“WHAT KIND OF MAN?” THE FIERY ELIJAH: Through my study of the first and the second books of the kings, my heart was drawn to the person of the prophet Elijah, the fiery man of God; who lived his ministry with a fiery heart, that even in certain of his miracles, fire came down from heaven, whether to consume two leaders of fifties together with their men (2 Kings 1), or to proclaim God’s acceptance of his sacrifice (1 Kings 18: 38). Finally, that man with a heart of fire, by the divine grace, was worthy of God sending to him a fiery chariot with fiery horses (2 kings 2: 11) to carry him up to heaven, to partake of the heavenly creatures, and to enjoy the presence of God, the Consuming Fire. This chapter narrates to us a terrifying episode that reveals the danger of the sin of apostasy from God, and of the persistence on not returning to Him; when Ahaziah, the wicked king of Israel, fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was severely injured. … How did happen while being secure in his royal palace? Was he drunk and unconscious? The author did not elaborate; except to say that he fell and was injured, and it so seemed that his condition was serious. And instead of repenting and returning to God, he, most probably, according to the counsel of his evil mother Jezebel, sent messengers to inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, if he will recover from his injury The messengers were encountered by the prophet Elijah, who brought to them a divine message that their master will not recover, on account of resorting to a pagan god who cannot give life nor healing to the sick. Once they returned and told the king what happened, and being sure from their description of the man, that it was Elijah, he sent a leader of fifties with his men to put him under arrest, who, when he haughtily ordered the prophet to come down to the king, Elijah sought fire from heaven to consume him together with his men. This was repeated with a second leader of fifties and his men. But when a third one came to him with the spirit of humility, God commanded him to come down and to go with him to encounter the king, which he did. Although Ahab, father of Ahaziah was evil, yet, on the political and economic aspect, he was strong enough to bring the kingdom of Moab under his authority, to pay him tribute. Once Ahab died, and was replaced by Ahaziah his son, Moab rebelled against him and sought independence. This chapter provides us with a comparison between Ahaziah the evil man who rebels against God, and Elijah the man of God. When the king got the message sent by Elijah, he inquired: “What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these words?” (7). He was not preoccupied with the divine message, but with the identity of the one who sent it,. Elijah, on the other hand was only preoccupied with consummating the will of God, whatever the cost is. Between the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist: Comparing between the persons of the prophet Elijah and John the Baptist, St. Ambrose says: [Both of them lived in the wilderness. While Elijah was sustained by ravens, there, John trampled over all the pleasures of life, and loved poverty One did not seek favor in the sight of king Ahab; and the other despised that of king Herod. The mantle of one divided the water of the River Jordan; and the other turned those waters to cleanse our sins and grant us salvation. The one appeared with the Lord in glory (in the transfiguration); and the other lived with the Lord on earth. The one preceded the first coming of the Lord; and the second will precede His second coming. The one, by his prayers, brought rain on the earth that dried up for a duration of three years; and the other cleansed the dust of sin off our bodies in the water of faith all along three years. You may ask me: What three years? To which I would answer by the words of the Lord Himself, saying: “For three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none” (Luke 13: 7) … The first year, in the era of the patriarchs, when the harvest reached an extent that was never realized thereafter. The second year, in the time of Moses and the prophets. The third year, when our Lord and God came to “preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4: 19)] 1- A divine leadership 1 - 8 2- Glorifying God 9 - 14 3- Trusting in God 15 4- Consummation of the will of God 16 – 18 1- A DIVINE LEADERSHIP: The worst enemy of man is when his heart and mind retreat from his inner depths, and the true life, to the outside appearances. The fall of Ahaziah from the lattice of his upper room, and his serious injury, should have exhorted him to care for his eternity, to take heed of the shortcomings of his family, and to seek the counsel and help of the Almighty God, instead of resorting to the vain gods; But he sent messengers to Beelzebub to inquire whether he will recover from his injury…. Elijah, the man of God, on the other hand, being trained on having the Lord Himself as his Leader and Guide, God sent to him an angel to command him to go to encounter the messengers of the king of Israel, and to carry to him a message to rebuke him on resorting to Beelzebub. “Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab” (1) Moab, which, once submitted Israel (Judges 3: 12-14), overcome by king David (2 Samuel 8: 2), probably became independent after the death of Solomon, then