2 Kings 1

The son of Ahab, Ahaziah, was king in Israel after the death of his father. Ahab's death took place according to the Word of the Lord that came to the prophet Elijah.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, James tells us in the New Testament, and his prayers were very powerful. James writes, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power.” (James 5:16) The verses just prior to this one give this important message: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15)

Ahaziah was injured. Instead of calling on Elijah, the man of God, whose word had proven powerful again and again, the king turned to a foreign god.

The Lord confronted the king of Israel through His prophet Elijah. Was there no God in Israel? Did the king need to seek information from false gods?

Ahaziah would not humble himself before the Word of the Lord. He presumed to use military force against the prophet more than once. God displayed His great power over the king of Israel by sending fire from heaven at the prophet's command. Still Ahaziah would not receive the Word of God with meekness.

Ahaziah would die according to the Word of God through Elijah, but the final military commander with all his fighting men would live. That final commander learned the obvious lesson from the experiences that were unfolding before him.

There is no point in fighting God. We will lose that battle. We need to come to Him, hear His Word, and receive His eternal healing.

We have a prophet, not just for Israel, but for the world. He is the Righteous Man, Jesus Christ. He speaks through His Word, and He lives forever to make intercession for us.

His reliability is not a theory. It is a fact.

Elijah had proven that he was a man of God. Is the resurrection of Christ from the dead not enough proof for you? If Jesus did not rise from the dead, how can you explain the events that are recorded in the book of Acts? How can you explain the way that God has brought life to so many throughout the world in the centuries that have followed this most amazing sign? If the resurrection is a lie, how can you explain even the simplest undisputed truth that the whole world marks the passage of years in a way that begins with Jesus? How can you explain that the whole world now lives according to a seven-day cycle that begins with the day of His resurrection? How could it be a coincidence that this one Man of God is the fulfillment of so many ancient passages regarding His suffering and glory that were recorded centuries before He was born?

Jesus is risen. His Word has changed the lives of millions of people who have humbly received Him. Will you not humble yourself before Jesus?

Jesus is the Final Word. He gave His life for us, so that we would have peace with God. He is the eternal King. Listen to Him.