0:00 I invite you to turn with me to the book of second Kings chapter one. And as we turn there, allow me to please pray for us and ask the Lord to guide us through this text. Lord, we do thank you from the bottom of our hearts that you have led us all these years in the Hebrew scriptures, in the Old Testament up to this point. And we ask, lord, for your continual guidance through the sacred text that you've preserved for us. We will not ignore this word, Lord, and help us never neglect it.
0:39 So we pray that as we come together as a body of students, as your disciples, that you would help us by opening our minds and by burning these truths in our hearts. Lord, we long to be transformed, not just informed, but renewed by the things that we will learn today. And so please help the delivery and the reception of everything that will take place tonight. In the mighty matchless name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
1:08 If you remember at the beginning of our study in first Kings, it was mentioned that first and second Kings originally comprised a single book. And that is why as we come to second Kings, you'll realize that there's this seamless continuation of where first king ends uninterruptedly documenting the racing decline, both the Northern Kingdom Of Israel and the Southern Kingdom Of Judah. However, there is a unique emphasis in second Kings in comparison to first Kings. If there is one main takeaway from first Kings concerning the history of the people of Israel is that first Kings records for us the division of the people of Israel. But as we come to second Kings, we will learn the emphasis.
2:04 We will study the events leading up to the domination of the people of Israel. That is what we are going to realize together, that this is all leading to two very crucial captivities. For the Northern Kingdom Of Israel, the people of Assyria will bring them into exile. And later, the Southern kingdom, the Kingdom Of Judah, will be taken captive by who? Babylon.
2:40 And so the essence of this book is to explain the events of a people who were once delivered from captivity who are now returning to it. And interestingly, if you consider these two books as a single unit, you're gonna recognize something else. You're gonna recognize how this significant part of Israel's story begins and ends with a focus on the temple. If you remember in first Kings, the earlier chapters, the Holy Spirit sought to give us in great detail the construction of the house of God known as the Temple Of Solomon. But as we approach the end of the book of second Kings, we're not gonna see the construction of anything, We're actually gonna see the destruction of the very temple that was consecrated unto God, as well as the defamation of the beautiful holy city of Jerusalem.
3:47 Besides these two exiles, second Kings will also highlight the powerful prophetic ministry of a man named Elisha. Because early in this book, we are going to see Elijah transition from this world miraculously into the next and will pass the baton down to his successor, Elisha. And what's even more fascinating, perhaps you did not know this, but the same time period of second Kings also showcases that other prophets were at work. It's not explicitly told to us in second Kings, but historically speaking, Amos and Hosea also prophesied to the Northern Kingdom Of Israel. While you had a much larger roster focused their preaching to the Southern kingdoms.
4:41 Names such as Isaiah and Jeremiah and Obadiah and Joel and Nahum and Habakkuk and Zephaniah. These prophets, again, are not mentioned in second Kings, but understanding when they ministered helps us realize the length of time, the duration of the events in this book, but also the long suffering and the grace and the patience of God of sending so many warnings before he finally judged his people. And so that is a brief introduction to this book. And let us read now the first eight verses of this chapter before we dissect it together. After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
5:34 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick. So he sent messengers telling them, go inquire of Baal Zebub, the God of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness. 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 acquire Baal Zebub, the God of Ekron? 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.
6:14 So Elijah went. The messengers returned to the king and he said to them, why have you returned? And they said to him, there came a man to meet us and said to us, go back 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 about 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. He said to them, what kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?
6:49 They answered him. He wore a garment of hair with a belt of leather about his waist, and he said, it is Elijah the Tishbite. We're going to see if we can complete this chapter together, but let us begin in verse one. Verse one is not a passing comment. Verse one is a very important way of introducing this book to us.
7:14 Because at the outset of it, what we learn here is after the death of Ahab, the Moabites sought to take advantage of this transition in leadership. And all we're told here is that they rebelled against Israel. Now this won't make much sense to you until you remember what we studied back in second Samuel when David became king. And so right away, I'm gonna ask you to go to chapter eight of second Samuel and look at this reference that will help explain what's going on here. Second Samuel chapter eight verse two tells us about the relationship between Israel and Moab during the monarchies.
