2 Kings 1:12

_AGAIN ALSO HE SENT UNTO HIM ANOTHER CAPTAIN OF FIFTY WITH HIS FIFTY. AND HE ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, O MAN OF GOD, THUS HATH THE KING SAID, COME DOWN QUICKLY._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

9-18 Elijah called for fire from heaven, to consume the haughty, daring sinners; not to secure himself, but to prove his mission, and to reveal the wrath of God from heaven, against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Elijah did this by a Divine impulse, yet our Saviour would not allow the disciples to do the like, Luke 9:54. The dispensation of the Spirit and of grace by no means allowed it. Elijah was concerned for God's glory, those for their own reputation. The Lord judges men's practices by their principles, and his judgment is according to truth. The third captain humbled himself, and cast himself upon the mercy of God and Elijah. There is nothing to be got by contending with God; and those are wise for themselves, who learn submission from the fatal end of obstinacy in others. The courage of faith has often struck terror into the heart of the proudest sinner. So thunderst...

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 1:1 THE REVOLT OF MOAB. THE ILLNESS, IMPIETY, AND DEATH OF AHAZIAH The narrative of the Second Book of Kings follows on that of the First Book in the closest possible sequence. The history of Ahaziah's reign begins in 1 Kings 22:51, and is carried on, without any real break or pause in the sense, to 2 Kings 1:18. How the two books came to be divided at this point is quite inexplicable. The division is most unhappy. Not only does it, without apparent reason, draw a strong line of dem

AND ELIJAH ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO THEM,.... The same as he had to the first captain, and made the same request of fire from heaven; which accordingly came down, and destroyed this captain and his fifty also....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. ELIJAH's FINAL MINISTRY AND TRANSLATION 1. Elijah and Ahaziah CHAPTER 1 _ 1. Moab's rebellion (2 Kings 1:1)_ 2. The illness of Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:2) 3. Elijah's message (2 Kings 1:3) 4. Ahaziah's messengers and their fate (2 Kings 1:9) 5. Elijah before the king and Ahaziah's Death (2 Kings 1:16) 6. Jehoram becomes king (2 Kings 1:18) The rebellion of Moab is here briefly mentioned. B

2 KINGS 1:1 TO 2 KINGS 2:25. LAST DAYS AND ASCENSION OF ELIJAH: ELISHA ESTABLISHED AS HIS SUCCESSOR. Here we have perhaps a third Elijah narrative, in which the prophet is represented as playing a part scarcely worthy of the Elijah of 1 Kings 17-19 or 21, who in the first section represents Yahweh against the Tyrian Baal, whereas in the latter he stands for righteousness opposed to legalised violence. Here the king's offence is that he sent to a Philistine oracle instead of inquiring of Yahweh, and his soldiers are punished by fire for summoning the prophet to surrender. The spelling of the prophet's name in Hebrew differs from that in the rest of the OT. The story is mentioned in the Gospel (Luke 9:54)....

UNTO THEM. Some codices, with Septuagint and Syriac, read "unto him". FIRE OF GOD. Occurs only here and Job 1:16. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, and Vulgate, omit "of God", as in 2 Kings 1:10....

DISCOURSE: 356 ELIJAH CALLS DOWN FIRE FROM HEAVEN 2 Kings 1:11. _Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty._ MANY things recorded in the Old Testament appear at first sight to savour of harshness and severity. The utter extirpation of the Canaanites, and the judgments inflicted occasionally on the Israelites themselves, were doubtless such dispensations as we cannot contemplate without feeling that “God is very greatly to be feared.” The instance before us is of a very terrific nature; and we may be ready to wonder, how a good man could deliberately call f

IF I BE A MAN OF GOD, THEN LET FIRE COME DOWN, &C.— We have before observed, that many of these prophetical denunciations might be rendered with equal propriety in the future; by which means they would no longer retain the appearance of revengeful imprecations, but be seen in their true light of prophetical denunciations. Many have been the objections made to this part of the sacred history. To set it in its true light, we must consider that the wickedness of Ahaziah and his people was extremely great. He was not moved by the untimely death of his father; but followed his pernicious example, still seducing the people, and provoking the God of Israel by his abominable idolatries. The author of the book of Chronicles informs us, that his impiety was so provoking, that God had abandoned him, and would not prosper the naval expedition of Jehoshaphat, because he joined the fleet of this vicio...

C. AHAZIAH'S EFFORTS TO ARREST ELIJAH 1:9-15 TRANSLATION (9) And he sent unto him a captain of fifty and his fifty, and he went op unto him, and behold he was sitting upon the top of a hill. And he spoke unto him, O man of God, The king has spoken, Come down. (10) And Elijah answered and spoke onto the captain of the fifty, And if I am a man of God, let fire from heaven come down and consume you and your fifty. And fire came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (11) And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty and his fifty. And he answered and spoke unto him, O man of God, thus says the king: Come down quickly. (12) And Elijah answered and spoke unto them, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. And the captain of the third fifty went up, and came,...