How do you want to be remembered when you finally die? Who do you know that would be faithful enough to follow you wherever you go? When we seek out God in prayer do we actually expect God to listen and respond to our request? Is there a relation between Baal-zebub in 2 Kings and Beelzebul in Matthew? These are the questions that I asked as I read about two moments in Elijah’s life related in 2 Kings 1 and 2. The first moment we see is Elijah telling Ahaziah that he would die for honoring pagan gods above the one true God and the second moment Elisha replaces Elijah as prophet.
Ahab is killed after he is struck by an arrow in 1 Kings 22 and in 2 King 1 Ahaziah has succeeded Ahab as king over Israel. The words spoken to Ahab by Elijah in 1 Kings 21 come to fruition for Ahaziah and Israel following the death of Ahab. Ahaziah the current king of Israel injured himself when he fell through the lattice in his home. He decides to seek out his fate from the pagan god Baal-zebub instead of seeking out the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God sends word to Ahaziah through Elijah that he will surly die because he rejected God.
Ahaziah sends 3 companies of men to bring Elijah before him but the first two groups of men are destroyed by God while the final group survives and brings Elijah to him. Why did the first two groups die while the third survived? The first two groups of men had more respect for their king Ahaziah than respect for God or Elijah. The first 2 groups of men addressed Elijah as a man of God but did they actually understand what that meant? They wanted Elijah to follow them and they didn’t care who Elijah was. Elijah responds to these first two groups saying, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty,” and following these words all the men were consumed by fire. The third group approached and acknowledged Elijah with reverence and fear? They feared God and begged Elijah for mercy. These men knew what awaited them because of the fate of the first two groups so they approached with fear and trembling.
Is there a lesson to be learned about our interaction with God from the interactions these men had with Elijah? What is our attitude when we approach God? Do we at times too casually refer to God? Have we lost our reverence for the living God? Even through we are covered by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit we need to maintain our respect and adoration of God. The God of all creation cares enough about mankind to redeem them from sin and death. What do you think about God? I am reminded of the book The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer where he talks about how we have lost our lofty view of God and replaced it with a low view of Him by worshiping mere men. How can we regain our true perspective of who God is? Is there a way to reclaim our awe and wonder of God?
I was encouraged by the faithfulness Elisha displays to Elijah in 2 Kings chapter 2. Repeatedly Elisha is prompted to stop following Elijah but each time he affirms, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” Do you have anyone that follows you to that extent? Elisha’s faithfulness allows him to see Elijah taken up to heaven. Elisha thought it was more important to follow God than anything else he could do and his faithfulness lead to him being blessed to continue as a prophet in the place of Elijah. Are you willing to hold fast to what you believe and follow God despite the people who tell you to turn back?