7:55 And it says here in second Samuel eight two, and he being David defeated Moab and he measured them with a line making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute. So while David was king, he subjugated the Moabites. The Moabites were sharing the same border, the eastern border of the promised land.
8:24 And so David conquered them and he brought them under a taxation. And the taxation in detail is actually given to us in the Bible. We are told exactly what it was that the Moabites were to give to the people of Israel, the government of Israel, and it's not in second Kings one, actually in second Kings three. So in second Kings three, where this Moabite rebellion is gonna develop, we read here in verse four of what it is that Moabite the Moabites had to deliver to the king of Israel. Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder.
9:03 And he had to deliver to the king of Israel a 100,000 lambs and the wool of a 100,000 rams. But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. So what we have to understand here is that in verse one of chapter one, when Moab decided to free themselves from Israel's control, this would have been a severe blow to Israel's economy and their national security. And why is it told to us right here is because we are learning right away of Israel's accelerated decline into God's displeasure. Again, connect second Kings with first Kings and it will make much more sense.
9:52 Do you remember how first Kings ended? Do we remember the last verse of the book of first Kings? It speaks about how Ahab died and Ahaziah, his son, took over, but we also realize what kind of man Ahaziah was and how God felt about his character and his idolatry. So look at the last verse of first Kings in chapter 22 verse 53. I know we're doing a lot of cross referencing, but this is what you gotta do if you're gonna get some gold from the bible.
10:23 Verse 53 of first Kings 22. He served Baal. This is Ahaziah. He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel to anger in every way that his father had done. Is it any coincidence that following the mention of God's anger towards Ahaziah, we learn that Moab rebelled during his administration?
10:52 It is no coincidence. This is a consequence. This is divine providence in operation. This is the Lord now stripping things away from Ahaziah to try to awaken something in him, a concern of some sort, Self examination. But unfortunately, it doesn't awaken anything of the sort.
11:16 There's actually no concern. The only concern concerning concerning, Moab's rebellion is gonna show up in chapter three when Joram is going to take his place. But until then, all we find Ahaziah doing is what we read in verse two. Look at his attitude. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria.
11:35 So he's hanging on his palace. There's no urgency here. There's no seeking of the Lord. There's no seeking of a true prophet. Moab this is himself, Moab disconnects from Israel and he's just relaxing on his patio.
11:51 And right away our study reveals something about human nature. It is not uncommon for a country's rulers and its people to overlook a nation's distress as mere disturbances, rather than shakings orchestrated by a holy God. There are millions today who are looking out and seeing the global troubles that we are trying to endure and they're dismissing God and all of it. They're not taking into consideration that perhaps God is allowing things to happen for us to realize that there is something wrong and that we must seek him. And so, many will continue since the days of kings and even earlier, many will continue to try to plow through distress and chaos, and it will culminate in unprecedented disaster and calamities known as the great tribulation period that Jesus prophesied in the book of Revelation tells us about.
12:58 Even then, even at the final seconds leading up to midnight for human history, there will be people who will still not regard God. And if they do, many of them will bite their tongues, resist surrender, and with whatever breath they have left, curse God. Let me just remind you today of the radical depravity of man. Isaiah is a sobering picture of it. However, with all of this, even in verse one, not only do we see how man is capable of resisting, but we also see how God is so incredibly patient and kind even to men like Ahaziah.
13:39 Because even though Ahaziah here ignores, he disregards the issues in the broader context of his life, God is now going to do something to him personally to try to arouse him, to look to him. And how does he do it? Look at verse two again. Isaiah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick. So when he didn't see God's invisible hand in the political arena, surely now he would see God's hand pressing on him personally.
14:13 At least you would hope. And we have to understand here that this fall could have easily killed Ahaziah. Could have killed anyone, but it didn't. It wounded him enough to be conscious and to lay down, to reflect, to examine, to give him a chance to actually cry out to God. And you see the scriptures testify on many occasions that physical pain is one of God's loudest instruments.
14:43 Pointed, sharp, powerful, persuasive means of getting us to look to him. It doesn't guarantee that response, but it is one of the designs of suffering. To actually get you to reflect and to actually come to a point where you seek God because at one point you did but that became dormant or you hadn't at all and now these are gonna be the beginnings of your seeking. If you need proof of that, there's so many verses but let me just read the simplest one that I can think of to back that up. You don't have to turn there but listen to these words from the prophet Isaiah in chapter nine verse 13.
