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A Fallen King and Falling Fire - The Book of 2 Kings · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the angel of the Lord said
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  Speaker 1: unto Elijah, Go down with him, be not afraid of him.
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  Speaker 1: And he arose and went down with him unto the king.
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  Speaker 1: 2 Kings 1.15 As I humbly come before you, God,
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  Speaker 1: I will fix my attention and set my gaze to
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  Speaker 1: your command to trust and rely on you. When I
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  Speaker 1: fall and make a mistake, Let the broken state of
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  Speaker 1: my heart and spirit look to you to be my
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  Speaker 1: physician and healer. No longer will I look to others
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  Speaker 1: to heal the areas in my life that only you
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  Speaker 1: can restore. No longer will I put my trust in
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  Speaker 1: man-made traditions and outcomes, but instead I will pray to you, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: and wait in faith as you move on my behalf.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that pride and ego will not have a
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  Speaker 1: seat at the table of my heart. I will not
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  Speaker 1: let Ahaziah's behavior become my reality. So, as I stand
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  Speaker 1: in integrity and deliver the message you desire for me
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  Speaker 1: to give to the world, I can stand confident, knowing
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  Speaker 1: that when others rise up against me, I will be
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  Speaker 1: like Elijah. You will send a fire of justice to
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  Speaker 1: speak on my behalf. and protect what you've placed inside
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  Speaker 1: of me. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making prayer
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  Speaker 1: a priority in your life. To hear the Bible come
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: to life, stay tuned for The Bible in a Year,
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  Speaker 1: brought to you by Bibleinayear.com.
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: A Fallen King and falling fire. In our last story,
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  Speaker 2: we witnessed the faithful rule of King Jehoshaphat and Judah.
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  Speaker 2: His desire to seek God and his peace fueled many
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  Speaker 2: victories for Judah. Under his leadership, God provided a hedge
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  Speaker 2: of protection and prosperity over them. Now we learn about
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  Speaker 2: King Ahaziah's fall from God, literally and spiritually. And we
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  Speaker 2: witness the return of Elijah to once again bring difficult
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  Speaker 2: truths to a corrupt king, inspired by the book of
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  Speaker 2: 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we
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  Speaker 3: heard about the rule of Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah,
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  Speaker 3: who guided his people back to God and established justice
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  Speaker 3: and worship of the Lord throughout the southern kingdoms. He
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  Speaker 3: was much like his ancestor David, earnestly seeking the Lord
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  Speaker 3: and being open to correction by God's prophet. Today, we'll
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  Speaker 3: return north to a kingdom in shambles after the death
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  Speaker 3: of Ahab. Israel's new king, Ahaziah, will suffer a great
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  Speaker 3: fall and in his moment of despair, his cries will
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  Speaker 3: reveal where his trust really is. We'll also see the
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  Speaker 3: return of Elijah, who will speak God's heavy judgment upon
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  Speaker 3: a dishonorable king. So, Let's listen to God's word today.
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  Speaker 2: The troubled King Ahab had fallen. As arrows flew and
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  Speaker 2: pierced his flesh on the battlefield, the tides of power
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  Speaker 2: in the north began to turn. Israel was kingless for
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  Speaker 2: a short while, and the land of Moab tossed and
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  Speaker 2: turned with unrest. Moab had been under the rule and
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  Speaker 2: protection of Israel since King David. However, once Ahab was killed,
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  Speaker 2: the land that settled on the coast of the Dead
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  Speaker 2: Sea saw an opportunity to rebel. So, the new king
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  Speaker 2: of Israel, Ahaziah, took over during a time of incredible
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  Speaker 2: strain and unrest. One evening, Ahaziah was pacing in the
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  Speaker 2: upper room above his palace in Samaria. The warm summer
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  Speaker 2: breeze only made him more anxious. His nervous stomping rumbled
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  Speaker 2: the floor below him. He paced to and fro on
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  Speaker 2: his balcony, worrying over his kingdom. Lost in thought, Ahaziah
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  Speaker 2: paid no attention to the latticework slowly cracking beneath his feet.
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  Speaker 2: All of the sudden, his troubled thoughts were interrupted by
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  Speaker 2: the floor giving way from underneath him. The king fell
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  Speaker 2: more than a dozen feet through the floor of the
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  Speaker 2: upper room, slamming onto the palace floor below. The fall
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  Speaker 2: took all the breath out of him. His ears were
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  Speaker 2: ringing from the impact to his head. Slowly, he began
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  Speaker 2: to feel the sting of several broken bones coursing through
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  Speaker 2: his body. King Ahaziah laid there motionless for what seemed
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  Speaker 2: like days. The pain was intense and his already muddied
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  Speaker 2: mind began to panic. It took everything in him to
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  Speaker 2: scream to his servants for help. After several cries for
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  Speaker 2: help echoing through the silent chambers, he finally found aid.