was overcome by Omri king of Israel, according to what is engraved on the ‘Moabite stone’, a memorial that was discovered in the year 1869. The Moabites continued paying tribute to Israel (2 Kings 3: 4) until the Israeli army scattered after the death of king Ahab, when Moab rebelled against it (2 Samuel 8: 2; 2 Kings 3: 4).. By the rebellion of Moab, the author means the rebellion of ‘Mesha’ its well-known king.. “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 Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this injury” (2) The talk concerning Ahaziah started in 1 Kings 22: 51, and continued here as a consummation of the previous book. The houses in Israel, most probably, used to be one-storied; whereas the palaces and the luxurious houses were two-storied. So Ahaziah probably fell through the lattice of the upper story, or through a fence around the roof, “through a lattice”, Until recently, the windows in Egypt were covered by a wooden lattice, called ‘Arabisk’ by some, although it took after the Coptic art. “Beelzebub”, Originally known as “Beelzebul”, namely (god of life), the greatest of the gods worshipped by the Philistines; in his temple in the city of Ekron, claimed to have a secret exalted power to protect them against illness and death caused by the germs carried by the house flies. And as the Jews were fond of playing with words, they changed the name of that god and called it “Beelzebub”, namely (God of the house flies); either to honor or to scorn the Philistinian Baal (See Matthew 10: 25; 12: 24; Mark 3: 22; Luke 11: 15, 18, 19). . Some read it as (the god of trash); and was counted by the Jews as ‘the rulers of the demons’ (Matthew 12: 24). It was not the same Canaanite god “Baal” which was worshipped by Ahab and Jezebel (1 kings 16: 29-33). In Taylor’s Calmet, there is an interesting portrait of an ancient antiquity representing the head of the god Jupiter with the appearance of a huge house fly. According to Scaliger, the original name of that god was ‘Baal-Zebahim’, namely (Master of the sacrifices), and scornfully the Jews changed it to ‘Beelzebub’, namely, the god who is unable to drive the house flies away from the sacrifices offered to him. “Ekron”, One of the five cities of the Philistines, to the north of their land. It is amazing that although the name of the king was “Ahaziah”, meaning (Jehoah supports), he resorted to Beelzebub to inquire whether he will be healed of his injury, a sign of not trusting and despising the living God; and of setting forth to drink from the water contaminated by the deadly poison of idol-worship, instead of enjoying the living water of God. + It so seems that, in this, he was counseled by his evil mother Jezebel, who turned her two sons Ahaziah and Joram, together with their father into slaves to her. (St. (Mar Ephraim the Syrian) + Despite having a higher floor in the house of the Lord, ‘Pashur’ threw the prophet Jeremiah into the lower dungeon.. As for us, we intend now to take Jeremiah up to the upper floor of the house of the Lord, by the spiritually exalted meaning; which I shall make clear, by quoting many texts in the Holy Book, that confirm that the righteous receive the prophets in the upper floors: According to the book of the kings, the widow of ‘Zarepath’ which belong to Sidon, whom the Lord commanded to provide for Elijah, let him stay in the upper room of her house. (1 kings 17: 19) Also the notable Shenomite woman, who used to give hospitality to the prophet Elisha, made for him a small upper room to find comfort whenever he passed by (2 Kings 4: 8-10). The Lord Jesus counsels you, as well, saying: “Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house” (Matthew 24: 17) According to the book of Acts, the righteous apostles were gathered together in the upper room to pray and meditate in the word of the Lord, when the Holy Spirit came down upon them in the form of divided tongues as of fire, and one sat upon each of them (acts 2: 3).. And about St. Peter, who, if he did not go up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour (Acts 10: 9); he would not have seen heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him, and in it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And about ‘Tabitha’ the woman who was full of good works and charitable deeds, who was not in the lower floor, but in the upper room (Acts 9: 37), where Peter went up to raise her from the dead . And when the Lord Christ intended to eat the Passover with His disciples, they said to Him: “Where do You want us to prepare? He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters; then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples. Then he will show you a large furnished upper room; their make ready” (Luke 22: 9-12). He who intends to celebrate the Passover together with the Lord Jesus Christ, should never choose the lower floor, but should be sitting high up in the large furnished, adorned and prepared upper room; where He will offer you the cup of the new covenant and the bread of grace; where He will grant you His body and blood. We therefore counsel you to ascend to the high up places; to raise your eyes toward the mountains. (The scholar Origen) . “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 Beelzebub, the god of Ekron?’” (3) The latest mention of the prophet Elijah was when he talked to king Ahab in the vineyard of ‘Nabot the