15:24 The people did not turn to him who struck them. God struck them and the people did not turn implying that he struck them so that they would turn to him. The people did not turn to him who struck them nor inquire of the Lord of hosts. It's amazing how when people get sick, they suddenly become spiritual. Have you ever realized that?
15:55 I've seen it countless times. All of a sudden now prayer becomes attractive. God is part of their conversation. Pastors get phone calls. Sickness, suffering has a way of pulling on certain strings in our soul.
16:14 And so if you want a phrase to remember, here's one. Oftentimes, God smites so that man will seek. God smites so that man will seek. So does Ahaziah do any seeking? Let's continue in verse two.
16:32 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick. So he sent messengers telling them go. Okay. This looks good. Inquire.
16:43 Yes. Of Beelzebub. It looked very promising in the first two breaths. Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness. So he is seeking but the wrong remedy.
17:01 Do people do that today? Countless people do. Millions of people today. Millions of people run to empty remedies instead of the true savior and redeemer. Millions.
17:14 And Isaiah is no different here. He asked to actually call for the prophets, the priests. He sends his men to go to the location where this deity named Beelzebub was honored. Where was he from? He was the god of Ekron.
17:29 That's a part of the Philistine region. So this is a pagan deity. This is a false god. And Beelzebub means this, the Lord of the fly or the Lord of the flies. And it's very possible that this Beelzebub claimed, promised some kind of healing power or some kind of protective preserving graces from illnesses and disease, even ailments that are carried by flies.
18:05 And if that sounds familiar to you, it should because this was the idol that was referenced by the enemies of Christ. Do you remember that? When they sought to slander his source of his healing power after delivering a man from a demon who kept him deaf and mute, the Pharisee says, it is by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons that he is doing these things. So he's searching for a demon god. And if there's any doubt that the events leading up to this point were arranged by God to try to draw Ahaziah to himself.
18:47 Read again in verse three and four and try to explain this. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria. So the moment the Lord realized and saw that Ahaziah did some seeking, but to the wrong source, he speaks to his servant Elijah and he says, intercept this. Meet these messengers, stand in the way, and let them know what the true God has to say. So what verse three proves to you and I is this, that God played a part in wounding Ahaziah.
19:27 Watching Ahaziah. Waiting for Ahaziah to see how he would respond to everything. And Elijah's confrontation with these messengers is a preview of a divine confrontation that awaits all men, that we all have an appointment with. In the same way that God took into account what Ahaziah did in his trouble, who he sought for ultimate help, what his source of hope was, the Lord does with every man today. God will hold every person to account of where they turn to for salvation.
20:11 God will hold into account where every person turns to for the forgiveness of their sins. God will hold into account and take into account what every person does in terms of being free from the power of sin. God will record, God will take into account whether we ignore him, replace him, or accept him. And in this case, he was watching and waiting for what Aesai would do and the verdict was made. So he speaks to Elijah.
20:45 Elijah comes to this mess these messengers and notice what he says again, arise, go up to meet the messenger of the king of Samaria and say to them, is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire Beelzebub, the God of Ekron? 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 went. We've seen that pattern in first Kings. Right?
21:08 God tells Elijah what to do. No argument, no debate, no hesitation. He goes, he goes he goes and it's no different here. He went. Elijah went.
21:17 Now when he delivers this message to these messengers, as much as this is a proclamation of judgment, do you not see how it is packaged in mercy? Is it not packaged in mercy? Where do you see the mercy in this in this declaration? Any idea? You can actually answer if you see it.
21:35 How is God being merciful in allowing Isaiah to receive this prophetic declaration of judgment? Yes. He's not gonna accept this Very good. It's it's a merciful thing to let a know to let a person know who is suffering, thinking they're gonna die. You're actually gonna die.
21:56 Death is around the corner. He could have not said anything. It just struck him dead. But by sending this message to this man, he's also giving this man who even rejected the true God a final chance to get right with God before he meets his God. So let me also say this, if you know anybody, if you had any conversation with a peer, a parent, or a pastor who boldly reminds you of your mortality, who informs you about eternity.