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  Speaker 2: His servants tended to his broken bones and fractured skull.
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  Speaker 2: His lungs were beginning to recover more of the air
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  Speaker 2: they once lost. However, the injuries to his body and
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  Speaker 2: head seemed beyond repair. Ahaziah sat in despair. He had
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  Speaker 2: only been king a few weeks, and he feared he
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  Speaker 2: would never recover. His paranoid mind began to wander into
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  Speaker 2: dark places. He wanted answers to questions not worth asking.
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  Speaker 2: He desired for hope in his dark and painful state. So,
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  Speaker 2: in a moment of weakness, Ahaziah sent his messengers to
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  Speaker 2: find priests in the temple of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron.
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  Speaker 2: He sent them to ask if he would ever recover.
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  Speaker 2: In so doing, Ahaziah revealed where his hope truly was.
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  Speaker 2: His heart was attached to the Philistine god of plagues
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  Speaker 2: and flies. His request revealed how far his heart was
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  Speaker 2: from the true god of Israel. Elijah was walking the
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  Speaker 2: fields of Tishbe, enjoying the peace of a mild summer day.
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  Speaker 2: The wind blew slightly from the west. Elijah had enjoyed
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  Speaker 2: peace since Ahab's death. No longer pursued by a witch
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  Speaker 2: queen and her puppet king, Elijah could now fully set
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  Speaker 2: his mind on the things of God. In a moment
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  Speaker 2: of prayer, the Lord spoke to Elijah, saying, Go.
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  Speaker 3: Go.
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  Speaker 2: And confront the messengers from the king. They are on
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  Speaker 2: their way to Baal-zebub to ask Ekron for wisdom. Elijah
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  Speaker 2: was disturbed at the news. Not only did this reveal
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  Speaker 2: the wicked state of King Ahaziah's heart, but it also
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  Speaker 2: showed that Philistine influence had crept into his council. King
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  Speaker 2: Ahaziah's mind and heart were compromised. God spoke clearly again, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Go and tell them that he will never leave his bed.
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  Speaker 2: He will surely die where he lies. Elijah knew not
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  Speaker 2: to waste any time when it came to matters of God.
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  Speaker 2: So he left where he was and ran to intercept
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  Speaker 2: the king's messengers. He found them almost at the temple
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  Speaker 2: and told them of all God had said. Disturbed and afraid,
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  Speaker 2: the messengers turned around and ventured back to the palace.
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  Speaker 2: King Ahaziah was alone in his chambers. Just within sight
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  Speaker 2: past the entrance to his door... He could see the
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  Speaker 2: hole in the ceiling where he fell. It tormented him,
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  Speaker 2: and he longed for a day where he could walk
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  Speaker 2: again to be rid of the view. The king looked
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  Speaker 2: to his left out the window, feeling an intense pain
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  Speaker 2: in his chest. He coughed and covered his mouth with
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  Speaker 2: the cloth in his hand. He looked down at the cloth.
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  Speaker 3: Blood.
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  Speaker 2: A grave sign for the king. He sighed deeply and
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  Speaker 2: closed his eyes.
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  Speaker 1: Then.
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  Speaker 2: A sudden echo of footsteps could be heard from the halls.
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  Speaker 2: His messengers had returned. They bowed before his bed. They
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  Speaker 2: had just left that morning, so the king was confused
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  Speaker 2: at their arrival. Why have you returned so soon? the
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  Speaker 2: king asked. A man intercepted us and told us that
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  Speaker 2: he had a message from God. Ahaziah's eyes widened. He
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  Speaker 2: had seen King Ahab's war with the god of their forefathers.
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  Speaker 2: As a child he witnessed his father's constant turmoil with
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  Speaker 2: the God of David. At one time he considered following
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  Speaker 2: the God of David, but decided not to, for the
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  Speaker 2: Philistine gods offered him more room for sin and lewdness.
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  Speaker 2: He knew that no good news awaited him. The servants
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  Speaker 2: delivered the message from God, saying, Is there no God
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  Speaker 2: in Israel? Why have you sent messengers to Beelzebub? Your
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  Speaker 2: request reveals much. You shall never leave your bed. You
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  Speaker 2: shall die on the bed you are lying on. What
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  Speaker 2: sort of man was he? What did he look like?
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  Speaker 2: the king whispered, for he had an idea of who
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  Speaker 2: it was. His father's sworn enemy.
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  Speaker 1: Was still alive.
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  Speaker 2: They replied he was a hairy man who wore a
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  Speaker 2: leather belt to hold his robes together. Ahaziah sat up
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  Speaker 2: in his bed. His lungs began to strain and his
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  Speaker 2: chest swelled up with coughing. Blood spattered all over his sheets,
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  Speaker 2: and his chin was dripping with blood and saliva. Elijah!
