Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, knew Elijah well. Elijah had (for a time) destroyed idol worship in Israel when he challenged the priests of Ahaziah’s mother and father. Elijah had called a drought, leading to a famine, that lasted three and a half years. Elijah had prophesied the death of Ahab, Jezebel, and the destruction of their house. It had been about thirteen years from the point that Elijah had confronted the idolatrous priests on Mount Carmel to this point. Everywhere Ahab had turned, there was Elijah with God’s words in his mouth. Ahaziah could not have been happy with Elijah.

Ahaziah had an accident. He fell through the lattice of his upper room and got injured. It was a serious injury because he called for his messengers to go to Ekron and consult the idol god there as to whether he would recover. He probably didn’t inquire of any of God’s prophets because the whole line of Ahab had been cursed by God – not going to help in time of injury. The messengers went, but Elijah met them on the road. He had been told to meet them and give a message: God says you didn’t consult Him. Because of that, you are not going to recover. You will die of your injury. Now Ahab had received a word about his death and the death of his line, but had repented and got a stay of judgment. Perhaps Ahaziah was being encouraged to do the same?

The messengers got back to their king and he was surprised to see them. They hadn’t been gone long enough. They reported they were stopped and gave the message. Ahaziah wanted to know what the man (who hadn’t given his name) looked like. From the description, he KNEW it was Elijah. And he was TICKED. He sent fifty men to forcibly collect Elijah and bring him before Ahaziah. We know they were not pleasant about it and perhaps threatened injury because later Elijah is told when it was safe to see Ahaziah. But that’s a spoiler. We don’t know that yet. The soldiers found Elijah and demanded he go with them. Elijah told them that if he (Elijah) was a true prophet, fire would consume them. It did. Ahaziah sent another group. They too were consumed. This was judgment from GOD (it says it was the fire of God, not Elijah). This is consistent with two things: the prophesy of the destruction of Ahab’s kingdom (1 Kings 21:17-24) and the Old Covenant of judgment on sin (which we have been spared from by Jesus’ taking the fulfillment of that judgment – 2 Corinthians 5:19-21). Ahaziah responded by…. yup. Sending another fifty.

The commander of this fifty, passing by the scorch marks, got on his knees and humbled himself before Elijah. He asked for mercy. He was just following orders. He asked for his life and the lives of his men to be spared. God told Elijah it was safe to go (obviously it had NOT been safe before). Elijah went, gave the EXACT same word to Ahaziah, who did not repent in any way, and left. Ahaziah succumbed to his injuries and died. His son Jehoram became king. There was also a Jehoram in Judah, who was the son of Jehoshaphat and they were co-regents at that time (2 Kings 8:16). The two young men were also related (Athaliah, daughter of Ahab had married the Judean Jehoram, making them brothers-in-law). The Jehoram, son of Ahab, took the throne in the second year of the Judean Jehoram’s reign, which was the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign. Jehoram, son of Ahab, reigned for twelve years total.

“Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me up to Bethel.” Elisha said, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will certainly not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel.” (2 Kings 2:2)

This is the first time Elisha is mentioned with Elijah, but starting in 1 Kings 19 Elisha had been caring for all Elijah’s needs as his servant. It can be supposed that Elisha was present for everything Elijah went through. Elijah’s servants aren’t really talked about because he had a ministry of public confrontation of the big players of the day. Even though he did not complete all the tasks set before him, Elijah was a man of God, anointed and functioning in that office. He had a relationship with God based on trust, not his performance. But Elijah DID have a habit of leaving his servant behind when he was going to go through a particularly harsh time or going to an encounter with God (1 Kings 19:3). Which implies that his servant was with him throughout the drought/famine, even though the servant wasn’t mentioned – scripture doesn’t say either way.