Jezreelite’’, four years earlier (1 kings 21: 17-24) Following the lead of his evil parents in their worship of the Baall, Ahaziah did not send his messengers to the temple in Samaria lest the news of his serious injury would spread to his people. We learn from the prophet Elijah that God can enter into the life of His people in the time He chooses. That in every era, God sends prophets , whose talents are well-qualified for that specific circumstances, to have witnesses who illuminate the darkness. God always work to the account of His kingdom, even if man wrongly thinks that He has turned His face away from humanity, because of their corruption; “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2: 13). As the events of the life of the prophet Elijah, most always carried the element of surprise, the way it happened here, some of the Jewish scholars tended to assume that he was an angel, and to call him in ‘Haggadah’ ‘the Bird of Heaven’; for he was like a bird flying in the world to realize heavenly missions; he was sent by God in the era of Ahab, the most evil of the kings of Israel, and his equally evil son Ahaziah. According to St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi, [Because he was splendid, beautiful, righteous, and blameless; he was taken up to blameless place. Compared to his brethren in humanity, and not absolutely. He bore the symbol of the Lord Christ in many ways he portrays here: + Elijah the watcher and full of beauty, mixed his whole life with God, and dwelt in the wilderness far from the worldly pleasures; He acquired a good will with God, not contradictory to the divine will; In all things he was commanded to fight against the people, he arose to do the will of God; He did not long to do anything on his own, but to consummate all the work of God; He did not live for himself, nor moved to work for his own sake; all his movements were in the hand of God; + Elijah arose and came to encounter the messengers sent by the son of Ahab to Beelzebub He said to them: Go and say to your master the king: “Is it because there is no God in Israel, he sent to inquire from the god of the Philistines?” Has he not heard that the Lord of the children of Jacob is greater than all the other gods? Whose news are in Egypt, and His experience is in the sea; His might in Horeb, and His majesty in Shiloh. Whose dwelling place is in Sinai, His fear is in the whole world; His name is exalted in Jordan and Jericho; His sword and His bow are in all the peoples; His terror is in Palestine, and His great might in the islands; Who did not hear that there is a God for the children of Jacob? …Why is He now scorned as though non-existent? (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) “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” (4) “Bed or divan”: The royal bed, as it is nowadays in the houses of the wealthy of the East, is a divan 3 or 4 feet wide, and about a foot high; sometimes extends the whole length of the room, and other times occupies three sides of it, used during the day for sitting, and during the night for sleeping. It is usually about a foot higher than the ground; and according to Hackett, it is sometimes so high that it needs two or three steps to climb, and may be more for the royal bed. Hence it is said: “”the bed to which you have gone up” (4); and David says: “I shall not go up to the comfort of my bed” (Psalm 132: 3) The king inquired from a foreign pagan god, but the answer came from the true God, in whose hand are life and death. Elijah uttered “You shall surely die”, not on his own, but on behalf of God who has the authority on life, who kills and let live. That verdict is a natural fruit of resorting to a pagan god, assuming that he can heel him. Elijah then returned to his dwelling place on Mount Carmel (2 Kings 2: 25; 1 Kings 17: 42) Presenting a concise comparison between the living God whom the king disregarded, and Beelzebub, the god of Ekron to whom he resorted, St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi says: 1- The living God, being the Grantor of life to whoever seeks Him; how could anyone seeks heeling from Beelzebub? 2- The living God is of authority, capable of granting life by his might. 3- The living God listens to the prayer, and responds to it; whereas Beelzebub is neither able to listen nor to respond. +` Life is not in the hands of Beelzebub to be sought from him; As the living God is the Life-Giver; not seeking from Him, You will not live; God, having authority on the life of men, you should seek it from Him; As the devil of Ekron is helpless to respond, and hence should not be asked; God who knows, said: “You shall surely die”. “And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, ‘Why have you come back?’” (5) Not knowing the identity of that strange man, who talked with authority about the king, and not daring to ask him about his name, nor to consummate their way to Ekron; the messengers returned to tell the king the message of God on the tongue of Elijah. The king most probably knew that it had to be Elijah the Tishbite, whose amazing works against his father Ahab and his mother Jezebel he heard, and whom he has probably seen. . “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, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Beelzebub, the God of Ekron? Therefore, you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die’” (6) He