22:33 That is an expression of God's mercy in your life. That's a gift. That person is a gift. Because in telling you the truth, not only are you being informed of an inescapable reality, but you're also being given a chance to make right with God through the gospel so that you can know the best outcome of that reality. So this is God's mercy even in this.
22:59 By letting this man know you you are going to expire, you're not going to recover. And surely, he makes this known so that this man can even take advantage of this news to try to get right with his God. Look at verse five, what happens? The messengers returned to the king and he said to them, why have you returned? So the timing that it makes sense here for these men to have come back so early means they aborted their mission and so they ask they're asked rather by Isaiah, why is it that you've come so soon?
23:33 Now what I find so amazing about this is that these messengers, they actually listened to Elijah. They didn't fight him, they didn't resist him, they didn't push him aside. And what makes this even more remarkable is that they didn't even know this was Elijah. Go back again to verse eight, when Ahaziah asked the man who sent them back, look how they answered. He wore a garment of hair with a belt of leather around his waist.
23:56 They could have just said Elijah. They didn't know it was Elijah. Perhaps they didn't recognize him. Perhaps again, Elijah had a tendency of disappearing for a long time, so maybe these men who were just newly hired didn't understand. That that could be very well the case.
24:11 And though these messengers play a very brief part in the story of second Kings chapter one, they are a wonderful example for servants of God today. You're saying, what do you mean by that? Notice that once they learned the word of the Lord, the will of the Lord, they were urgent and they obeyed. They did not hesitate. They went with what God said even if it went against what the king said.
24:43 So here you have a picture of unreserved obedience and allegiance to the truth. But more than that, even when they came to the king, look how they spoke to him. And they said to him, there came a man to meet us and said to us, go back to the king who sent you and say to him, thus says the Lord, it is because there is no God in Israel that you were sending to inquire of bells above the God of Ekron. Therefore, you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die. Almost word for word what Elijah said.
25:08 So not only are they examples in that they were urgent and obedient once they learned what the Lord desired, But they were also faithful to what his word had to say. You have to understand that in this time for a ruler, especially in a moral ruler, they expected blind obedience. And they did not take too kindly to those who would resist, contradict, or challenge their wishes. They could have got rid of your head right there and then. And so for these messengers to come back to a wicked king like Ahaziah and tell him what Elijah said is very brave, very bold, very courageous.
25:49 So even in this, you get a little sample of what faithfulness looks like and how we should respond to the word and when we're entrusted with the word, how to deliver the word. And if Ezzah had any sense of the fear of God, any sense of integrity, then he would have been very glad that these men even disobeying him in order to disobey a greater king for his good. It reminds me of another messenger that we studied this past weekend. Tell me who we studied about last weekend. Paul, what a messenger he was.
26:24 What a consistent messenger this man was. No matter where he found himself, no matter who his audience was, he was the same. And and looking at this, I'm reminded of when Paul himself stood before a governor, and what he said to this governor when the opportunity came for him to preach the gospel while he himself was in chains. It's an easy reference. It's one of the most riveting texts in terms of preaching for me at least in the New Testament.
26:52 It's in Acts twenty four twenty four. Do you remember here when Paul was in under trial and Felix was curious about this man's devotion to the Christ, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And notice what Paul does when he gets a visitation from Felix while in custody, may I remind you? Felix comes with his wife, Drusilla. And read this with me in acts twenty four twenty four.
27:20 After some days, Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. Now, just stop. Imagine a governor, a mayor, the president, any political figure. Imagine them calling you to come over to sit down for half an hour to hear about your faith in Jesus Christ? How would you tailor that message for a prominent figure?
27:53 How would you deliver it? What kind of tone would you use? What doctrines would you emphasize on? What would you leave out? We're told exactly what Paul preached on when he sat before this man and his wife.
28:06 Look at verse 25. And as he reasoned about righteousness right right there. Right there. Okay? He's he's already doing what most preachers wouldn't do today.
28:20 He reasoned about righteousness and self control and the coming judgment. This is the first sermon. And what are you gonna preach on on night one of conference? Righteousness, self control and the coming judgment. Felix was alarmed.
28:43 No kidding. And said, go away for the present. When I get an opportunity, I will summon you. There is no recorded opportunity after this. Procrastination is a very dangerous thing.