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  Speaker 2: he yelled as blood flung across the room. Take my
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  Speaker 2: army captain with fifty soldiers. Go and arrest him! The
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  Speaker 2: king's coughing filled the room, and his servants came in
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  Speaker 2: the room to attend to him while the messengers sent
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  Speaker 2: word for his captain. Elijah was sitting on top of
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  Speaker 2: a grassy hill overlooking the city below when the captain
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  Speaker 2: and his fifty men approached. He remained sitting as the
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  Speaker 2: captain drew his sword and pointed it at Elijah. Man
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  Speaker 2: of God, the king has commanded for you to come
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  Speaker 2: with us. Elijah looked at all the men closely. He
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  Speaker 2: observed their angry scowls and violent eyes. He closed his
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  Speaker 2: eyes and gave a brief sigh. He opened his eyes
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  Speaker 2: and looked to the skies. The sun was still high
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  Speaker 2: in the air. However, the clouds were shifting slightly, and
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  Speaker 2: it looked like a storm was possibly approaching. Elijah replied nonchalantly,'
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  Speaker 2: If I am truly a man of God, perhaps fire
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  Speaker 2: should come down from heaven to destroy your small army.'
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  Speaker 2: As Elijah said this, a flash from the sky pierced
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  Speaker 2: downwards and sent all fifty men flying through the air.
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  Speaker 2: Immediately they were consumed with flames. They were dead almost instantly.
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  Speaker 2: Word reached the king of this incident, so he sent
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  Speaker 2: fifty more men to pursue and arrest Elijah. The other
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  Speaker 2: captain pointed his spear at Elijah and said, Man of God,
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  Speaker 2: you must come with us. It was a foolish mistake,
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  Speaker 2: for Elijah gave the same reply he did before, and
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  Speaker 2: fire from heaven consumed him and his men. The king
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  Speaker 2: heard of this and was insistent on sending another group
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  Speaker 2: of fifty men to pursue Elijah. Only this time, the
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  Speaker 2: captain fell at Elijah's feet and said,' Please, O man
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  Speaker 2: of God, spare us. We are following orders, but do
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  Speaker 2: not want to be consumed like the others.' Elijah smiled
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  Speaker 2: at the men for their humility. At the very least,
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  Speaker 2: they had learned their lesson unlike their king. Elijah could
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  Speaker 2: hear the slight whisper of God comforting him. He said,'
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  Speaker 2: Do not fear the king. Go down to him.' So
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  Speaker 2: Elijah sat up and willingly walked down with the soldiers
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  Speaker 2: to the palace. He stood before the broken king. Ahaziah
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  Speaker 2: could barely say a word, for his body was failing him.
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  Speaker 2: Elijah once again delivered the message of God, and with
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  Speaker 2: those words, King Ahaziah breathed his last and died. Ahaziah
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  Speaker 2: had no sons to succeed him. His brother, Uram, became
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  Speaker 2: the next king of Israel. Ahaziah's death was not a
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  Speaker 2: result of injury. Rather, it was the result of a
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  Speaker 2: generational sickness in the kings of Israel. Their corrupt and
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  Speaker 2: selfish hearts were slowly killing the integrity of their nation.
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  Speaker 2: The passion of King David had disappeared in the land
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  Speaker 2: of Israel. What replaced it was a lineage of kings
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  Speaker 2: determined to seek their own glory above the children of God.
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  Speaker 2: Their imperfection only made them more vulnerable to attack and corruption.
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  Speaker 2: One day there would be a king to humbly enter
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  Speaker 2: the kingdom of Israel. A king that would not be
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  Speaker 2: self-serving or evil. He would be a king that would
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  Speaker 2: enter in humbly, lying in a manger. He would come
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  Speaker 2: to serve the people and lay down his life for them.
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  Speaker 2: He would bring peace, love, and truth to a people
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  Speaker 2: far off and lost. Yet for now, the ups and
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  Speaker 2: downs of kings continued.
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  Speaker 3: We begin today's passage in the aftermath of King Ahab's death.
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  Speaker 3: With the king dead, Moab rebelled against Israel. It was
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  Speaker 3: a time of great turmoil in the northern kingdom, which
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  Speaker 3: is no big surprise given the corruption and the wicked
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  Speaker 3: rule of Ahab and the wicked queen Jezebel. It is
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  Speaker 3: also no great surprise that Ahaziah, the new king, son
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  Speaker 3: of Ahab and Jezebel, would follow in his parents' footsteps
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  Speaker 3: and seek out idols, pagan gods and deities. One morning,
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  Speaker 3: King Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his bedroom and
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  Speaker 3: plummeted to the hard floor below. He was seriously injured
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  Speaker 3: and became sick, confined to his bed. But rather than
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  Speaker 3: call out to God for help, what did he do?