did not benefit from the experience of his parents who were terrified before Elijah, because they have gone astray from the way of the truth. Therefore, the way they were chastised, the prophetic voice came to him, saying: “You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up; You shall surely die” As the people, together with their leaders, perverted to idol-worship, after Ahab and Jezebel, then their sons, like Ahaziah, the prophet felt responsible to exhort the people to return to worship the living God. He confronted Ahab; by making him suffer draught for three and a half years; and by telling him that the dogs will lick his blood; And behold, here he firmly proclaim to Ahaziah that he will not come down from the bed to which he has gone up, and that he shall surely die. In that he did not intend to avenge himself, but as a watchman he feared for the perdition of the whole people, because of the perversion of their kings. He intended to close the door shut before idol-worship, and to make the people return to that of the living God. + The messengers of the son of Ahab heard what Elijah said, and returned to the king with the bad tidings, that he will not come down from the bed to which he has gone up; To the sick pagan king, they carried the death sentence, and wounded his heart by the words of Elijah; The prophet came to be like a watchman on the children of Jacob, and his rebuke was strong against the idol-worshippers among them; He killed Ahab by a verdict against him; and now came to chase his sons; By his spiritual judgments, he was diligent to uproot idol-worship from the hearts of the people; He said to Ahab: [The dogs will lick up your blood]; and sent a word to his son, saying: [You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up]; As a warrior, he fought against the pagan kings, and rebuked them in their presence without fear; Whenever they perverted from the living God to other gods, he strongly confronted them; He delivered some to the dogs, and others to death, to guard his people by the awesome chastisements of God; He used every chance to close shut the ways of idol-worship before the circumcised children of Abraham. (St. (Mar) Jacob el-Serougi) “Then he said to them, ‘What kind of man was it, who came to meet you and told you these words?” (7) “So they answered him, ‘He was a hairy man, and wore a leather belt around his waist’. And he said, ‘It is Elijah the Tishbite’” (8) By hearing the description of the man who confronted his messengers, that he was “a hairy man, and wore a leather belt around his waist”, the king knew that it was Elijah the Tishbite, (whose outer appearance and his spirit we can also perceive in St. John the Baptist, ‘the second Elijah’ (Matthew 3:4). “A hairy man”; a reference to his long hair; although, according to some it may refer to his leather mantle , the regular attire of the prophets (Zechariah 13: 4) According to St. John Chrysostom, the outer appearance of Elijah bore a kind of primitive life. In the transfiguration of the Lord Christ, Moses and Elijah appeared with Him; and he says: [Both of them were not eloquent; for Moses was “slow of speech, slow of tongue” (Exodus 4: 10), and Elijah had a primitive appearance. Both of them elaborately kept the optional life of poverty. Moses did not work for any worldly profit, and Elijah had nothing more than his leather mantle... Nevertheless, according to St. John Chrysostom, the king of Israel, with all his possibilities, was in need of Elijah with his apparent poverty. + The king was in need of that poor man; He who had a plenty of gold, depends on him who had nothing but his leather mantle. The leather mantle was therefore more exalted than the purple, and the cave of the righteous was greater than the royal courts; When Elijah was taken up to heaven, he left nothing to his disciple Elisha, but the leather mantle ; As though he said to him: By the help of this mantle I strove against the devil; and when you take it you will be armed against him; Persistence is a strong weapon; a steadfast stronghold of eternity; Elisha has got the leather mantle as a great inheritance, more valuable than gold; Elijah left his leather mantle to his disciple; And the ascending Son of God left for us His body. Elijah truly took off his mantle before he was taken up; And the Lord Christ left His body behind for our sake; then took it back to ascend with it. + As Elijah was clothed with a rough garment, so were all the saints who, being in a continuous working condition, they trampled every adornment under their feet. Proclaimed by the Lord as the greatest commendation of virtue; He says about John the Baptist:: “What did you go up to see? a man clothed in soft garment; Indeed those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses” (Matthew 11: 8) (St. John Chrysostom) Like Elijah, Jeremiah had his loin was girded by a rough leather belt; as though to partake of his people’s celebration of Passover; or to head the command of the Lord Christ to His disciples: “Let your waists be girded” (Luke 12: 35); which, according to St. Jerome, is a commandment “not to allow the flesh to lust against the Spirit” (Galatians 5: 17). According to St. John Chrysostom, girding the waist refers to that man is perpetually moving and working. + Since a long time we see in the saints, examples of the importance of wearing a girdle: “John the Baptist was clothed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist” (Matthew 3: 4); as Elijah before him was (2 kings 1: 8). It is also obvious from the words of the angel to St. Peter, saying: “Gird yourself, and tie on your sandals” (Acts 12: 8); and from the prophecy of Agabus, when “He took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, ‘Thus says the Holy Spirit, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt” (Acts 21: 11). The Lord commanded the righteous ‘Job’ to gird himself (Job 38: 3). The Lord’s disciples used to gird themselves, as is obvious when the Lord forbade them to carry money in their belts.