II Kings 1
From Elijah's Scrolls
Ahaziah fell recently. He suffered a severe injury. He made a bad choice when he sent messengers to Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron. As if that would do any good.
God had given me a message, told me to stop the messengers on their way, and give them the message to take back to king Ahaziah. God wanted Ahaziah to know he would die since he sent messengers to Baal-Zebub to ask his questions.
He could have sent the messengers to me and I would have asked the Lord. Everything might have turned out differently for him had he only looked to God for his answers instead of a false god.
This morning, apparently Ahaziah became quite angry. He sent a captain with a company of fifty men to me. I could see them coming for quite a ways from the top of the hill where I sat. The captain halted his men when he reached the top and said, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!'"
Unbelievable. Did he honestly think I would be afraid? "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!"
Instantly fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
The fire didn't surprise me. God wanted to make a point to Ahaziah.
I assumed word about the captain and his soldiers reached Ahaziah not long after. Sure enough, the king still thought he could take control. He sent another captain with fifty men.
The captain said, "Man of God this is what the king says, 'Come down at once!"
Uh huh. Adding the words at once would frighten me? Not at all. "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!"
Instantly fire fell from heaven, again, and consumed the captain and his men.
The king didn't not learn his lessons very well. Not much later, a third captain came with fifty men. But this captain fell on his knees before me and begged. "Man of God, please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! See, fire has fallen from heaven and consumed the first two captains and all their men. But now have respect for my life!"
As his words ended, the angel of the Lord spoke to me saying, "Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him."
I stood and walked freely with the captain and his men. They took me to the king's chambers. where he lay in pain.
"King Ahaziah, This is what the Lord says: Because you sent messengers to ask questions of a fake god instead of coming to me you will never leave this bed and will die."
A few days later, king Ahaziah died. Just as the Lord said.
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photo courtesy of visualbiblealive.com
1. After King Ahaziah fell, what did he do wrong?
2. King Ahaziah became angry at Elijah and sent ________ to fetch him.
3. What happened to them?
4. King Ahaziah then sent a captain and fifty men. What happened to them?
5. A third time, King Ahaziah sent a captain and fifty men, but what happened differently this time?
6. What did the angel tell Elijah?
7. What happened to king Ahaziah?
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