doesn’t need prayer?
The messengers went on a strange mission, to seek an answer to a king’s problems. Elijah met them and gave them a message from the God of Heaven, not Baal-zebub of Ekron. Then the king sent different groups of soldiers to arrest (apparently) Elijah and bring him to the palace. While there, Elijah repeated the same message-word for word-as the Angel of the Lord had given him at the first. Ahaziah rejected all of it, and died, never recovering, as the LORD had said.
<Prayer> Dear Lord, God of Heaven and earth, may we learn from Your Word, how it spoke and still speaks volumes to us today. May we always trust in You and follow Your will for our lives and may we always bring glory to You in all we say and do. Amen.
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)