(Matthew 10: 9). (St. Basil the Great) + Despising the wool of sheep, as a kind of luxury, the blessed St. John the Baptist chose to put on himself camel’s hair. … How could he do otherwise, he who, forsaking the pleasure and comfort of living in cities, headed to the seclusion of the wilderness, to live in peace with God, away from all the vain and valueless appearances.. Like Elijah and John the Baptist, was Isaiah who was barefoot and almost naked wearing sackcloth, the attire of humility (Isaiah 20: 2). So has been Jeremiah who had nothing more than “a linen sash around his wait” (Jeremiah 13: 1) (St. Clement of Alexandria) 2- GLORIFYING GOD: “Then the king sent to him the 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’” (9) It was enough to send one soldier or an officer to put such unarmed man under arrest; But what Ahaziah heard about what Elijah did with his father and mother, made him fear him; and, instead of repentance he thought that by a multitude of soldiers he could arrest him. Saying: “Man of God”, the captain of fifties knew that Elijah was sent from God; and he most probably knew how, by his prayers, he brought fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. He, however thought that the king had enough authority on him; that, with his fifty men, he could put him under arrest, and that he will not escape from their hands. He called Elijah “Man of God” because, even though the king himself and his royal court perceived his true identity, yet they could not endure his presence. . This title was first given to the prophet Moses (Deuteronomy 3: 1); then to Samuel ( =1 Samuel 9: 6-7); to Elijah (1 kings 1: 9-13), to Elisha (2 kings 4: 9), to David (2 Chronicles 8: 14), and to Timothy (1 Timothy 6: 11) + Persisting upon his stubbornness, the king, instead of repentance and returning to God, sent a captain of fifties with his fifty men to put the man of God under arrest. “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” (10) As he previously did by seeking fire to come down from heaven to consume the sacrifice, to oppose the priests of Baal (1 Kings 18: 36-38); Now he seeks fire from heaven to let Ahaziah and his men perceive that the Lord God of Israel is awesome and has the authority on nature, whereas the god of Ekron is helpless. Commenting on the prophet saying “ “If I am a man of God”, the scholar Origen says: [In the church there are “men of God”; whereas those who have forsaken prudence and understanding, are counted like beasts, according to the saying of the psalmist “O Lord, You preserve man and beast” (Psalm 36: 6). In case one of these simple beings dies in sin and becomes a rotten corpse, whoever touch it will be defiled. That is concerning the domesticated animals, whereas he sees the dead lion refers to the attachment to the devil, about which the apostle Peter says: “Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5: 8). The wolves refer to the heretics, according to the saying of the apostle Paul: “For I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20: 29); He who follows their lead will be as though defiled by touching the corpse of a dead wolf. For the sake of the glory of God, Elijah sought fire from heaven to consume the captain of fifties together with his fifty men, those who persisted on their haughtiness. Now, having come down to the world, the Lord Christ set out of His true ministers flames of fire, filled with love, that turn the enemies to beloved friends (Romans 12: 14-21). The word of Elijah brought forth the same lethal fire from heaven mentioned in the book of Numbers 11: 1; and talked about by the apostles (Luke 9: 54). God has previously proclaimed receiving Elijah’s sacrifice by fire from heaven; Now the same fire comes down from heaven to consume the soldiers of Baal who assumed by their evil hearts that they could put the man of God under arrest. According to St. Aphrahat the Persian Savant: [The captains of the fifties were consumed for they approached the mountain on which Elijah was sitting; he who was later taken up to heaven by a chariot of fire. Hence, beloved brethren, the righteous are tested by fire like gold, silver, and precious stones; whereas the wicked will be consumed by fire like wood, chaff and weeds. Men as a whole, including the children of Israel, were in need to perceive the fear of God to forsake idol-worship and their disobedience of the divine commandment. But the Lord Christ, having come to raise humanity to spiritual maturity, rejected the request of His two disciples, Jacob and John, to bring down fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans who did not receive Him, and rejected Him in their village (Luke9: 51-56); because He came to gain humanity by His love proclaimed on the cross, and not