2 Kings Chapter 1
Elijah was a Tishbite. He was from Tishbe in Gilead. Being a prophet of God, he lived a rather colorful and eventful life. Because of his straightforward manner, he fell out of favor with those in authority and was blamed for pretty much everything bad that happened in the land, including a drought and famine. He also upset Jezebel just a titch because he slaughtered four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supported. (1 Kings 18). Because of this, Jezebel swore to kill him. Elijah skeedaddled.

There are two lessons to be learned from this intro.

Lesson #1 - Some prophets seem to stir up trouble wherever they go.
Lesson #2 - Girls are scary when they're mad.

Now that we know a bit about Elijah, let's get on with the matter of this message.

Elijah prophesied against Moab, and told his messengers to tell him he would die because of his idolatrous ways. Obviously, Moab was a wee bit unhappy with this and sent a captain and fifty soldiers to fetch Elijah. When they found him sitting on a hill, the captain shouted, "Prophet, the king says, ‘Come down!" Elijah replied to the captain, "If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire came down from the sky and killed them all.

Upon hearing the news, Moab sent second captain and fifty more soldiers to fetch Elijah. The captain went up and told Elijah, “Prophet, this is what the king says, "Come down at once!" Elijah replied to him, “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Again, fire came down and killed them all.

Moab sent yet a third captain and fifty more soldiers, ordering them to fetch Elijah once and for all. This third captain, being a little smarter than the other two, went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. Indeed, fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. So now, please have respect for my life.” The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down with him to the king.

The third captain and his men stayed alive because he humbly approached the man of God. He accomplished the job he was sent to do, but used discretion in the way he did that job.

Rather than sending a message through Moab's servants as he did before, Elijah prophesied to Moab's face that he would die because of his idolatrous ways. He died just as the Lord had prophesied through Elijah.

There are at least four lessons to be learned from this story.

Lesson #1 - God will not tolerate being second. When He says we will have no other gods before Him, He means it.

Lesson #2 - Leaders are not permitted to be bullies. When they are wrong, they are wrong, no matter how they push their weight around. Neither God, nor His people will be bullied.

Lesson #3 - The Lord says what He means and all the demanding, coercion or negotiating in the world will not change that.

Lesson #4 - Last, but not least, if a man is really a prophet and God's word is in his mouth, be nice when you approach him. Show respect to those whom the Lord loves and whom He has called. The first two captains ordered Elijah to come down. Even though they were speaking on behalf of another, they were responsible for their words and actions. It cost them their lives. Be careful if a person in authority over you sends you on a mission against another Christian. Be nice.

There is so much disrespect for Christians in this world. Even Christians show disrespect for each other. When you attack another Christian, you are attacking the Lord because the same Holy Spirit dwells in each of God's servants. God cannot be against Himself, so we all know from what side of the pearly gates the attack originates. Even if you are speaking for someone else, you are responsible for how you treat God's people. Be nice! If you can't be nice, be quiet and duck. God will take care of those who are spreading disharmony within the body. He will deal with those who treat other Christians inappropriately. He is possessive of those He loves.


- Rod
Copyright (c) Rod

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