We find that Elijah knew his time was up and how it was going to happen. Elisha knew his time was up. All the prophets in the schools of prophets that they come across knew that Elijah’s time was up. It is a fact that God talks to us and doesn’t keep from us what He is doing – if we’ll seek Him and LISTEN (Amos 3:7). Elijah tries to leave Elisha in Gilgal. Elisha refused. They went to Bethel (twelve kilometres away). Elijah tried again. Elisha refused. They went to Jericho (eighteen and a half kilometres away). Elijah tried again. Elisha refused. Elijah is giving Elisha the chance to prove his devotion to seeking God (Matthew 11:12). Elisha clearly has a goal in mind as well.

The two men – and fifty prophets from Jericho – walked to the Jordan. Elijah took off his mantle, struck the water, and it parted (one of only three times at this point that water split to allow travel on dry ground – Exodus 14:21 & Joshua 3:14-17). The two went over and the water returned. The fifty prophets stayed on the Jericho side. Elijah and Elisha walked until they were not able to be seen. Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted. Elijah had to ask then, because he was still alive on Earth. Once Elijah was gone, his power to influence events on Earth would also be gone. The dead CANNOT intercede for the living. That is a demonic doctrine. Only Jesus (the LIVING ONE) can intercede for the people on Earth (Hebrews 7:25).

Elisha wanted twice the anointing that Elijah had on him. This is a VERY Old Covenant thing. In the New Covenant (Jesus’ covenant with His Father), we have been given the fullness of God in Jesus (Colossians 2:9-10; John 1:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19). By GRACE we have it (Ephesians 2:8-9). But they didn’t have that in the Old Covenant, so this was a fine thing to request. Elijah pointed out that those with the anointing tend to be persecuted. Elisha would not withdraw the request, so Elijah said it wasn’t his to grant. But if GOD would grant it, Elisha would see Elijah as he was drawn up to heaven. As they were talking a fiery chariot drawn by two fiery horses came out of nowhere, cut between them, collected Elijah (whose mantle fell to the ground), and went up in a whirlwind into heaven – and Elisha saw it all.

Elisha picked up the mantle and went back to the Jordan, calling on God he hit the water with the mantle like Elijah had and the water parted for him. The watching prophets hailed him as being anointed like Elijah, but they didn’t really believe his story. They nagged for permission to go look for Elijah – in case his body had been deposited on a hill. They nagged and nagged and nagged until Elisha gave in and gave them permission. They didn’t find anything.

Then Elisha kind of made his way back along the same path he and Elijah had taken down. He went to Jericho and got stopped. The ground was fine, but the water that supplied the town was horrible. Unusable. Elisha asked for salt. They brought it and he poured it into the stream. The salt could do nothing. And would only have cleaned water downstream from the pour if it could. In this case, God supernaturally cleansed the water and it stayed clean. No more bad came out.

Next, Elisha went up to Bethel where he was accosted by a group of young men. The Hebrew word used means young man and was used of people right up to the age of thirty – and never for toddlers or young children. This has been translated BADLY. These prophets-in-training didn’t believe the story. They mocked Elisha. If Elijah went up to heaven in a chariot, Elisha should go up too! This is the same kind of mocking Jesus endured on the cross (Matthew 27:42). It shows NO trust in God. NO respect for the men of God. They even mocked his bald head. Elisha cursed them in God’s name. That’s it. No specifics. God sent two female bears and they mauled forty-two of young men – it does NOT say ANYWHERE whether they died or were just injured. This was judgment from God, not picked by Elisha – I am so VERY thankful we have a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6).

Then Elisha went to Mount Carmel. All the men of Israel had been called out to witness the altar throw-down (1 Kings 18). Since Elisha came from a wealthy family (1 Kings 19), it is likely he was there and witnessed it. Perhaps he was meditating on what service to Yahweh would encompass. After he was done, he went on to Samaria.

Summary

Key Players: God, Elijah, Elisha, Ahaziah

Key Themes: Judgment, Grace, Anointing, Trust

Key Verse(s): 2 Kings 1:2-4, 9-10, 15; 2:1-2, 9-13, 19-22