to consume them by fire. Elijah’s heart desire was not revenge; but what he uttered was a proclamation together with a warning against an actuality revealed to him by the Lord. That fire from heaven does not contradict the love of God, but God suffers long upon the wicked, and in a proper time He allows for chastisement, to become a practical lesson before the others. Fire came down from heaven, and not up from earth; for men are not allowed to burn one another, nor to seek from God to avenge them. + The king sent a captain of fifties with his fifty men to bring Elijah forth to him, even against his will. That pagan king Ahaziah was worthy to have Jezebel as his mother; How could he expected to be, being born and raised by such a wicked mother?; With such a cruel heart like his mother’s, he intended to fight Elijah by fifty men; How could such a man like Elijah, before whom all creation tremble, be overcome by fifty men? How could such a man whom both height and depth fear, be brought by the son of Jezebel like a weakling? How could such a man who called fire to come down, and it did, be overcome by the chaff? How could such a man whose voice, fire recognizes and obeys, not be feared by such weak men? In that he followed his mother’s lead, who previously threatened that same mighty man; and intended to kill him, whom death itself fears. The captain of the fifties saw him sitting alone on the top of the mountain. (St. (Mar) Jacon El-Serougi) “Then he sent to him another captain of fifty and his fifty men. And he answered and said to him, ‘Man of God, thus has the king said, ‘Come down quickly’” (11) Not learning from the lesson of the consumption of the captain of fifties and his fifty men; instead of repenting and feeling grief on the those he caused to die, the wicked king, with the cruelty of heart, sent another captain of fifties with his fifty men; then again for a third time (13); even though the third captain of fifties had humility and wisdom more than his king who, together with pride, he was also foolish. “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 came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty” (12) + He sent again a captain of fifties with his fifty men, more arrogant than the first; He also came up to Elijah and said to him: “Man of God, thus has the king said: ‘Come down quickly’; The first captain of fifties who went up to Elijah was probably not to blame like the second one who followed him; For the first one was consumed by fire without seeing a precedent episode, that would probably make him fear what would come on him; The arrogance of the second captain of the fifties was therefore greater, because on his way to Elijah, he must have seen with his own eyes the burnt up corpses scattered on the mountain; The awful smell of his fellow officer the first captain of fifties who was consumed by fire, did not deter him from going up to the man of God; Together with his fifty men, he trampled with rage upon the scattered corpses of their fellows, toward the man who consumed them; With a wild, cruel, and evil will, he did not tremble before the fire that consumed the first group He made his heart as hard as stone, he threatened to fight against God and His fire; He raised his voice saying to Elijah: “Man of God, thus has the king said: ‘Come down quickly’”; And Elijah answered him saying: “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men”; and the fire came down and consumed them”; A cruel heart that did not learn from the lesson of what happened to the first captain of fifties; Having no fear he became horror; and having not learned the lesson, he became an example; The shepherd of the people stood on the mount to guard his flock by powers, and wonders; When the wolves gathered together to devour him, He sought fire from his Lord to consume them; The flame became for him as a great rod by which he chased the wild beasts away from his flock; The prophet sought the fire twice to gather together his scattered flock; by a miracle; The fire recognized his voice and responded to everything He sought. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) Why did God allow for the two captains of fifties to be consumed by fire together with their fifty men? According to the scholar Tertullian, as the first two captains of fifties, were probably two false prophets of the god Beelzebub, God allowed for the fire to come down from heaven to confront the idol-worship by violence. As Israel perverted to idol-worship, believing that Beelzebub is the god of rain, fire, and crops;, whose worship also includes offering their children as human sacrifices, both prophets Elijah and Elisha intended to confirm that the power of the true God, and His authority upon fire, rain and crops, are far beyond the alleged power of the Baal; and to proclaim their care for the little children, by reviving the son of the widow of Zarephath which belongs to Sidon (1 Kings 17: 17-24), and of raising the Shunammite woman’s son from the dead (2 Kings 4: 18- 37). + In the days of the Old Covenant, punishment was physical upon any crime or disobedience done by the people; according to the statute: “eye for eye, tooth for tooth etc.” (Exodus 21: 24); as a deterrent through fear of the physical punishment against such offenses. In the days of Elijah, because the Jewish people forsook God, offered sacrifices to the idols; and not