Pride (2 Kings 1:5-12)

3/30/2011 5:30:35 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIAIRY

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Pride

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                             Reference:  2Kings 1:5-12

 

            Message of the verses:  “5  When the messengers returned to him he said to them, "Why have you returned?" 6  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 where you have gone up, but shall surely die.’"’" 7  He said to them, "What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?" 8  They answered him, "He was a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."

   “ 9 ¶  Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, "O man of God, the king says, ’Come down.’" 10  Elijah replied to 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  So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, "O man of God, thus says the king, ’Come down quickly.’" 12  Elijah replied to 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.”

 

            This is a fairly familiar story of Elijah sending fire down from heaven and this was the second and third time that this happened, as the first was on Mt. Carmel when fire came down to consume the sacrifice to the Lord. 

            The question was raised by Dr. Wiersbe as to why the envoys did not know who Elijah was, for after all he was an enemy of Ahab and had done some remarkable things in Israel.

            As far as whether or not the 100 men were innocent or not Dr. Wiersbe points out that the third captain who came down was very humble before Elijah and he responded by going with him, while the first two were very prideful ordering him to come.  This was a message to the nation of Israel that they had better repent or else they would face the same outcome.