28:56 It has sent many people to an eternal hell. Now go away and when I'm ready, I'll have you come back. We don't see that ever happening. But notice the things that he touches on, righteousness, self control, and the coming joy. I would have loved to know how he intertwined those truths with the gospel, but they were there.
29:15 And what makes Paul's boldness even more inspirational is that he is speaking this way before a man who had the authority to set him free. He's a prisoner at this point. Or is he? No. I see Paul as a free man and I see Felix as a bound man.
29:33 I see Paul, yes, with chains but liberated by the gospel. I see a governor with great power though a slave to sin. But I love Paul. No matter what situation, no matter who's before him, yes, we're called to be wise as serpents, innocent as as dogs, but Paul saw something here. You know, when Paul preached the gospel, at least in this case and in many of the cases he preached, he didn't seek to just explain systematics and the mechanics of things.
30:01 This man touched the conscience. He appealed to the conscience. That's what true preaching evangelism will do. Not just explain things from a theological standpoint as they're hovering here. No.
30:16 He took those truths and he allowed them with persuasion, the power of the Holy Spirit to cut hearts and Felix here was alarmed. And so these messengers here as they came before the king, in principle, provide us some wonderful examples as we are messengers of Christ. So let's come back to our main text. Almost word for word, they relayed Elijah's message. And what was Ahaziah's initial response?
30:47 He said to them, what kind of man was he who came to you and told you these things? He had a sneaky suspicion. Surely, he witnessed Elijah's troubling ministry in his father's life. Maybe he even witnessed some of it. And so once he heard these words, he thought that sounds a lot like someone I know, but let me confirm.
31:13 So he asked and they give a description and the moment that he heard the description, he's like that's Elijah. But before we continue, it's worth noting that Ahaziah does something here that many people do, and they have the right to do it. Ahaziah wanted to know the man behind the message. Whether we acknowledge it or not, the impact of what we say is inseparable from who we are. Rarely do people separate the servant from his service or her service.
32:00 And that is why hypocrites are easily dismissed and are ineffective in their witness. While men like Elijah, though imperfect, are blameless and carry greater authority in what they have to say because their conduct doesn't muddy their message. If anyone will criticize us for anything, let it be for the content of our message and not for our poor conduct that would undermine it. And that is why you see this pattern in the New Testament when Paul writes to ministers, He always makes this order. He always asks the minister to watch himself, take care of himself before even his doctrine and before the people that he is entrusted to.
32:48 Watch yourself. Keep a close eye on yourself. Take care of yourself. Because everything flows from this. And so we see here that he wanted to know the man and that would play a role in how he would interpret the message.
33:02 And there are many people today who do the same. As much as your message might be pure even if it's truth, if it's coming from a vessel that does not practically and honorably adhere to the very truth that he's trying to persuade others to believe, you will be rendered powerless. And you will cut off so much authority that could be granted to you. Verse nine. Then the king sent to him a captain of 50 men with his 50.
33:37 He went up to Elijah who was sitting on the top of a hill and said to him, oh, man of God, the king says come down. But Elijah answered the captain of 50, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your 50. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his 50. What a way to start a book, Unfortunately, the reputation of, Elijah, his credibility, his consistency didn't make a difference for Ahaziah. Instead of repenting and crying out to God, he rallied up some of his men and created a search warrant for the prophet, and he found Elijah.
34:23 And before we continue to try to understand what takes place here, let it be noted that Ahaziah's intent of seizing Elijah was not so that they can have a calm and cordial conversation. There was harm in mind here. It could be that Ahaziah actually wanted to kill Elijah as one of his final wishes before he knew he was going to die. We don't know exactly what was going through his mind, but we know for certain that this is not for Elijah's good. And how we can confirm that is not just by the tone and by the comrades here that are approaching Elijah, but look here again at verse 15.
35:00 And I want you to see eventually what the angel of the Lord tells Elijah, which indicates to us that he was in danger to some degree. Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, go down with him. Do not be afraid of him. So this is hostile. This is aggressive.
35:18 This is placing Elijah in a dangerous position. Keep that in mind for many reasons including this one. Elijah is a different man, isn't he? Do you remember how we studied Elijah in first Kings 19 when he when he went to meet with Ahab and his wife. At least he was in the same area.