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  Speaker 3: He turned to false gods, just as his parents had
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  Speaker 3: done throughout their lives. Ahaziah sent messengers to seek answers
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  Speaker 3: from Beelzebub, the Philistine god of plagues. He wanted to
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  Speaker 3: know if he would recover from his injuries. And what
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  Speaker 3: Ahaziah failed to recognize was that his real sickness was
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  Speaker 3: not in his broken body, but in his broken soul.
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  Speaker 3: But God saw the king and was grieved because of
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  Speaker 3: his unfaithfulness. So God sent an angel to give his
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  Speaker 3: prophet Elijah a message to Ahaziah. Because the king had
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  Speaker 3: turned to a foreign god, acting as though there was
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  Speaker 3: no god in Israel, he would never leave the confinement
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  Speaker 3: of his bed, but would die there. Elijah set off
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  Speaker 3: to find the messengers who were headed to Ekron to
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  Speaker 3: seek out Beelzebub. He told them all the angel had said.
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  Speaker 3: And they returned to Ahaziah with bad news. Bad news
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  Speaker 3: from the strange man on the road. When Ahaziah asked
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  Speaker 3: what the man looked like, the description confirmed what surely
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  Speaker 3: he already knew. Elijah, the same man who had troubled
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  Speaker 3: his father Ahab, was at it again. God's man was
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  Speaker 3: being God's man. Ahaziah sent a captain with 50 men
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  Speaker 3: to bring Elijah in. No doubt the king had in
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  Speaker 3: mind to make him pay for his words. But when
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  Speaker 3: they found Elijah, they called him a man of God
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  Speaker 3: and told him to come quickly because the king had
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  Speaker 3: ordered it. But Elijah answered to a much higher king,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord God. So he replied that if he was
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  Speaker 3: indeed a man of God, then fire would come down
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  Speaker 3: from heaven and consume the men. Just then God sent
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  Speaker 3: fire from the skies and wiped out Ahaziah's men. This
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  Speaker 3: sign would deter any reasonable and wise king, but Ahaziah
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  Speaker 3: was far from reasonable or wise. So he sent a
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  Speaker 3: second captain with 50 men, the same order, the same
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  Speaker 3: response from Elijah, and the same outcome, fire from heaven
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  Speaker 3: that consumed the men. Ahaziah sent a third contingent of men,
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  Speaker 3: but this time the captain did not demand that Elijah
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  Speaker 3: come with him. Instead, he humbled himself before Elijah, saying,
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  Speaker 3: as recorded in 2 Kings 1.13, In other words, please
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  Speaker 3: don't kill us. Please don't take us out from the
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  Speaker 3: power of your God. So this man had a different
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  Speaker 3: attitude and a different request, a different response, therefore. God
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  Speaker 3: told Elijah to go with the man and deliver his
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  Speaker 3: message personally to Ahaziah. So Elijah went to the king
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  Speaker 3: and again told him that because he turned to the
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  Speaker 3: Philistine God, his very life would be taken from him
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  Speaker 3: in that bed. And just as the Lord said, Ahaziah
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  Speaker 3: died then and there. A short reign marked by idolatry
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  Speaker 3: and foolishness and death. Today's passage reminds us that our
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  Speaker 3: God is the one true God, and that he is
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  Speaker 3: a jealous God who deserves our full focus, attention, adoration,
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  Speaker 3: and affection. Let there be no other gods before him.
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  Speaker 3: Like his parents before him, Ahaziah gave his heart to
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  Speaker 3: false gods, and it cost him not only an abundant
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  Speaker 3: and peaceful life and a beautiful reign among the people,
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  Speaker 3: it cost him everything. It cost him his life. Because God...
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  Speaker 3: will not be mocked. The Bible says whatever a person sows,
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  Speaker 3: he will also reap. So let's pray. Dear God, thank
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  Speaker 3: you for this story that teaches us that you are
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  Speaker 3: a great God, a glorious God, and you and you
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  Speaker 3: only are God. And we pray that we would never
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  Speaker 3: turn to the world and the idols of this world
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  Speaker 3: and the things of this world to find relief or
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  Speaker 3: rescue or comfort in any false God. We thank you
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  Speaker 3: that you are jealous for us, that you love us
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  Speaker 3: because we are yours and you love us deeply and
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  Speaker 3: dearly and you always want our best. Remind us, God,
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  Speaker 3: today that our hearts are to be completely yours. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: you to go ahead right now and download the Pray.com
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: app and make the Word of God and prayer a
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: huge priority in your life. Let me also encourage you
• 18:31
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• 18:34
  Speaker 3: the Word to others. And if you want more resources
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• 18:40
  Speaker 3: Christian life, be sure to visit jackgram.org. That's jackgram.org. We
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: would love to connect with you right now.