1 Kings 22:51-2 Kings 2:25 "Descent and Ascent: The Ups and Downs of Israel" The language of up and down is all over our passage. Ahaziah fell down through the lattice (1:2) Elijah is told to go up to meet him (1:3) and tell him that he will not come down from the bed to which he has gone up (1:4) This message is repeated verbatim in verse 6 Then the captain went up to Elijah (v9) and orders him to come down, but instead fire came down from heaven (v10). This sequence is repeated verbatim in verses 11-12, The third captain goes up (v13) and pleads that fire not come down (v14), and so the angel of the LORD tells Elijah to go down with him (v15) And so Elijah gives the third repetition of the message to Ahaziah Ahaziah has gone up to his bed, and he will not come down. In chapter 2 Elijah went up into heaven by a whirlwind, verse 1 says that the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven, and in their travels "they went down to Bethel" in verse 2, and then after Elijah is taken up to heaven in verse 11, Elisha goes up to Bethel, where he is mocked by the youths of Bethel, who urge him to "go up" like his master. 1 Kings 1-2 is all about descent and ascent ups and downs. 1. Indecent Descent: Ahab's House is Falling Down (1 Kings 22:51-2 Kings 1:18) The break between 1 and 2 Kings makes very little sense. It was originally one book, but ancient scribes divided it in two in order to make it a more convenient length for their scrolls. But to break it in the middle of the reign of Ahaziah is not very useful, because then you do not have a clear idea of why God is angry with Ahaziah! But 1 Kings 22:51-3 makes this perfectly clear: He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father (Ahab) and in the way of his mother (Jezebel) and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. In other words, he is just like all the worst people in all of Israel's history! He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked Yahweh, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done. Ahab had tried to hold Yahweh and Baal together, but Ahaziah abandons Yahweh altogether and follows the Baals. 2 Kings 2:1 then tells us that after the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. At this point you would expect to hear what the king did about it But we will have to wait until chapter 3 to hear what the king of Israel did about it, because Ahaziah rather than lead his people into battle against the rebellious Moabites, instead he fell through the lattice in his upper chamber. The clumsy oaf just fell down and is now lying sick in bed. The structure of this passage is as follows: a. Ahaziah's reign and sickness (1K 22:51-2K 1:2a) b. Ahaziah sends messengers to Baal-zebub (1:2b) c. The messenger of the LORD sends Elijah to king of Samaria (1:3-4) d. Messengers return to Ahaziah with message from Baal-se'ar (1:5-8) b. Ahaziah sends soldiers to Elijah (1:9-14) c. The messenger of the LORD sends Elijah to the king (1:15-16) a. Ahaziah dies (1:17-18) It's not really a chiasm. The chiasm is broken by the insistence of the angel of the LORD on having the last word! It is not the messengers of Ahaziah, but the messenger of the LORD who proclaims God's verdict upon Ahaziah. And there is an awful lot of repetition: Yahweh's message to Ahaziah is repeated three times (verses 3, 6, 16) and in each version "you shall surely die" translates the Hebrew "dying you shall die." Then Ahaziah sends three sets of 50 soldiers to Elijah. The repetition reinforces both the gravity of the problem and the certainty of the conclusion. Because when Ahaziah falls sick, his first thought is to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron. When the king (or his son) is sick, that is a sign of the sickness of the kingdom (remember the son of Jeroboam in 1 Kings 14?). Just as Jeroboam's dynasty ends after the sickness of his son, so sickness of Ahab's son signals the end of the Omride dynasty. In both cases the firstborn son dies, and then the dynasty ends under the rule of the second son (an interesting twist on the second son theme from Genesis where the blessing comes consistently to the second son. In Kings, the curse of the firstborn signals a coming death and destruction that the second son cannot escape.) But as the Omride dynasty apostatizes, there are political consequences. The sickness of Ahaziah is echoed in the rebellion of Moab. Moab, who had been a vassal state of Israel since the days of David (2 Samuel 8) now gets restless. Because Israel has turned away to other gods, therefore the kingdom is beginning to shrink. You can see the same result in the history of the church. When the church rebels against Jesus the result is a chipping away of the church. You could look back to the rise of Islam in the once-Christian areas of the Middle East