2 Kings 1: 1 – 18
Fire, fire pants are on fire
1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.” 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 departed. 5 And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, “Why have you come back?” 6 So they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return 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 Then he said to them, “What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?” 8 So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” 9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So, he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: “Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’ 10 So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he answered and said to him: “Man of God, thus has the king said, ‘Come down quickly!’ 12 So Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. 13 Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: “Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14 Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight.” 15 And 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 Then he 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 Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Today’s topic, fire, fire, pants on fire might sound somewhat familiar. For those of your knowledgeable in rhymes you will ultimately correct me and say that the original rhyme was called Liar, liar pants on fire. If you knew this fact you win a cookie.
One explanation for the origin of the ‘Liar, liar pants on fire’ rhyme involves the curiosity of a young country boy who stole a cigar from his daddy's smoke box and hid in the tool shed to secretly mimic his father. After the boy lit the cigar, his dad smelled the potent smoke and followed its trail over crunchy leaves to the tool shed.
When the lad heard his father's footsteps, he snuffed the burning cigar as best he could and stuffed it into his back pants pocket. The father opened the shed door and barked at his son to tell the truth about what he'd done. The youngster feigned innocence, saying he was looking for a hook to go fishing with a friend at a promising fishing spot nearby. The cigar in his pocket suddenly sparked into flame. The father spotted the smoke and yelled, "Liar, liar, pants on fire!" Then he swiftly turned the boy over his knee and whacked his behind, extinguishing the danger.
Another description for the origin for "Liar, liar pants on fire" is that it was derived from a poem written in 1810 by William Blake, titled "The Liar." The phrase is often used as a taunt on political blogs. With today’s fake news being forced on us from politics I thought it was appropriate to rename the rhyme to fire, fire pants are on fire.
Today we are going to see how in the past political arena the king of Israel thought he could demand a servant of The God Most High – Jehovah Elyon – to bow to his orders. So, he sends soldiers to arrest the Prophet Elijah. We will learn that twice they got an extremely warm reception.
1 Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
Since the time when Omri was king of Israel the nation Moab, had been tributary to Israel for ‘forty years’ With the death of of Ahab they rebelled and obtained their freedom.
2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so, he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.”
The rebellion of Moab may have been spurred on by the injury of the new king of Israel Ahaziah since most kings led their forces into battles this would be impossible because he had an unfortunate accident. He lived in a two-storied palace in Samaria and he fell from the upper window or balcony, through the lattice screen which protected it from sightseers, to the earth beneath. Carried to his bed he sent messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to discover whether he would recover. It is probable that this god had a reputation for healing. Being an idolater and polytheist Ahaziah believed in many gods, including the family of Baal gods of which there were many. In this, of course, he was bringing discredit on YHWH.
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?’
It is very interesting to me that the Angel of YHWH went to Elijah the Tishbite and told him to go and meet the messengers of Ahaziah in order to ask the king of Israel through them whether he was implying by his action that there was no living God in Israel Who could be enquired of, and called on. This was a crisis moment for Israel. The question was whether YHWH was no longer to be relevant. The intervention of Elijah and the demonstration miracles that follow were necessary to bring Yahwism back from being side-lined and seen as irrelevant in court circles.
Our Master and Lord Jesus Christ many times in the Old Testament liked to show up and interact with us humans He was referred to as The Angel of YHWH. We do not know why He is mentioned in this case, as usually Elijah appears to have received his prophetic information ‘direct’. It is probably because He was to be the arbiter of judgment, acting powerfully to demonstrate the holiness of YHWH. This incident is a warning to us all that we should not seek to the occult for guidance or healing, only to God.
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 departed.
Elijah’s message from YHWH to Azariah was that because he had consulted Baal-zebub instead of YHWH he would never leave his bed but would certainly die. The impression given is that had he sought YHWH he would have lived.
5 And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, “Why have you come back?”
The messengers obediently returned to the king without going to Ekron, something which Ahaziah clearly gathered from the short length of time that they had been away. So, he asked them why they had come back without fulfilling their mission.
6 So they said to him, “A man came up to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go, return 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.’
They explained Azariah about this man who with prophetic authority had told them to inform the king that he would certainly die because he had looked to the occult for advice and healing rather than to God.
7 Then he said to them, “What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?”
The king, probably already aware of the truth in his heart, then asked them what kind of man it had been who had come to meet them and had said this to them.
8 So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
Sure enough their words confirmed his worst fears. A man wearing goatskin, with a leather belt around him. He well knew who that was. “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
If fifty assassins had burst in on the king with the intention of killing him, and they had been mown down by his guards, no one would have raised an eyebrow. But because Elijah, who was in equal danger of being executed, called on God for assistance, resulting in the slaying of the would-be assassins by God’s fire, eyebrows are raised. We need to remember, however, that God was Elijah’s bodyguard. And the king would not have rested until Elijah had either rescinded the penalty or was dead. This was an important part of the battle for the soul of Israel.