35:44 And Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, you're a dead man. What did Elijah do? He fled. He took off. And that was just when a messenger came with a threat.
35:58 But I see a different Elijah here. Here you have Elijah on the top of a hill, not approached by one messenger with a message, but by a commander of 50 soldiers with his 50 soldiers. That's a lot more dangerous and perilous. But what do you see with Elijah? He stays put.
36:16 He stays put and he puts his faith in God. This is the beauty of studying books of the Bible. This is the beauty of going through the order, the chronological order of text. We get to see things including the change that takes place in people, the progress that they make. And And this is refreshing because all we're gonna really see more than anything else is the decline of a nation.
36:39 But, oh, what do we see with Elijah? He's been the subject of our study for weeks. How God can change a man. That's what we can see. That this man had a weakness and that weakness was erased.
36:54 And now what this man was once overcome by, he now is able to overcome. That is what God does with each of us. That as time goes on, he is committed to changing us, strengthening us. And Elijah here presents something encouraging for you and me. If you trust him, listen, if you even rely on his grace in your failures, you can be certain that he stands there willing to guide you and guide you and guide you until you change.
37:34 Elijah is different. But I see another contrast here in the verses that we just read with Elijah and with what we read and study in the first Kings 19. Is this the first time in Elijah's ministry where fire falls down from heaven? Where did we see file from the fire fall down from heaven before? On Mount Carmel.
37:56 Right? And here we see Elijah now, and we read very specifically, where was he located? On top of a hill. So he's on top of a hill, and we have the enemies of God and Elijah who meet him on this hill just like Mount Carmel, and we also see, like Mount Carmel, fire falling down from heaven. But there is a very important difference.
38:25 When the fire fell down from heaven on Mount Carmel, it landed somewhere else. Where did it land? On a sacrifice. And we concluded that that was a picture of God's incredible mercy and a foreshadowing of the ministry and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because you had Elijah, you had false prophets, but you also had the people of Israel.
38:49 And if the fire should have fell anywhere on Mount Carmel, it was on the rebellious people. But instead, it landed on a sacrifice, pointing us to Christ. Christ absorbs the wrath of God, though we deserve to drink it. But now we come to second Kings one, Elijah's on a hill, enemies of God are there, fire falls, but it doesn't fall on a sacrifice. It falls on the enemies of God.
39:21 So if what we saw on Mount Carmel pictured the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, what we see here in second Kings one pictures what will take place for those who ignore and refuse to respond to the cross of Jesus Christ. If you do not accept Jesus Christ taking the wrath of God on your behalf, then there's only one other option. You will one day receive the wrath of God. And so it's either you acknowledging what happened on Calvary and rejoicing and repenting because of it, or you becoming a recipient of the fire of God? In second Thessalonians chapter one tells us exactly how fire will come with vengeance on those who did not obey the gospel.
40:14 So we see here that fifty one men died. They face the scrutiny of God's justice. What takes place next? Look at verse 11. Again, the king sent to him another captain of 50 men with his 50 and he answered and said to him, oh man of God, this is the king's order, come down quickly.
40:36 Wow. You would think Ahaziah would have been sobered in realizing I sent my men to try to seize this man. I'm not fighting against no mere man, I'm fighting against God. Right? But instead of humbling himself, instead of registering how this is a supernatural intervention, he hardened his heart even more.
41:01 Compare the language of verse 11 with the second wave of men with the first wave. Earlier they said, oh man of God, the king says come down. Right? Isn't that what we read in verse 10 or verse nine? But look here what we see in verse 11.
41:14 Oh man of God, this is the king's order. Come down, not just come down, come down what? Quickly. So they even get more aggressive. So what do we see here?
41:33 This is yet another honest illustration of man's dangerous persistence in their sin and unbelief. That's what you have here. You have here a very helpful example because you have many good hearted Christians who think and believe if only so and so would see a single miracle. If God would just manifest himself in an undeniable way, then surely this unbeliever or these unbelievers will surrender once and for all. But Isaiah and many others tell us and prove to us that man's allegiance to sin is much more stubborn than you can imagine.
42:13 Fire falls down from heaven again. Look at verse 12. But Elijah answered them, if I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your 50. Is God protecting his servant? Yeah.
