Click to read 2 Kings 1
Synopsis
Ahaziah followed the footsteps of his evil father and soon got himself into trouble. Instead of seeking guidance from God, he chose to trust an idol, Baal-Zebud, the god of Ekron. God instructed Elijah to confront Ahaziah, proclaiming judgment on him for not respecting and revering the truth God.
Fire from heaven killed two groups of Ahaziah's men who went to arrest Elijah. The third group was spared death as the captain acknowledged and respected Elijah as the man of God.
Major Verses
V1-4 - Ahaziah grew up seeing the sinful practices of his parents. He himself became a idol worshiper. Baal-Zebub was not the same Baal idol that his parents worshiped. It was the god of Ekron, which was supposed to have the power of prophesy. So when he had a problem, he sent his men to seek that idol's prophesy. His act showed his ardent disrespect for God. As such, Elijah proclaimed God's punishment upon Ahaziah.
What I learn
Our God is a jealous God because only He can give us the best for our life. His jealousy for us only shows how much He loves us. Let us therefore, be careful not to let the things of the world distract us from Him. Let us not allow our heart to disrespect our loving God. If we do, despite His love for us, we will have to suffer the consequences of our poor choice.
V9-15 - 102 men who confronted Elijah were killed by fire from heaven. Although the two captains addressed Elijah as the man of God, they did not mean what they said - they did not show respect to him. Consequently, they all paid with their lives. On the other hand, the third captain genuinely and respectfully pleaded with Elijah to have mercy on him and his men. His attitude showed his respect for God and His power. That saved the lives of him and his 50 men.
What I learn
Our lives will be effective and meaningful only if we have a right attitude towards God. Let our words of adoration and praise for God be matched with a sincere heart of humility, reverence, obedience and respect for our Him and Him alone.
Summary
We must approach God with humility, reverence and respect for He deserves all of it. Our lives begin to be effective only when we exhibit these characteristics towards Him.
Up next...
Elijah ended his ministry gloriously and was transported to heaven without seeing physical death...coming up on 30th Mar.
Synopsis
Ahaziah followed the footsteps of his evil father and soon got himself into trouble. Instead of seeking guidance from God, he chose to trust an idol, Baal-Zebud, the god of Ekron. God instructed Elijah to confront Ahaziah, proclaiming judgment on him for not respecting and revering the truth God.
Fire from heaven killed two groups of Ahaziah's men who went to arrest Elijah. The third group was spared death as the captain acknowledged and respected Elijah as the man of God.
Major Verses
V1-4 - Ahaziah grew up seeing the sinful practices of his parents. He himself became a idol worshiper. Baal-Zebub was not the same Baal idol that his parents worshiped. It was the god of Ekron, which was supposed to have the power of prophesy. So when he had a problem, he sent his men to seek that idol's prophesy. His act showed his ardent disrespect for God. As such, Elijah proclaimed God's punishment upon Ahaziah.
What I learn
Our God is a jealous God because only He can give us the best for our life. His jealousy for us only shows how much He loves us. Let us therefore, be careful not to let the things of the world distract us from Him. Let us not allow our heart to disrespect our loving God. If we do, despite His love for us, we will have to suffer the consequences of our poor choice.
V9-15 - 102 men who confronted Elijah were killed by fire from heaven. Although the two captains addressed Elijah as the man of God, they did not mean what they said - they did not show respect to him. Consequently, they all paid with their lives. On the other hand, the third captain genuinely and respectfully pleaded with Elijah to have mercy on him and his men. His attitude showed his respect for God and His power. That saved the lives of him and his 50 men.
What I learn
Our lives will be effective and meaningful only if we have a right attitude towards God. Let our words of adoration and praise for God be matched with a sincere heart of humility, reverence, obedience and respect for our Him and Him alone.
Summary
We must approach God with humility, reverence and respect for He deserves all of it. Our lives begin to be effective only when we exhibit these characteristics towards Him.
Up next...
Elijah ended his ministry gloriously and was transported to heaven without seeing physical death...coming up on 30th Mar.
Hi Steven, Pastor Peter here again. I agree so much with what you said: our attitude to God is very important when we pray, we must be humble and not command God to do certain things. The third captain "fell on his knees before Elijah," he begged, "please have respect for my life . . ." Wow, he really believed God is powerful. That's the difference since Elijah actually was told by God to go with this captain, so he gained God's favor through his attitude of humility and respect.
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