9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So, he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: “Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’
When Ahab had sent for Micaiah he had sent an official for him (1 Kings 22.9), thus the fact that Ahaziah sent not an official, but a military unit under a commander, to bring Elijah indicated his evil intent, and that he was ensuring, knowing Elijah’s extraordinary powers, that there could be no resistance. He intended to seize Elijah and execute him. An arresting party for one man did not usually consist of a whole military unit.
The commander went to where he knew Elijah would be, and as he approached the hill he spotted Elijah sitting there on its peak. With great official orders he commanded Elijah to give himself up.
I have served with the Philadelphia Police Department since 9/11. So, what is said here by the arresting officials has been personally witnessed by me in real action.
Both Elijah and he knew what this would mean, and the commander was taking no chances. As far as he was concerned he had to obey orders, and Elijah was expendable. On the other hand, he was not in any doubt that he was dealing with a ‘man of God’, (a genuine prophet of YHWH), as his method of address makes clear. But as he was no doubt a Baal worshipper, his view was probably that prophets of YHWH were better dead. So, there was no mercy in either his heart, or in the hearts of his men. Meanwhile the people would soon be aware of this challenge between YHWH and Baal and would be very much affected by the outcome. In a sense the whole nation of Israel was watching to see who would prevail.
10 So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
Elijah, recognizing the implications of the situation, and no doubt under divine instructions, determined to let God demonstrate once and for all that he, Elijah, was a true prophet of YHWH, and that YHWH was supreme in Israel. These messengers of Azariah were about to get an extremely warm reception that they never would have guessed.
Elijah therefore cried, “If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty.” This would be the proof that he really was a ‘man of God’ of YHWH. He knew that in this case it was him or them. And accordingly, just as had happened on Mount Carmel (although this ‘hill’ was clearly near Samaria) fire came down from Heaven and consumed the arresting party, just as it had consumed the sacrifice on Mount Carmel previously. YHWH was demonstrating that He was with His servant.
11 Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he answered and said to him: “Man of God, thus has the king said, ‘Come down quickly!’
When the news reached the king, he was no doubt infuriated, he sent another military unit, along with its commander, to arrest Elijah. This time the commander was even more arrogant and unsympathetic, and commanded Elijah to come down ‘at once’. Once again, the authority of YHWH was being challenged by a worshipper of Baal, and his servant was being asked to put himself at the mercy of the soldiers, and of the king, neither of whom were reliable. Again YHWH grimly ‘consumed the arresting group.
12 So Elijah answered and said to them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
The result was the same, a complete duplicate of the earlier confrontation. The military unit went the same way as the first, consumed by the fire of YHWH. This activity of God in both these cases is a reminder that on the Day of Judgment all who have rebelled against God will be burned with fire. Then those who are consumed will be numbered in billions. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
13 Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: “Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.
The king being out of his mind in pain was not about to give in even if it meant that all his forces would be destroyed. and without any regard for his men sent a further arresting party. By this time the assignment had presumably lost its popularity, but the unit in question would be given no option and knew that they had to obey orders. However, they were fortunate in being commanded by a man who had learned to fear YHWH. Thus, when he approached the hill he fell on his knees before Elijah and begged that the man of God would be merciful.
14 Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight.”
He acknowledged that he knew what had happened to the two previous units and prayed that his own life might be precious in Elijah’s sight. The indication was that he and his men were only obeying orders in coming to arrest him.
15 And 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.
YHWH withheld His fire due to the sincerity of this commander. The Angel of YHWH assured Elijah that he could go with the military party in safety without fear. Accordingly, Elijah rose up and went with the men.
16 Then he 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.’
When he was brought before the king Elijah then declared to him YHWH’s sentence for the third time. Since the king had insulted the God of Israel by turning to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron (in Philistia) for guidance and assistance, instead of to YHWH, he would not again rise from his bed but would surely die. By now the king had recognized the folly of trying to arrest Elijah and clearly allowed him to go in peace.
17 So Ahaziah died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. Because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.
In accordance with Elijah’s ‘word of YHWH’ Ahaziah died of his injuries and was replaced by his brother Jehoram as king of Israel, because he had no son. This occurred ‘in the second year of Jehoram, the king of Judah’.
18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
The account of Ahaziah’s reign closes with the usual reference for those who wanted further details to the official annals of the kings of Israel. There probably weren’t many interested in wanting to know about his life and accomplishments.
