We are back in the OT as we begin the book of 2nd Kings. We serve the same God of Elijah and Elisha. May we see our Lord’s power and grace in our day!
2 Kings 1: Elijah Denounces Ahaziah
1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness."
3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers 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?
4 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.'" So Elijah went.
5 The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, "Why have you returned?"
6 And they said to him, "There came a man to meet us, and said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the LORD, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'"
7 He said to them, "What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?"
8 They answered him, "He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."
9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, "O man of God, the king says, 'Come down.'"
10 But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
11 Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, "O man of God, this is the king's order, 'Come down quickly!'"
12 But Elijah answered them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
13 Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, "O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight.
14 Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight."
15 Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So he arose and went down with him to the king
16 and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron---is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?---therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'"
17 So he died according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
2 Kings 2: Elijah Taken to Heaven
1 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?" And he said, "Yes, I know it; keep quiet."
4 Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho.
5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know it; keep quiet."
6 Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.
7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.
8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said 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."
10 And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so."
11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
15 Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
16 And they said to him, "Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the LORD has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "You shall not send."
17 But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him.
18 And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, "Did I not say to you, 'Do not go'?"
19 Now the men of the city said to Elisha, "Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful."
20 He said, "Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it." So they brought it to him.
21 Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, "Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it."
22 So the water has been healed to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.
23 He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!"
24 And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.
25 From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Things to think about…
1. 2Kings 1 shows that even the end of our ministry can be as vibrant as ever if it is done in the Lord. Elijah had already confirmed that the Lord is God. Many had turned away, including the northern Kings of Israel. Elijah is arrogantly challenged by Ahaziah’s men to come down to him. Two lots of 50 soldiers and their captains are consumed by fire. The third captain comes with humility and was spared by the Lord. Humble hearts will be exalted. As we serve the Lord with humility, He will continue to use us for His glory. This is true servant leadership. The other point is to be very careful before challenging the Lord’s anointed servant. The Lord had already used Elijah mightily as the “God who answers by fire” in dealing with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Ahaziah’s fate is confirmed “you shall surely die”, 2 Kings 1:16.
2. But there is another point to Elijah’s final ministry with the calling down of fire to consume 2 lots of 50 men and their commanders. Elijah was fearful of Jezebel years before, but here we see him as bold as a lion, unafraid of the king’s order. When death is no longer a fearful prospect, we can then be truly bold in Christ, whether young or old. Elijah after serving faithfully against rebellious northern Israeli kings has everything to gain in glory and nothing to lose on earth. His race was run.
3. The third commander is humble and wise. Who wouldn’t be after two very dramatic displays of God’s wrath? Elijah displaying humility and obedience goes with this man to address Ahaziah, another rebellious northern king, about the fact that he will die. Even in death out Lord is to be sought; this king gave up his last opportunity to find the Lord’s mercy. We know the two witnesses in Revelation 11:5 call down fire from heaven. Is it Elijah who will return? Was the transfiguration of Jesus with Elijah and Moses symbolic of these 2 men returning to earth for more ministry? Time will tell. The only verse that might stand against it is “man is destined to die once, then face the judgement”, Heb 9:27. But we know Elijah was translated. There was dispute over Moses’ body. The only other candidate would be Enoch “who was not for God took him”, Gen 5:24.
4. Elisha was not in denial of Elijah’s impending departure, but he also didn’t want to deal with the reality that his teacher and friend was about to be taken from him, 2Kgs 2:1-17. Sometimes we hear news that is not pleasant, but don’t have the inclination to process it. We know by faith that the ultimate end of the news will be good for us and allow us to serve the Lord more faithfully, but it still does not deny that some news is hard for us to hear. What news are you waiting on? A God of grace and mercy is at the end of it showing you more of His perfect and loving plan. Keep trusting in His loving providence as the news comes and goes.
5. This is the moment of truth for any ministry “he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan”, 2Kings 2:13. Hoping, praying and waiting for the Lord’s blessing.
6. Elisha sees Elijah being taken up and his prayer is immediately answered with the parting of the waters of the Jordan River, 2Kings 2:11-14. We often think of waters parting being the Red sea. But waters have parted 4 times – twice here in a matter of minutes as well as when Israel entered Canaan, the Jordan parted. Do you need a double portion of the Lord’s Spirit to rest on you this week? The word from Jesus is “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened for you” Mt 7:7. James says we have not because we ask not. Ask! You have absolutely nothing to lose – quite the opposite.
7. Elisha has his new ministry confirmed again with the healing of Jericho’s water. This spring at Jericho still has pristine waters to this day. The Lord’s blessing must also be treated with the right Spirit of humility and respect. We need to teach our children to respect the Lord’s work and His ministers. Just as an aside - never insult a bald prophet, 😊 2 Kings 2:23-24. So many boys, 42 were torn apart by 2 female bears in the town of Bethel. A sad indictment on the parents of these boys. In our day we see disrespect among young people, but sadly there is very little loving discipline given to children and we are reaping what we have sown. A nation of young, privileged narcissists. Thankfully there are many shining lights in this generation, but they are the exception, not the rule.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “talk about demons” - from Matt 24
1. Jesus says the temple will be torn down and is asked by His disciples 3 questions. 1. When will the temple be torn down? 2. What will be the sign of your return? 3. When will the close of the age happen? Mt 24:3. When did the first occur?
2. What does the “abomination that causes desolation” mean? How do we know this was this not fulfilled in AD70?? How will it be fulfilled? Discuss.
3. A number of things will occur before Christ returns, what are they as listed in Matt 24? Are they occurring in our world?
4. There have been many false prophets. Jay mentioned Harold Camping who prophesied the end of the world a couple of times and was embarrassed each time. We know people get complacent about the Lord’s return. Discuss how you talk about Jesus and who you can share the gospel with this week.
Prayer Points
1. Growth in our kids and youth ministries
2. The Chuwar carols – pray as we put the event together
3. Pray for testimonies that people will be doing every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours.
4. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points.
1. A man who has joined CBC recently, Nathan is wanting to be a child of God.
2. Combined worship service at Riverlife – lots of young people engaging with our Lord.
3. Worship team and technical team. Thankyou Suzy, Zac, Gina, Dan H and Rin. You made Sundays praise enjoyable.