only refused to honor the prophets of God , but intended to kill them, Elijah, filled with the jealousy of God, caused some to be put under such physical punishment; to heel those who were slothful for the salvation of their souls through fear of physical punishment.. The same thing happened through the blessed Peter in the case of Ananias and Sapphira his wife, who perished for lying to the Holy Spirit, to become a lesson to others; hence it was said: “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things” (Acts 5: 11) As the miserable Jews only thought about their bodies, and not about their souls, God the divine Judge let them suffer pain in those bodies, to which they have much dedicated. + We realize as well that the two captain of fifties might have perished because of not giving honor to Elijah, not on account of his advanced age, nor of being “a man of God”; the Holy Spirit talked on the tongue of the prophet; and struck them with a breath from heaven. With justice, few were punished by death, to grant salvation to many. (Father Caesarius bishop of Arle) + Consumption of men by fire was not an act chosen by Elijah on his own, but he was moved to do it through the Holy Spirit. We should not assume that Elijah got angry, and caused the fire to come to appease his anger; He was driven by the Spirit in all his works, to provoke the pagans to forsake their idol-worship; The Lord turned him into an intermediary between Him and them, to perform amazing wonders by his hands; He allowed for the consumption of the two hundred to bring the others back to him; Because the idol-worshippers arrogantly held fast to their gods, God had to deal with them by fire; He consumed them by quenchable fire, to save others from the unquenchable fire, eternally inherited; Spiritually and with great love, the holy man moved, to give life to the worl, dead by idols; Even though against his own choice, he killed and burned to realize the will of his God, and to glorify His name. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) . “Again he sent him 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’” (13) “Look, fire has come down of heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties and their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight” (14) Although the first and second captains of fifties also called him “the man of God”, yet with the hardness of heart they intended to put him under arrest, and bring him forth to the king. The third captain of fifties called him by the same title, but with humility he sought mercy, pleading with him to let his life and those of his men be precious in his sight. For although they came by an order of the king, yet, trusting in the authority of the prophet, they sought the mercy of God. By his humility, the third captain of fifties was worthy of that, God sent His angel to command the prophet to go along with him to the king. + For the third time the king sent a captain of fifties, not caring for those who have already perished; With a sick yet fearful heart, he refused to change; With humility that could prevail on all the mighty, the third captain of fifties went up to Elijah; Looking at Elijah he recognized whom and how he is, and feared him like a sea of fire; He thought about what happened to the first two captains of fifties, and perceived that he might end up like them; He perceived that Elijah is a great prophet sent by a great God; With humility he approached him seeking mercies and compassion on himself and his fifty men; He knelt down on his knees, and in fear, he bowed his face to the ground before Elijah; He approached him with a contrite heart, terrified soul, a bowed down head; and a low voice, seeking mercy; He said to him: “O man of God, Please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight; those who came against their own will; I know that you have the authority to send fire from heaven to consume those who disobey you. The way your might is known in those consumed, show off your mercy on the world in me; You have the authority to consume or to spare; And if you choose to spare me, it is up to you; By the two captains of fifties you revealed the power of God; By me now, show His compassion and forgiveness.. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) 3- TRUSTING IN GOD: “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” (15) By saying “Do not be afraid of him”, the angel sent by the Lord means that he should not be afraid of the king or the captain of fifties. In complete trust in the work of God, the man of God did not fear to tell the king that he will not be healed but will die, for he has despised the true God and resorted to Beelzebub. Talking about how the happy life is not bound to the outside circumstances, but to the depth of the heart, St. Ambrose compares between the prophet Elijah and the prophet Moses; and between him and king David, saying: + Elijah was not less happy than Moses, even though the former was in need for food, put on the goat-skin belt; with no children, friends, nor possessions; while the latter was a leader of a multitude, rejoiced in his children, and girded with power. Both of them, by different means have got equal privilege as proclaimed by the gospel, when they shined together with the Lord Jesus in the glory of the transfiguration (Matthew 17); Elijah was not less happy than David, even though the former