1:1Because 1 and 2 Kings were originally one book, 2 Kings continues where 1 Kings ends. The once great nation of Israel was split in two because the people forgot God. The book begins with Elijah, a prophet of God, being carried away to heaven. It ends with the people of Israel and Judah being taken into captivity. In 1 Kings, the beautiful Temple of God was built. In 2 Kings, it is desecrated and destroyed. Our world is strikingly similar to the world described in 2 Kings. National and local governments do not seek God, and countries are tormented by war. Many people folfow the false gods of technology, materialism, and war. True worship of God is rare on the earth. In our chaotic and corrupt world, we can turn to examples such as David, Elijah, and Elisha, who were devoted to God’s high honor and moral law and who brought about renewal and change in their society. More important, we can look to Jesus Christ, the perfect example. For nations to do God's will, they need individuals who will do God’s work. If your heart is committed to God, he can work through you to accomplish the work he has called you to do.
Life Application Study Bible2 KingsChapter 1
2 Kings 1
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 567, 568
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
A. THE DIVIDED KINGDOM (1:1—17:41)
1Elisha begins his ministry to the northern kingdom after Elijah is taken away by a chariot of fire. Elisha performs many miracles and calls Israel to return to God, but they persist in their wickedness. Israel is defeated by Assyria, and the people of the northern kingdom are exiled, never to return. Such is the end of all those who ignore God’s warnings and demand their own way in their desire to sin.
Elijah Confronts King Ahaziah
After King Ahab’s death, the land of Moab rebelled against Israel. 2One day Israel's new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper roomat his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover. 3But the angel of the LORD told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover? 4Now, therefore, this is what the LORD says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’” So Elijah went to deliver the message. 5When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “ Why have you returned so soon?” 6They replied, “A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the LORD says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’” 7“What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?” 8They replied, “He was a hairy man,* and he wore a leather belt around his waist.” “Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed. Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us.” 10But Elijah replied to the captain, “If lama man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all. "So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, 11Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.” 12Elijah replied, “If 1 am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all. 13Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. 4See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!” SThen the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him, and don't be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king. 16And Elijah said to the king, “ This is what the Lor says: Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Is there no God in Israel to answer your question? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.” 17S Ahaziah died, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah. Since Ahaziah did not have a son to succeed him, his brother Joram* became the next king. This took place in the second year of the reign of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. 18The rest of the events in Ahaziah’s reign are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.
Textual footnotes
- 1:8 Or He was wearing clothing made of hair.
Life Application Notes 4 notes
1:2Baal-zebub was not the same god as Baal, the Canaanite god worshiped by Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31-33). Baal-zebub was another popular god whose temple was located in the city of Ekron. Because this god was thought to have the power of prophecy, King Ahaziah sent messengers to Ekron to learn of his fate. Supernatural power and mystery were associated with Baal-zebub. Ahaziah’s action showed the king’s disrespect for God.
1:8For more information on Elijah, see his Profile in 1 Kings 18 p. 545.
1:13-15Notice how the third captain went to Elijah. Aithough the first two captains called Elijah “man of God,” they were not being genuine—God was nat in their hearts. The third captain also called him “man of God,” but he humbly begged for mercy. His attitude showed respect for God and his. power and saved the lives of his men. Effective living begins with a right attitude toward God. Before religious words come to your mouth, make sure they are from your heart. Let respect, humility, and servanthood characterize your attitude toward God and others. first (Genesis 5:21-24). The other prophets may not have seen God take Elijah, or they may have had a difficult time believing “what they had seen. In either case, they wanted to search for Elijah (2:16-18). Finding no physical trace of him would confirm what had happened and strengthen their faith. The only other person taken to heaven in bodily form was Jesus after his resurrection from the dead (Acts 1:9).