II Kings 1: A Fiery Prophet

Have you ever noticed how much the prophet Elijah is connected with fire?

Earlier, in I Kings 18, Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a burn-off.  He proposed that the devotees of each deity build an altar and prepare a sacrifice - but not light it.  Instead the prophets would call on the name of their god and the god who answers by fire would be God.  Sure enough, the prophets of Baal spent all day dancing around their altar and cutting themselves to no avail.  But with a simple prayer, Elijah called down the fire of God to consume his drenched offering.

Later, on the run from Jezebel, Elijah has a mystical experience of the presence of God in I Kings 19.  He encounters a wind, an earthquake, and...a fire.  After the fire, the Bible says, there was the sound of sheer silence in which he perceived the Spirit of God with him.

In II Kings 1, Elijah is once again calling down fire from heaven.  After pronouncing doom on Ahab's son, King Ahaziah, the king of Israel sends out a company of soldiers to arrest Elijah and bring him to the king's bedside.  While at first it may appear capricious that the prophet would call down fire on 50 innocent men, it is unlikely that these men were so innocent.  They had come out in force to bring the prophet down at the request of a Baal-worshiping king.  In so doing, they were opposing a true prophet of God.  Elijah demonstrated his credentials and the power of God by resisting arrest and destroying Ahaziah's men by calling down fire from heaven.

This actually happened twice before the leader of the third group approaches Elijah in fear and trembling.  This time, rather than arrogantly trying to arrest the prophet, the captain went to Elijah on his knees and begged for mercy.  Because of his humility, Elijah was told not to fear him but to go willingly with his men.  There he delivers God's sentence of impending death to King Ahaziah personally.

This will not be the last time we see Elijah associated with fire - but you'll have to wait until the next chapter to see the conclusion of his story!