was under kings, while the latter was, himself, a king with royal authority. Yet both of them equally gained the grace of prophecy and holiness. (St. Ambrose) + By his supplication the third captain of fifties found favor in the sight of Elijah; and mercy set to spare him; The Lord saw a contrite heart, and sent a watcher (an angel) to instruct Elijah to go down with him; The Lord intended to show that whoever supplicates will have hope; and that the door is open before him who seeks mercy’ The Lord inclined with His face toward that supplication, on account of that it was raised with humility; The Lord intended to proclaim that those consumed by fire were worthy of it because of the harness of their hearts; They perished because of their pride, while he who showed humility before Elijah was spared. While rebuking those who were consumed by their own choice, the Lord intended to show his great compassion by sparing the other one; He intended to show men that, by killing or giving life, He has the same goal; He consumed the first two batches, to let the pagans, through fear forsake their idols; And by sparing him who supplicated with humility, He intended to show His compassion; Those who were arrogant, the Lord sent fire to consume them; while those who showed humility, got what they wanted; The Lover of mankind is moved by humility; yet does not allow for the arrogant to approach Him. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) 3- CONSUMMATION OF THE WILL OF GOD: “Then he said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Beelzebub, 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 come up, but you shall surely die” (16) With a full power, Elijah consummated the will of God. He stood before the king who sought to kill him, and bravely told him that he will not be healed, but will surely die. After talking to him Elijah disappeared, and the Holy Book did not tell us how he did, and where he went. + Elijah went with them to the king, and with no fear he raised his voice and rebuked him; Face- to-face he told the king that he will surely die; His message was the same, whether near or far; Once he saw the king’s face, he rebuked him, with no partiality on his part, lest he would not be true;; Looking only to God, he cared to utter the truth everywhere; Ahaziah died as proclaimed by the great prophet; and his word confronted the pagans and their idols; The death of the pagan king was a motive for many to approach God, on account of the power they saw; The god of Ekron was exposed before his worshippers who were terrified to enter his temple; for the news spread everywhere; As the wrath of God struck the pagan king, Who could not fear to mention even the name of Elijah? All realized that Baalzebub was helpless; For the sake of which, all that happened, and Elijah came in such a disturbed time. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) “So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah” (17) According to the word of the Lord to Elijah through His angel; Ahaziah died on his bed; and his brother Jehoram reigned in his place , at the same time Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat reigned on Judah. In the fifth year of the reign of Jehoram the son of Ahab (2 Kings 8: 16). according to some scholars, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat reigned together with his father in the eighteenth year of his reign. In many of the old kingdoms, the king used to entrust certain responsibilities of government to his firstborn son or to whom he finds qualified; a tradition that was followed along the generations. Some scholars, count that Jehoram’s reign starts by his partnership with his father; while others count it starting by reigning alone after his father’s death, or in case he chooses to step aside, to acquire wisdom and philosophy in peace. + After the death of Ahaziah, having no son of his own, his brother reigned in his place; not that was what the law so proclaimed, but because that was the way followed by the neighboring countries of Israel. …Yet as far as the kingdom of Judah is concerned, God commanded that the kings had to be of the household of David. “Now the rest of acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?” (18) -------------------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 2 KINGS 1 A FIRE FROM HEAVEN + Let me dwell together with Your prophet Elijah in the midst of the holy mountains; Let me dwell in Your Holy Book, the highest mountain; To bear the spirit of strength, courage, and enlightenment. + Perceiving what You granted me of authority; I have no fear of any king moving his armies; Nor of leaders filled with haughtiness and arrogance. + Carrying authority, kings move their leaders as they wish; And entrusted with authority, the leaders move their soldiers as they see fitting; As for me, I carry the authority You give me; To tread upon the serpents, the scorpions, and all the hosts of darkness. + Carrying such an authority, heaven moves to serve me; Fire comes down to consume the followers of demons and to scatter their work Following Your lead, I seek no fire to consume men; For You came, not to burn but to save; I seek the fire of Your Holy Spirit, the Burner of sins; I seek Your heavenly fire to kindle the hearts with love; I seek Your holy fire to destroy the fire of evil.
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