and North Africa, or to the once-Christian regions of western Europe. When the church does not follow the son of David, then the people will turn to other rulers. So here we have a trifecta of problems: Ahaziah is sick, Moab is rebelling, and Ahaziah is sending messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the Lord of flies. The real name of the deity is Baal-zebul Lord of princes. You may recognize the ending as related to Jezebel. Jezebel had introduced Baal worship in Israel, and now as queen mother, her influence continues to spread. Ahaziah, her son, no longer even pays lip service to Yahweh, the God of Israel. He has turned his whole heart to Baal. The name of the Philistine god Baal-zebub will become a Hebrew word for the prince of demons. And in Luke 11 Jesus was accused of casting out demons by Baal-zebub. Jesus is accused of being an agent of Baal a false prophet like the messengers of Ahaziah. (And in Luke 11 remember that we are in the beginning of the road to Jerusalem, where fire from heaven plays a significant role in the story!) And so Yahweh sends a messenger of his own. Remember that the Hebrew word for messenger is the same as the word for angel. The messenger (or angel) of Yahweh now says to Elijah, Arise, go up to meet the angels of the king of Samaria and say to them, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the God of Ekron? Now therefore thus says the LORD, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die. Once again the word of the LORD and the word of Elijah are so connected that we do not hear of the actual meeting between Elijah and the messengers. The next thing we hear is that the messengers are returning to the king. "You're back early!" is his response. So they report the message of this "man" who met them. He said to them, What kind of an was he who came to meet you and told you these things? They answered him, A man, the lord of hair, with a belt of leather around his waist. I don't suppose your translation says anything like that! But I don't think that you can understand the passage unless you understand that the angels of Ahaziah went looking for a Baal (baal zebub), and turned back when they found a Baal (baal se'ar). In Hebrew it is ish baal se'ar. Literally, "A man, a lord of hair." Dare we even say the "god of hair"? (Do you understand now why people connected John the Baptist with Elijah?) Ahaziah knows exactly who it is "It is Elijah the Tishbite!" And so he sends a captain with fifty men to bring him in. The captain "went up" to Elijah, as Elijah is sitting on top of a hill. Again we see the importance of altitude in our passage. As Moses had gone up Mt Sinai, and as Elijah had previously gone up Mt Sinai (and as Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel), so now Elijah is "up" So the captain goes up the hill to Elijah. But the captain does not ascend the mountain of the LORD with humility. Instead he said, "O man of God, the king says, come down." There is a pun in the Hebrew that you cannot translate in English: Ish elohim (man of God) come down! And Elijah says If I am an ish elohim, let esh elohim come down and consume you and your fifty. I know, your translation says "the fire of heaven," but literally it is "the fire of God" (esh elohim). Elijah is not only the ish elohim (the man of God) he is also the esh elohim (the fire of God) who brings the consuming word of the LORD against Israel. If you are Ahaziah, what do you do? You just lost a captain and his fifty due to fire from heaven. Remember Ben Hadad? The Syrian king? When Yahweh beat him in the hills, he thought that if he brought the same army in the plains, he might have a different result. At least Ben Hadad had the wisdom to change something! He had about as much chance of success as Wile E Coyote against the Roadrunner, but at least he changed the venue! But Ahaziah does exactly the same thing all over again. Remember what I said a few weeks ago about Kings being boring and repetitive? Sin is boring. Rebellion is stupid. And the second captain does the same thing with the same result. The ish elohim calls down the esh elohim and the captain and his fifty are toast. And so Ahaziah in his brilliance and wisdom or rather, in the sheer stupidity that results from sin, sends yet a third captain with fifty more men. Maybe if we just say it with a little more oomph we'll get a different result! We laugh. But we do the same thing, don't we? We sin the same sin. That's what a bad habit is. It is sheer stupidity to think that this time maybe it will turn out different! So when you find yourself in the midst of that bad habit, do what the third captain did! The third captain fell on his knees before Elijah and said, in effect, "O man of God, have mercy!" And so, since the third captain has treated the fire of God with