42:29 Absolutely. But God is also indicating something of his displeasure towards something specific. How did these soldiers address Elijah? Man of God. Man of God.
42:49 Not enemy of Baal. Not rebel against the king. Not like Ahab, you troubler of Israel. Man of God. Well, they couldn't deny that he was a man of God.
43:06 But if he was a man of God, why are you fighting against him and his message and his God? You understand? God doesn't take lightly when people say things but they don't believe them. He doesn't he doesn't feel very good about that. So, oh, man of God, do you understand the implications of your comment?
43:34 I wonder how many even people today make affirmations, professions, conclusions, but they don't really believe it. If we learn anything about God in second Kings one, is that he does not take too lightly. Those who say things but their hearts disagree, but their lives disagree. Oh, man of God. Okay.
43:59 If I'm a man of God, and judgment came. When is Asaiah gonna learn? He doesn't learn. Look at verse 13. Again, the king sent the captain of a third 50 with his 50.
44:19 I mean, I think this guy is willing to run down through all his men, depopulate Israel. But this man does something different. And the third captain of 50 went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him. O man of God, not come down quickly, not this is the king's order, o man of God, please let my life and the life of these 50 servant of yours be precious in your sight. You can sense the sincerity here.
44:59 Right? He continues in verse 14, behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of 50 men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight. So I told you we learned something about God because one of my go to questions and I encourage you to ask this same question in any text of the Bible I love to ask is, what does this passage reveal about the character of God? And it is extremely relevant even in this. You have this third captain coming to Elijah, but a different approach, one of humility, contrition, brokenness.
45:40 And here's the response, verse 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. So again, as you're reading your bible and you come to a text like this, ask the question, what did I just learn about God here?
45:57 K. You learned something about God when he sent fire on the previous two. But what do you see and learn about God here? Here's what I see, that God desires humility. And God is so quick to pour out not fire, favor upon those who humble themselves and ask for mercy.
46:19 That's the character of God. And if the first one would have came with that same attitude, there would have been nobody who was consumed. But the third one learned it and he came before the Lord. And I want to let you know that as long as you come before the Lord and acknowledge who he is and acknowledge who you are, you will secure sweetness. You will secure wonderful graces.
46:46 He will grant it without hesitation. Even if you are numbered among his enemies like this captain was. Do you understand that? Now some are not satisfied with these explanations or this narrative. And there are people who would condemn Elijah's actions here.
47:06 But you gotta remember that Elijah had no ability to call fire down from heaven. God approved that fire to come down from heaven. But there is a text that people often go to to try to shed a negative light on Elijah at this particular moment. Can you think of that text? Can you think of that text?
47:25 I'll give you a hint, it's not in the old testament. Let me give you another hint. There is a place in the gospels where this exact incident was referenced. Well, this is why Bible study is good. Does does somebody discover it?
47:49 Maybe not. Let's go to it. Luke chapter nine. Go to 51 of Luke chapter nine. Luke nine fifty one fifty one reads, when the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him who went and entered a village of the Samaritans.
48:26 Pause. What was the capital of the kingdom of Israel during the days of Elijah? Samaria. So now we have Jesus sending some of his disciples ahead. They entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him.
48:41 Verse 53, but the people did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? Now if you have the King James and the New King James, they follow manuscripts that add fire to come down from heaven as Elijah did. And in those manuscripts is added Christ elaborated response where Jesus response here in verse 55 in the ESV, but he turned and rebuked them. But in those translations I mentioned, it would be added, you do not know what manner of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.
49:28 You still get that lesson and that impression here even with without Elijah's inclusion, his name being mentioned. Because there's only few places where fire comes down from heaven by way of command. Look, one thing I could admire about these disciples though, they were rebuked because they had some faith. Didn't they? Look at this and say, Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?
49:58 I applaud their faith. And people would often use this New Testament text to mischaracterize Elijah. But we can't do that. Do you know why? Because when they ask for fire to be granted from heaven, or asking the Lord if they're allowed to do that, Jesus didn't rebuke Elijah, did he?
50:22 He rebuked his disciples. There's a difference. And the reason why there's a difference is because he reminded his disciples and he's reminding us that he's come, the first advent, to do a new work, a work that is greater than what he had done on behalf of his servant Elijah. Christ in coming into this world desired to send something else. Not fire to consume, but forgiveness.
