Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20031102.htm

1 AND 2 KINGS: ENJOYING GOD'S BLESSINGS IN AN APOSTATE ERA
Part XXX: Blessing In Respecting The Authority Of God And His Messengers
(1 Kings 19:1-18 with 22:51-53 and 2 Kings 1:1-18)
  1. Introduction
    1. The attitude reflected in the bumper sticker that reads, "rebel against authority" is a way of life for some.
    2. However, when this attitude arises in those to whom God sends His messenger, it counters God's will; for example, when God's messenger, Elijah was intimidated by Jezebel's aggressive threat to kill him, he along with Jezebel doubted God's authority and power upheld him, so Elijah errantly left his ministry.
    3. Yet, as we see in 2 Kings 1:1-18 et al., it is a mistake for anyone -- be it God's messengers or those to whom they minister -- to think lightly of God's authority or the authority God vests in His messengers:
  2. Blessing In Respecting The Authority Of God And His Messengers.
    1. When Elijah's God-given authority was opposed by evil Jezebel, her brashness coupled with Elijah's brief lapse of faith in God led Elijah to flee for his life and away from God's ministry for him, 1 Kings 19:1-18.
    2. Possibly a result of Elijah's flight from Jezebel's threat was the disrespect her son, Ahaziah learned to show for God and his prophet, Elijah once Ahaziah came to power, 1 Kings 22:51-53; 2 Kings 1:1-2:
      1. After Ahab's death at Ramoth-Gilead, his son, Ahaziah began to reign over Israel, 1 Kings 22:51.
      2. Possibly partly from thinking Elijah was not to be heeded due to his flight from his mother's threat of Elijah's life, Ahaziah walked in the Baal worship of his father and mother, Jezebel, and was involved in the false worship instituted by Jeroboam, 1 Kings 22:52-53 with Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 536.
      3. Thus, when Ahaziah became injured and sought to be healed, he bypassed looking to God and His prophet by sending messengers to Ekron's false god, Baal-Zebub (as Baal-Zebub = "Lord of the flies," it was probably Baal-Zebul, meaning "Exalted lord"), 2 Kings 1:1-2; Ibid., p. 538.
    3. God thus directed Elijah to COUNTER Ahaziah's DISPRESPECT for God's authority and the God-given authority of His messenger, Elijah, 2 Kings 1:3-18:
      1. The "Angel of the Lord" told Elijah to intercept Ahaziah's messengers, 2 Kings 1:3a. Since the Old Testament appearances of the "Angel of the Lord" always signaled a key event, and since we find this One was the preincarnate Christ (Ibid.), what occurred next was a BIG event from GOD'S viewpoint!
      2. Elijah's message to Ahaziah's messengers was this: Ahaziah was wrong to seek help from Baal rather than Israel's God; thus, in punishment for idolatry, Ahaziah would die from his injury, 2 Kings 1:3b-4.
      3. Ahaziah's messengers returned to Ahaziah with Elijah's message, and Ahaziah showed his disrespect for God or His messenger, Elijah by doing what his mother once threatened to do unto Elijah : he sent fifty soldiers to capture and eventually harm Elijah, 2 Kings 1:5-9a with 1:15a with 1 Kings 19:1-2.
      4. When the captain and his fifty soldiers met him, Elijah was sitting on top of a hill, signaling his God-given authority displayed at Mount Carmel in his defeat of Baal in 1 Kings 18, cf. 2 Kings 1:9b.
      5. Yet, this captain thought lightly of Elijah's God-given authority, and ordered him to come down; Elijah authoritatively countered the order, saying if he were a "man of God" [with God's authority], fire from heaven would consume this captain and his men [similar to the Mount Carmel event], 1:9c-10b.
      6. Sure enough, fire descended from heaven and burned up the commander and his fifty men, 1:10c.
      7. Still rebellious, Ahaziah sent out a second force that also slighted Elijah's authority and the authority of God, so the same tragedy occurred to that force as occurred to the first force of men, 2 Kings 2:11-12.
      8. When Ahaziah sent a third force, its captain humbly acknowledged Elijah's God-given authority and that of Elijah's God, so God directed Elijah to go with this captain to see Ahaziah, 2 Kings 2:13-15.
      9. Facing Ahaziah, Elijah authoritatively predicted Ahaziah would die for failing to respect so as to inquire of Israel's God versus seeking Baal; Ahaziah thus died according to Elijah's word, 2:16-18.
Lesson: By a DESTRUCTIVE REPEAT demonstration of the AUTHORITY of GOD he exhibited on Mount CARMEL in his defeat of Jezebel's prophets of Baal, ELIJAH showed JEZEBEL'S wicked son, AHAZIAH that Israel's GOD and his MESSENGER, ELIJAH TRULY had GOD'S AUTHORITY!

Application: (1) If WE have been appointed by God to a ministry, we must COURAGEOUSLY testify in it in GOD'S authority, cf. Titus 2:15. (2) If we KNOW a party is sanctioned by GOD in his ministry, we are ACCOUNTABLE to GOD to RESPECT that party's ministry , Hebrews 13:17!