honor, the angel of the LORD sends Elijah to Ahaziah. And so Elijah "went down" to the king, and Elijah gives precisely the same words that God had told him. Three times in this passage we hear the same message: because you have sent angels to inquire of Baal-zebub, you will come down from your bed; you will surely die. And so he dies in his upper chamber. In 1 Kings 17 Elijah had performed his first sign by going to an upper chamber of the son of a Sidonian widow, and raising her son from the dead. Now in 2 Kings 1 Elijah performs his last sign by going to an upper chamber of the son of a Sidonian widow (remember that Jezebel is from Sidon and she is now a widow) but this time he does not raise him up. The contrast could not be sharper. The Sidonian widow in 1 Kings 17 put her trust in Yahweh, the God of Israel, and Elijah brought healing and life. Jezebel, the Sidonian widow of 2 Kings 2 has fought against Yahweh all her life, and Elijah brings judgment and death. There is also a certain irony in the parallel between chapters 1 and 2. Because in chapter one the first two fifties "go up" to Elijah, and never come down. Likewise, Ahaziah goes up to his bed, and never comes down. But in chapter two it is Elijah who goes up, and never comes down. 2. Ascending and a Sending: the Rise of Elijah and the Inheritance of Elisha (2 Kings 2:1-25) Chapter 2 is the center of the book of Kings. Kings starts with 11 chapters about Solomon and the undivided kingdom Then you have 5 chapters on the division of the kingdom in the days of Jeroboam Then you have 7 chapters on the house of Omri and the ministry of Elijah. That brings us to 2 Kings 2 Then you have the ministry of Elisha and the destruction of the house of Omri in 10 chs then you have 4 chapters on the divided kingdom and the destruction of Israel in the north and you conclude with 8 chapters on the house of David and the destruction of Judah in the south. The ascension of Elijah and the inheritance of Elisha are the two key events at the center of the book of Kings. So Kings forms a chiasm with the ascension of Elijah at the center. What is more, 2 Kings 2 is a geographical chiasm with the ascension of Elijah at the center. 1. Gilgal, vv. 1-2 2. Bethel, vv. 3-4 3. Jericho, vv. 5-6 4. Cross Jordan, vv. 7-8 (leave sons of prophets) 5. Ascent of Elijah, vv. 9-12a 4. Elisha back across, vv. 12b-18 (return to sons of prophets) 3. Jericho, vv. 19-22 2. Bethel, vv. 23-24 1. Elisha to Samaria, v. 25 Incidentally, what does this say about the geographical center of the book of Kings? What place is at the exact center of the book? And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Kings is written to a people in exile. You have lost everything: you have lost your homes, you have lost the land, you have lost the temple, you have lost the Davidic king, you have lost the prophets and priests. Do not forget Elijah. Your hope was never in the types and shadows. Your hope is in heaven. Your hope is the God who raises the dead. And if Elijah has ascended into heaven, then that means that God has not abandoned his purposes for Israel. Because not only has Elijah been exalted to the heavens, but the spirit of Elijah remains upon Elisha to bring judgment upon the wicked, but comfort to the remnant who still hope in Yahweh. If Elijah was the new Moses who brings the Word of the LORD from the mountain of God, then Elisha is the new Joshua. In 1 Kings 19 we heard that those who escape the swords of Jehu and Hazael will be killed by Elisha. If Ahab and Jezebel have turned Israel into Canaan, then Elisha's job will be a new conquest. And even as Joshua conquered the Canaanites and took possession of the land, even so Elisha (whose name means the same as Joshua the LORD saves; or God saves) will lead the remnant of Israel in a new conquest. And in proof of this, watch the route that we have already traced. Elijah starts in Gilgal near the Jordan and goes back into the hill country to Bethel (the closest city to Ai, where Israel was first defeated in Joshua) and from there he goes to Jericho (where Israel first entered the land), before crossing the Jordan, leaving the promised land, and returning into the wilderness. Bethel and Jericho are now associated with the apostasy of Jeroboam and Ahab. Bethel is one of the two places where Jeroboam established the golden calves. Jericho had been rebuilt during Ahab's reign under the curse of Joshua. And in both centers of apostasy, Elijah and Elisha meet the sons of the prophets. Even in the belly of the beast, there is a faithful remnant! God has indeed preserved his people in the midst of apostasy and idolatry. (This is important to remember regarding Rome, as well as the mainline churches! The apostasy of the leadership does not mean that the church no longer exists!) Within the Church