2nd.Kings 1:9-15 "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. 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. 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. 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. And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and sought 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. 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. 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."
The point of today's text is not the spectacular nature of this miraculous phenomenon - the fire coming down from Heaven and consuming the soldiers sent to apprehend, and thus silence, the prophet of GOD - but rather, it is the power of the prophet's message. The LORD wanted the King of Israel to understand that Elijah was simply HIS mouthpiece and that what was spoken by Elijah was, in fact, the WORD of GOD - all-authoritative and not to be taken lightly. And so it is in our own contemporary religious context. Today, GOD's "fire" is not in the form of signs and wonders, dynamic speakers, or ecumenical gatherings that impress nearly everyone. Notice that the "fire from Heaven" in our text came in response to the charge: "If I am speaking the very WORDs of the ALMIGHTY, then let fire . . ." The authority with which Elijah spoke revealed the true power of GOD; the fire merely authenticated the divine sanction behind what he said. The authority of GOD's WORD was, and still is, the issue (2nd.Timothy 3:16 pictured above).
Vain, proud, and sick Ahaziah reflected the attitude of the first two captains - oblivious to the danger of strutting before GOD and withstanding HIS decree (vv.9b,11b). So, who had the authority: the two captains that declared the King's command or Elijah, who spoke the WORD of ALMIGHTY GOD ? The answer was unequivocally revealed through great loss of life: 102 souls burned up ! Humble resignation to GOD's will was the only way to avoid judgment (vv.13-15). We today must "serve GOD acceptably with reverence and godly fear." Why ? "Our GOD is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:28-29 pictured above). DWC
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used with permission. www.featoday.org
https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation
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