2 Kings 1-2

Introduction

I had started into 2 Kings last week then changed my mind.

One reason is how confusing the names can be. I am having to read through multiple times to keep the people straight. For example there are 2 different: Jeroboams, Ahaziahs, and Jehorams. So make sure to pay attention as you read which is which.

2 Kings 1

Moab's Rebellion and Ahaziah's Injury, Elijah's Divine Commission and Message, The Messengers' Return and Report, Identifying the Prophet

2 Kings 1:1–8 KJV

1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 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 Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 3 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 unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. 5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? 6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? 8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

This is Ahaziah of Israel

Judgement was death for looking to any god other than Yahweh

The First and Second Captain and His Fifty Men

2 Kings 1:9–12 KJV

9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 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 thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

More fire from God at Elijah’s request. That fire was the proof Elijah was the real prophet of Yahweh

The Third Captain's Humble Approach, Elijah's Journey to the King, and Ahaziah's Death and Jehoram's Succession

2 Kings 1:13–18 KJV

13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. 15 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. 16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

King Ahaziah sends a third captain with fifty soldiers to get the prophet Elijah, but this captain humbly begs for mercy instead of demanding Elijah come down from the hill. An angel tells Elijah it's safe to go with them, so Elijah goes to the king and tells him directly that he will die because he asked a foreign god for help instead of God. Ahaziah dies just like Elijah predicted, and since he had no son, his brother Jehoram becomes the next king of Israel.

Introducing Elisha

From Chapter 2-13 we’ll see Elisha take the place of Elijah

Elisha’s calling happened back in the cave on Mount Horeb during Elijah’s low point:

1 Kings 19:16 “16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.”

2 Kings 2

2 Kings 2:1–8 KJV

1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho. 5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

We start by seeing the contrast of the faithfulness of Elijah, Elisha, and the companies of prophets compared to the unfaithfulness of Ahaziah and the companies of soldiers

The sons of the prophets of Bethel “you know Yahweh’s taking Elijah from you TODAY” Elisha tells ‘em “I know, hush”

The sons of the prophets of Jericho “you know Yahweh’s taking Elijah from you TODAY” Elisha tells ‘em “I know, hush”

Elisha knows it and wants to be close to Elijah when it happens, but don’t want to talk about it!

The sons of the prophets of Jordan see the Jordan River parted and Elijah and Elisha walk across on dry ground

I pray someday I can know the Bible way more than I do!

If I did the trip from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to the Jordan would have reminded me of Israel’s first steps into the Promised Land and the splitting of the Jordan would have brought to mind the parting of the Red Sea. then already having 1 Kings 19:16 in mind, I would realize I was looking at a transition like Moses to Joshua!

But I didn’t get there until I studied and dug into it!

Also reminds them and us that every foot of the promised land belongs to God and is under the authority of God’s word.

2 Kings 2:9–11 KJV

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Elijah knows Elisha is staying close for a reason, If you are a dad, you’ve seen this too. They’re following you around too nervous to ask whatever’s on their mind until you ask ‘em.

It’s not just about the miracles or even the wisdom, Elisha knows Elijah has a special relationship with Yahweh and wants to be twice as close.

“asked a hard thing”: Elijah knows and tells Elisha that what he’s asking for also comes with twice the responsibility and maybe even twice the pain

But that’s up to Yahweh! so if you see Yahweh take me from you, it’s a sign that He has given you what you asked

A horse drawn chariot of fire suddenly appears and separates them, showing Elisha the supernatural purpose and protection as Elijah is caught up by (this is my spiritual imagination) the same whirlwind Yahweh talked to him out of in the cave.

Like Enoch in Genesis, caught up not died

2 Kings 2:12–15 KJV

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Elisha sees him disappear into heaven and it hurts! He recognizes Elijah as his spiritual father and tears his clothes in a moment of mourning. And it sounds to us and we picture Elisha questioning God. The more times I’ve read it, I see both doubt and God using it talking to the company of prophets basically telling them, “Elijah may be gone, but Elijah’s God is here!”

But mourning is a moment and the first sign that Yahweh’s spirit is now with Elisha as he smites the water with the cloak and it splits.

The prophets bow recognizing Elisha now as the primary prophet in Israel

2 Kings 2:16–18 KJV

16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send. 17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. 18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?

Out of respect, the prophets want to find the body of Elijah but Elisha knew there was none but out of shame for his moment of doubt and being ashamed for them having the same he gives in. Does have an “I told you so” moment

2 Kings 2:19–22 KJV

19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren. 20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. 21 And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land. 22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

Salt purifies water. Salt from a new bowl symbolized the cleansing of the waters that God would miraculously perform. The healing of Jericho’s water, through Elisha, freed the city from Joshua’s curse in Joshua 6:26 “26 And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.”

2 Kings 2:23–25 KJV

23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. 25 And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.

Not children but teenagers

Bald wasn’t just his head but maybe a sign of him as a prophet. They were cursing the Lord’s prophet telling him to disappear like Elijah.

If you curse God you are in danger of God cursing you. Then the judgement of God is sure!

Conclusion

In the midst of all the apostasy, idolatry, confusion, and chaos; God still called his faithful prophets.

When you hear “prophet” our 21st century, western mind influenced so much by the secularism (the idea that religion is over here, separate from everything else we do) of our age immediately thinks of “the people that tell the future”

Originally, in Hebrew and early Christian traditions, prophets (Hebrew: navi) were primarily understood as messengers or spokespersons for God - people who conveyed divine will, called for justice, and challenged the powerful.

We, all of us, not just the preacher are called to be prophets:.0

1 Peter 2:7–9 “7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

All of us are called to testify of God’s character and works to the world

Ephesians 4:11–15 “11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

The body of Christ, we all are supposed to lovingly call out error, encourage righteousness, and call people to faithfulness in both the church and the world

Acts 1:7–8 “7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

We are called to witness to the world and tell them of Gods grace and mercy in place of God’s judgement given through Jesus Christ dying on the cross and offering salvation to all that come to faith in Him