Download 01 2Kings 1v1-27 The Fall of Ahaziah

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Introduction
Jezebel was doubtless pleased with the way that her big boy Ahaziah had
turned out. He had been trained in the ways of the Baals and taught to
treat the God of Israel with contempt. None of the early warning signs of
God's anger had brought him to his senses.
Ahaziah was the sort of person who put the
judgments of God down to coincidences. He
refused to learn. He was even more sensual than
his dad. He loved the luxurious living which he
had in his palace.
And yet his lifestyle was not ultimately due
to neither hereditary nor environmental factors.
Note, 1 Kings22.51-53,
“He chose to do evil in the eyes of the Lord”
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Introduction
He allowed the empire, which David and Solomon had put together, to
disintegrate. When Moab rebelled and broke away, he shrank back in
cowardly fear from the field of battle and decided to continue to live his
self-indulgent life.
Did he remember that his father met with
an untimely death in battle and think he
could cushion himself against injury? If so,
then his plan failed. One day the lattice of
his upper room, which encouraged the
circulation of cool air, gave way, as he
leaned against it! He fell to the ground
below to his serious injury.
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How many in Israel recognised the hand of God
in this "accident”? Having seen the way that
God dealt with his father, Ahab, you can be
sure that they put 2+2 together. Perhaps the
idea was being introduced to the kings mind;
“God is attempting to get your majesty's
attention, your injury is his megaphone”.
If so, then this would make his action in v2,
one of calculated defiance; concerned about
his future wellbeing, he sent not to the God of
Israel but to Baalzebub a Philistine insect god
located in Ekron, a noted centre for fortunetellers.
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God's Judgment On Ahaziah
Ahaziah's messengers were intercepted by Elijah, who communicated God's
anger that Ahaziah should disregard him and send to a foreign god for help.
Ahaziah could protest, “I don’t recognise the God of Israel or acknowledge his
authority over me”. To think in this way about God, and many people do, is as
silly as saying, “I don’t recognise the authority of the law of gravity”, as you
step off the roof of a 20 story building. Nor would we think it wise, if
confronted by a stampeding herd of wild elephants,
to bury our head in the sand and say,
“I'm sure its just a mirage.” A refusal to
acknowledge God's authority doesn’t
remove God from the scene,
as Ahaziah found to his cost.
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God's Judgment On Ahaziah
We will not understand this story if we fail to realise that God is a jealous
God. In the 10 commandments he says, “I tolerate no rivals.” Ex. 20.5
Again in Ex 34.14 God implies that 'Jealous' is his middle name. Do not
confuse this jealousy with the human sin. God’s ‘jealousy’ is both pure and
perfect. He calls his people into a unique love-relationship
with himself. But when he sees our heart love for him
begin to freeze as we are pulled in the direction of
other so-called gods then his jealousy comes into
operation.
He wants to turn us from this alternative love that
produces the increasing depersonalisation and
impoverishment of our lives.
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God's Judgment On Ahaziah
It was God’s mercy that stopped Ahaziah's
deputation from reaching the Baal shrine, thus
providing the king with a further opportunity for
repentance. God made it clear that the king would
remain an invalid until his death. This action was not
one of final and immediate judgment. God leaves the
door open for Ahaziah, who had rejected God v2, to
return. How amazingly long-suffering God is!
When Elijah’s message is relayed, Ahaziah
recognised, but refused to listen to, the authentic
Word of God. In contrast with his father Ahab who,
when confronted with words of judgment, humbled
himself before God and dressed in sackcloth and
ashes.
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God's Judgment On Ahaziah
Ahaziah refused to listen to God's Word
because it would mean a change of lifestyle.
Indeed, the prophet’s word clearly hardened
the king’s defiance and heightened his
opposition.
Ahaziah was so enraged that he sent his
soldiers to seize Elijah. What did he have in
mind? Force Elijah to withdraw the life
sentence, which had been pronounced upon
him or, perhaps kill Elijah and so seek to silence
the prophetic voice? Either way Ahaziah
showed how little he understood God.
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Fire From Heaven
50 soldiers surround Elijah who was seated on
the top of a hill. The captain demands that Elijah
comes down. But what comes down is fire from
heaven consuming the soldiers! A second group
sent out experienced the same fate.
This incident has called out a great deal of
criticism. Some have dismissed it, by calling it
‘typical of the God of the O.T.’ whom they
consider to be ‘savage, primitive and unchristian’.
They point out that Jesus rejected the suggestion
that he should ‘do an Elijah’ in Lk.9v54-55.
