Elijah and Ahaziah II Kings 1

II Kings 1:2 "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 enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of his disease."

Second Kings is also called the fourth book of the kings if you include 1st and 2nd Samuel.

Ahaziah is the king of Israel excluding Judah. He has fallen down and injured himself. As the verse tells us he did a very bad thing in seeking information from a false god called Baalzebub.

The messengers were met by Elijah after he was informed of the situation by the angel of the Lord. Elijah asked the messengers:

v3 "...Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?"

The messengers turned around and told the king what happened. He asked for a description of the prophet and knew it was Elijah. So he then decides to ask him the question and sent fifty men with their captain to get Elijah. Elijah did not answer to the king but rather to the LORD.

v10 "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 the fifty, And there came down fire from heaven and consumed him and his fifty."

This happened the second time in verse 12, then another captain was sent with his fifty but he had a humble approach and so was not consumed.

v15 "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."

The answer was not what the king wanted. Elijah told him because of his actions in seeking out a false god that he would not recover. v16 The king then died.

Elijah had a unique appearance as did John the Baptist:
v8 "And they answered him He was an hairy man and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins..."
Matthew 3:4 "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey."

Psalm 139:1 "O LORD thou hast searched me, and known me."

Keywords: Bible Study, Old Testament, Elijah, Old Old Story, Elisha, Ahaziah, Kings, Israel. Elijah calls down fire.