of the Golden Calf there is a renewal movement that is faithful. But the sons of the prophets know that Yahweh is about to take Elijah, and both in Bethel and Jericho they approach Elisha and say "Do you know that today Yahweh will take away your master from your head" and in both cases Elisha says, "Yes, I know it; keep quiet." The use of the word "head" is important here since it will recur at the end of our passage! And as Moses had parted the Red Sea, leading his people into the wilderness, so now Elijah parts the Jordan River and leads Elisha into the wilderness. And Elijah says to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you. And Elisha said, Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me. The double portion was the portion of the firstborn. He is not asking for twice as much, but rather, that he might receive the full inheritance as Elijah's successor. But as it turns out, he will perform twice as many miracles as Elijah! And as they taked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Then Elisha picked up the mantle of Elijah and returned to the Jordan and he struck the water saying, Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah? Since Elijah is gone, this is a valid question! Elijah was the presence of God in Israel. Will God be with Elisha in the same way? And even as the waters of the Jordan were parted for Joshua after the death of Moses, so now the waters of the Jordan were parted for Elisha. The Spirit of his master was upon him, and he would now do greater deeds than his master as he conquers Israel. But when the sons of the prophets at Jericho saw him they saw that the spirit of Elijah was upon him, and they bowed to the ground before him. But they did not understand what had happened, so they wanted to send fifty strong men to search for Elijah. (Remember the fifties that had been sent to bring Elijah to the king?) Elisha knew better, but in the end he sent them thereby demonstrating that even as no one ever knew where Moses was buried, so also there is no burial place for Elijah. Burial was important to the Jews. Jacob and Joseph insisted upon being buried in the land. It was a sign of hope that God would indeed fulfill his promises in the land. Indeed, Peter says that the tomb of David was still in Jerusalem in the first century. But for a people in exile, the fact that Elijah has no tomb is a symbol of hope. (Even as the empty grave is a symbol of hope for us!) Kings is the OT book of the resurrection (as both Elijah and Elisha raise the dead), but it is also the OT book of the ascension as Elijah himself ascends on high. But then the men of Jericho said to Elisha, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful. Indeed, as verse 21 suggests, the water seems to have even caused miscarriages. Elisha comes to bring healing to a barren land. But Elisha also comes to bring judgment and destruction. And so he went up from there to Bethel, and in case you did not get the ascent language it is repeated, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him. This sounds awful. A group of little boys are mocking him and Elisha calls down a curse upon them and 42 little boys are mauled. "Small boys" may not be the best translation. This is the same phrase that Solomon used to describe himself in 1 Kings 3:7, "I am but a little child." A na'ar katon could be a little boy. But especially in our passage, you need to remember where you are. We are in Bethel the place where Jeroboam built the shrine for the golden calf. And na'ar is the word used for "servant" throughout Kings, and so the phrase "little boys" could refer to the servants of the shrine. The Levites of the idolatrous calf shrine are now mocking Elisha because the Baal of Hair, Elijah, his head, has been taken up. And they are now mocking him, saying, why don't you follow your head?! He went up, why don't you?! In that light, Elisha's curse is an act of war against the shrine at Bethel. God's judgment falls against Bethel just like it fell in the days of Joshua only now the armies of Israel do not follow Elisha just an army of bears (In the Song of Moses, in Dt 32:24, God had warned that if they rebelled against him he would turn the wild beasts against them) Then Elisha goes to Mount Carmel and Samaria, two of the main centers of Elijah's activity. Elijah is gone, but the Spirit of Elijah dwells in Elisha to continue the work. And even so, Jesus has ascended to the Father, but he has not left us alone. He has poured out his Spirit not merely upon one follower, but upon the whole host of his people. The presence of the Holy Spirit is the sure sign that God is not finished with his people. And Jesus has now sent us to finish the work of the conquest, to bring the nations under his sway to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth!