Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. - James 4:10
Good morning. Today’s message is the 12th in our current sermon series titled, “The Divided Church: The Northern and Southern Kingdoms”. We will read the last few verses of 1st Kings and then move into 2 Kings. Did you know that when the book of Kings was originally written, it was not divided into 2 parts? It was separated later when the Bible was being canonized.
Last Sunday we discussed the reign of King Jehoshaphat in Judah. We mentioned his partnership with Ahaziah to construct a fleet of merchant ships. As you may recall, God was displeased by this alliance and He destroyed these ships. This morning, we will read a bit more about Ahaziah and his short kingship over Israel.
I. AHAZIAH BECOMES KING (1 Kings 22:51-53)
In approximately 877 BC, after his father Ahab was killed during a battle against Aram, Ahaziah became king of Israel. His reign began during the 17th year of King Jehoshaphat in Judah, and lasted for just 2 years. Azahiah lived in and ruled from the capital city of Samaria. Like his father and mother, Ahab and Jezebel, he was an evil king who walked in the ways of Jeroboam and led the northern kingdom into sin. Azahiah served and worshiped Baal which, as we will discover in this message, provoked the LORD to anger.
II. ELIJAH’S DIRE PROPHECY (2 Kings 1:1-8)
After Ahab’s death, the neighboring kingdom of Moab rebelled against Israel. We read last week of their uprising against Judah as well. At some point, Ahaziah fell through a lattice in the upper chamber of his palace. As a result of the injuries he sustained, Ahaziah became seriously ill. So he sent messengers to the Philistine city of Ekron to inquire of their god Baal-zebub whether he would recover from his sickness or not.
Meanwhile, the LORD spoke to Elijah the prophet and instructed him to go and intercept the king’s messengers. He was to sarcastically ask them if they were seeking answers from Baal-zebub because there was no God in Israel to inquire of. Elijah told the messengers to tell Ahaziah that he would surely die. So the messengers returned to Samaria, having never gone to Ekron, and surprised the king by their early arrival. When they told him the foreboding message they’d received, Ahaziah asked them to describe the prophet they encountered. As they did so, King Ahaziah realized that they had spoken with Elijah.
Of course there was a god in Israel that Ahaziah could have sought out - Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the 1 and only true and living God. Baal-zebub, which means “the lord of the flies”, was another of many false deities. Over the centuries, Beelzebul came to be synonymous with Satan. In the gospels, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul (their manifestation of Baal-zebub) rather than that of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:22-28, Mark 3:22, Luke 11:14-20).
III. FIRE FROM HEAVEN (2 Kings 1:9-16)
Enraged, Ahaziah sent a captain and his 50 soldiers to find, arrest, or possibly even kill Elijah. When they arrived, he was perched up on top of a hill. The captain demanded that he come down. Elijah answered, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your men.” At that moment, fire fell and burnt up the captain and his soldiers.
When the king heard what had happened, he sent another captain with 50 more men. Once again, they found Elijah on top of the hill and ordered him to come down. Elijah called fire down from heaven and it consumed them, too.
Furious, Ahaziah sent a 3rd captain with 50 men. This time, however, when they found Elijah, the captain humbly pleaded for Elijah to spare their lives. An angel of the LORD told Elijah to go down to them, which he did, and was subsequently taken to the king. Upon his arrival, Elijah boldly rebuked Ahaziah for inquiring the word of Baal-zebub rather than God, and again stated that he would surely die.
Beloved, the LORD is a jealous God. He is provoked and offended when we seek out other gods rather than Him. He is rightly angered when we turn to others for answers instead of our all-knowing Creator. This is especially egregious when we should know better and do it anyway.
IV. AHAZIAH DIES AS PREDICTED (2 Kings 1:17-18)
And so, in the days that followed, Ahaziah died just as Elijah had spoken. He had no son and so his brother, Jehoram, another of Ahab’s children, became king over Israel in his place. Ahaziah’s death and the coronation of his brother Jehoram in Samaria took place during the 18th year of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 3:1) which was also the 2nd year of Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram in Judah. This means that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram served as co-regents for a few years in the southern kingdom.