50:54 Abundant forgiveness. In fact, what's so amazing here again proving to us the beauty of reading through the entirety of the word of God. You see exactly what God sends from heaven to the same Samaritans who in the days of Jesus Christ did not receive him. Go to Acts chapter eight. Look at verse 14 with me.
51:18 This is after Philip went to Samaria to preach the gospel and revival broke out, but notice what takes place after in Acts eight fourteen to 15. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Peter and who? Yeah. The same John who with his brother asked Jesus if they could ask heaven to send fire.
52:03 Aren't you glad Jesus didn't give them permission? Do you know why? Because Jesus wanted to send the Holy Spirit into the hearts of these Samaritans. Listen, the best way to apply what we learned from second Kings one is beyond God willing to protect his servants. It reveals that in Christ, he suspends judgment on reluctant sinners and instead is eager and willing to pour out his spirit.
52:38 That's how you tie a Old Testament passage like this with gospel truth. Christ came with a new covenant, a better covenant. One that is under grace. And so, yeah, these two brothers going through, Samaritan village felt the resistance, saw the resistance, were repelled by the resistance and they thought, Samaria. Yeah.
53:03 Yeah. Remember prophet Elijah what he did to to some of those rebellious people of Israel in Samaria around Samaria? Let's ask Jesus if we can call fire down from heaven. The Lord says, no. I wanna send something else.
53:14 And John would see it himself. Let's finish this chapter back in second Kings. Verse 16. This is when Elijah comes down to meet the king and said to him, thus says the Lord, because you have sent messengers to inquire of Beelzebub, 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.
53:51 You know what's so staggering about this? In this short chapter, you have Ahaziah's judgment recorded word for word three times. Three times. Copy paste, copy paste, copy paste. Whenever the Holy Spirit does anything like that, it's meant to emphasize something.
54:16 He wants to actually emphasize something. And one of the emphasis here is for us to realize how severe Ahaziah's sin was, how gross it was to look to an idol instead of the true God. But there is an emphasis here that is not limited to Ahaziah's case. It is universal. There is something about his offense that was so flagrant that we have to examine ourselves and ask if we are tempted to commit the very same crime he did.
54:49 Notice what he says. Not just once, twice, three times is given to us. Is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? To fail or to refuse to seek God, to seek him in his word, especially in our times of trouble, breaks the heart of God. To fail to come to him who is in his nature a savior, a provider, a leader, a protector, and to run to other things that are empty and vain breaks his heart and ruins us.
55:41 That is the lesson of second Kings chapter one. That is not what I think the main lesson is. That is what I believe is the main lesson because this is repeated not once, not twice, three times. Where we go to when we're in trouble says a lot about says a lot about us. Not that we can't go to other things, but where our ultimate hope and trust is will be exposed in crises, tribulations, and surprise attacks, surprise accidents.
56:27 And so if there's any response, if there's any application to this bible study as we close this time together, is to ask the Lord to create in us such an awareness of his glory, power, and love that it would be our reflex to run to him, to inquire of him, to seek him for ourselves first, and then to call others to do the same. Shall we do that? Let's pray. Lord, we actually feel in our heart of hearts that we've been fed. Thank you for your glorious word.
57:21 Now we ask and pray as we prayed earlier that this information would translate into genuine transformation. We pray, Lord, that you would be our hope. And if we lost hope, that you would reinforce it, that you would be the very object of and the source of and the fountain of everything that we need in this life. Help us include you in everything. Help us to seek you in the big things and the small things.
58:01 Help us believe you. Help us really believe that there is a real God and his word is to be trusted and to live our lives experiencing your faithfulness come through when we meet it with our faith. Lord, tonight, we wanna say thank you for this chapter. Lord, we we believe you have so much more to say in the weeks ahead. And so, Lord, keep our hunger for the word alive.
58:27 Maybe not just found on these evenings, but every day, And help us ask the right questions when we read certain passages that we are unfamiliar with. And Lord, grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we can hear your voice every time we open this bible. Lord, we love you and we trust you and we choose to afresh confess not just mere words, but out of the abundance of our hearts that you are the true God. And we desire to be men and women of God. May it be so for your glory.
58:59 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Let's stand and give thanks to the Lord for his precious word.