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Fire From Heaven
Others think that Elijah had become trigger happy,
and by his prayer had mown down his enemies with a
heavenly flame thrower. But at the time, everyone
clearly understood that it was God's fire. Elijah could
no more command fire from heaven or twist God's
arm to do something against his will, than anyone
else! God wouldn’t risk his own reputation simply to
answer an uncharitable prayer of his aging prophet!
We may well feel for those soldiers who were "just
obeying orders." However, surely Ahaziah was the
guilty party. In the clash of faiths there are no
neutrals! Consider too, that had the first two captains
been sympathetic to God, and approached Elijah as
the third officer did things would have turned out
differently.
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Fire From Heaven
Contrast the imperious intolerance of unbelief in
the expression, “Man of God THE KING says,
“COME DOWN”” in v 9 with the words of the
third officer in v13 ff “Man of God please have
respect for my life and the lives of these 50 men”.
The first two officers aligned themselves with
Ahaziah's bloodthirsty defiance and unbelief.
They gloried in putting the power of their master
above that of the God of Israel. This new
generation of men were behaving as if Mt.
Carmel had never happened.
We need to learn to be slow to pronounce
verdicts on the works of God.
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Fire From Heaven
The wonder isn’t that God bursts out on the scene in blazing anger but that
he doesn’t do so more often. We live in a soft and degenerate age with false
notions of charity and tolerance. We're like a child who sharpens his pencil
for the first time constantly paring it down till there's nothing left. We’ve
done that with our understanding of both the evil of sin and the wrath of
God.
Its true that, with all the tenderness at his disposal, God longs for all to come
to repentance.
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Fire From Heaven
In every outbreak of human sin, in every street fight, in every swindle and
extortion racket, in every rape and act of immorality, in every act of self
righteousness and expression of arrogance and pride, in every blasphemy God's love lingers close by, arms
outstretched with earnest entreaty.
And yet side by side with God's
unfathomable love for the
sinner there stands God's
undiluted hatred of sin.
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Fire From Heaven
We read in Hebrews 12v29 that "Our God is a
consuming fire". Any fire will either warm us or
burn us, depending upon where we stand in
relation to it. If we worship God in a way which
pleases him with reverence and awe, his fire
will consecrate us and set us alight for service.
However, if we choose to reject God's love
then it is though we have consciously chosen
to walk into a consuming fire.
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The Confidence Of Faith
When the third captain begged Elijah to come
with him and his men. God told Elijah to go. To
go to the king who was seeking his life! To go
to the palace which had just lost 100 of its
soldiers who had been sent to capture him. To
go and tell the king to his face that a death
sentence had been passed upon him. Only
divinely given courage can enable us to do
that sort of thing.
What does this have to teach about our
proclamation of the gospel? I’m not
suggesting that we become the kind of hellfire preacher who takes great delight in seeing
his hearers squirm.
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The Confidence Of Faith
But I do mean preaching which is
unashamed to proclaim God's
righteousness and his anger with sin and
the certainty of judgment. Are men and
women today indifferent to the gospel of
God's mercy and forgiveness PRIMARILY
because they have never been faced with
the certainty of God's righteous anger
against sin? Is not the crying need of our
times a deeper conviction of sin?
For as a diamond sparkles most brightly
back velvet background so the true glory
of God's grace and forgiveness is best
appreciated against the backcloth of sin.
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The Confidence Of Faith
Its no easy thing to speak in these terms.
Robert Mc Cheyne and Andrew Bonar
two Scottish ministers, were walking
together one Saturday afternoon and
asking each other what subject they were
preaching on the next day. Mc Cheyne
said he was preaching on the righteous
judgement of God and Bonar replied,
“I trust you will not do so without tears in
your eyes”.
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Conclusion
This is a sobering story it unveils not
only the longsuffering of God but the
certainty of his judgment. It makes it
clear that men cannot hide
themselves from God's hand or evade
their accountability before him.
Our study of this passage can end on a
positive note. As we look at Elijah in
his old age the thing that impresses is
surely the constancy of his faithfulness
towards God and his faith in God.
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Conclusion
It is not just a melted heart that is necessary but a
brave one to confront those who show themselves
indifferent to God's Word and to the certainty of
God's judgment. As Elijah in his old age takes his
stand before the king he shows that his
confidence in God has not diminished.
He surely knew the truth of the Psalm, “Though an
army besiege me, my heart will not fear; thou war
break out against me even then will I be confident”
Ps.27v3. This was the confidence that Elijah
demonstrated as he stood before the king.
“They that dwell in the secret place of the most
high shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty”Ps.91v1.
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