This period of the divided kingdom era can get a bit confusing because the kings in Israel and Judah had the same name - both were named Jehoram (also called Joram). Also, due to the marriage with Athaliah, they were relatives - brother in laws to be specific. Whatsmore, Ahaziah of Israel, who we spoke about this morning, was the deceased uncle of Ahaziah of Judah, who we’ll discuss in a few weeks. I’ve included a diagram (see below) to help us keep this straight.
CONCLUSION
In closing, Ahaziah wanted to hear a message of life. He longed to hear good news of restoration, hope, and deliverance. Don’t we all? But rather than turning to God, the Giver of Life, he sought salvation from Baal-zebub. Because of his idolatry and sin, the LORD decreed through Elijah that he would certainly die. Instead of being convicted and repenting of his evil ways and misplaced faith, Ahaziah decided to harm God’s prophet for speaking the truth.
Ultimately, King Ahaziah died. So did the 1st and 2nd commanders and each of their 50 men because they did not recognize or respect the authority and power of God and His prophet. But the 3rd commander acknowledged the LORD, humbly bowed before Elijah, and pleaded for his life and that of his soldiers. He did not turn elsewhere for salvation (like Ahaziah did), he did not discount or demean God’s prophets (like the 1st commander did), nor did he foolishly overlook the clearly demonstrated power of God (like the 2nd commander did).
Beloved, we are all dying as the just consequence of our sin and there is only 1 source of forgiveness and eternal life. Rather than seeking other futile alternatives, rather than railing against the truth and seeking to harm those who speak it, and rather than ignoring the abundant evidence of His almighty power, why don’t we instead bow before the LORD and receive the life He offers? Friends, God will extend favor to and spare those who humbly submit and surrender their lives to His Son, Jesus Christ. Will you trust Him for salvation today?
Good morning. Today’s message is the 12th in our current sermon series titled, “The Divided Church: The Northern and Southern Kingdoms”. We will read the last few verses of 1st Kings and then move into 2 Kings. Did you know that when the book of Kings was originally written, it was not divided into 2 parts? It was separated later when the Bible was being canonized.
Last Sunday we discussed the reign of King Jehoshaphat in Judah. We mentioned his partnership with Ahaziah to construct a fleet of merchant ships. As you may recall, God was displeased by this alliance and He destroyed these ships. This morning, we will read a bit more about Ahaziah and his short kingship over Israel.
I. AHAZIAH BECOMES KING (1 Kings 22:51-53)
In approximately 877 BC, after his father Ahab was killed during a battle against Aram, Ahaziah became king of Israel. His reign began during the 17th year of King Jehoshaphat in Judah, and lasted for just 2 years. Azahiah lived in and ruled from the capital city of Samaria. Like his father and mother, Ahab and Jezebel, he was an evil king who walked in the ways of Jeroboam and led the northern kingdom into sin. Azahiah served and worshiped Baal which, as we will discover in this message, provoked the LORD to anger.
II. ELIJAH’S DIRE PROPHECY (2 Kings 1:1-8)
After Ahab’s death, the neighboring kingdom of Moab rebelled against Israel. We read last week of their uprising against Judah as well. At some point, Ahaziah fell through a lattice in the upper chamber of his palace. As a result of the injuries he sustained, Ahaziah became seriously ill. So he sent messengers to the Philistine city of Ekron to inquire of their god Baal-zebub whether he would recover from his sickness or not.
Meanwhile, the LORD spoke to Elijah the prophet and instructed him to go and intercept the king’s messengers. He was to sarcastically ask them if they were seeking answers from Baal-zebub because there was no God in Israel to inquire of. Elijah told the messengers to tell Ahaziah that he would surely die. So the messengers returned to Samaria, having never gone to Ekron, and surprised the king by their early arrival. When they told him the foreboding message they’d received, Ahaziah asked them to describe the prophet they encountered. As they did so, King Ahaziah realized that they had spoken with Elijah.
Of course there was a god in Israel that Ahaziah could have sought out - Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the 1 and only true and living God. Baal-zebub, which means “the lord of the flies”, was another of many false deities. Over the centuries, Beelzebul came to be synonymous with Satan. In the gospels, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul (their manifestation of Baal-zebub) rather than that of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:22-28, Mark 3:22, Luke 11:14-20).
III. FIRE FROM HEAVEN (2 Kings 1:9-16)
Enraged, Ahaziah sent a captain and his 50 soldiers to find, arrest, or possibly even kill Elijah. When they arrived, he was perched up on top of a hill. The captain demanded that he come down. Elijah answered, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your men.” At that moment, fire fell and burnt up the captain and his soldiers.
When the king heard what had happened, he sent another captain with 50 more men. Once again, they found Elijah on top of the hill and ordered him to come down. Elijah called fire down from heaven and it consumed them, too.
Furious, Ahaziah sent a 3rd captain with 50 men. This time, however, when they found Elijah, the captain humbly pleaded for Elijah to spare their lives. An angel of the LORD told Elijah to go down to them, which he did, and was subsequently taken to the king. Upon his arrival, Elijah boldly rebuked Ahaziah for inquiring the word of Baal-zebub rather than God, and again stated that he would surely die.
Beloved, the LORD is a jealous God. He is provoked and offended when we seek out other gods rather than Him. He is rightly angered when we turn to others for answers instead of our all-knowing Creator. This is especially egregious when we should know better and do it anyway.
IV. AHAZIAH DIES AS PREDICTED (2 Kings 1:17-18)
And so, in the days that followed, Ahaziah died just as Elijah had spoken. He had no son and so his brother, Jehoram, another of Ahab’s children, became king over Israel in his place. Ahaziah’s death and the coronation of his brother Jehoram in Samaria took place during the 18th year of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 3:1) which was also the 2nd year of Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram in Judah. This means that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram served as co-regents for a few years in the southern kingdom.
This period of the divided kingdom era can get a bit confusing because the kings in Israel and Judah had the same name - both were named Jehoram (also called Joram). Also, due to the marriage with Athaliah, they were relatives - brother in laws to be specific. Whatsmore, Ahaziah of Israel, who we spoke about this morning, was the deceased uncle of Ahaziah of Judah, who we’ll discuss in a few weeks. I’ve included a diagram (see below) to help us keep this straight.
CONCLUSION
In closing, Ahaziah wanted to hear a message of life. He longed to hear good news of restoration, hope, and deliverance. Don’t we all? But rather than turning to God, the Giver of Life, he sought salvation from Baal-zebub. Because of his idolatry and sin, the LORD decreed through Elijah that he would certainly die. Instead of being convicted and repenting of his evil ways and misplaced faith, Ahaziah decided to harm God’s prophet for speaking the truth.
Ultimately, King Ahaziah died. So did the 1st and 2nd commanders and each of their 50 men because they did not recognize or respect the authority and power of God and His prophet. But the 3rd commander acknowledged the LORD, humbly bowed before Elijah, and pleaded for his life and that of his soldiers. He did not turn elsewhere for salvation (like Ahaziah did), he did not discount or demean God’s prophets (like the 1st commander did), nor did he foolishly overlook the clearly demonstrated power of God (like the 2nd commander did).
Beloved, we are all dying as the just consequence of our sin and there is only 1 source of forgiveness and eternal life. Rather than seeking other futile alternatives, rather than railing against the truth and seeking to harm those who speak it, and rather than ignoring the abundant evidence of His almighty power, why don’t we instead bow before the LORD and receive the life He offers? Friends, God will extend favor to and spare those who humbly submit and surrender their lives to His Son, Jesus Christ. Will you trust Him for salvation today?