June 25, 2024 • 18 mins
In this Bible Story, we learn about Ahaziah’s short reign as king over Israel. He falls from the top of his upper room and injures himself beyond repair. He sought the healing and guidance of the Philistine gods, but is instead met with Elijah’s rebuke and God’s justice. This story is inspired by 2 Kings 1. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is 2 Kings 1:15 from the King James Version.
Episode 128: As Elijah traveled with his servant Elisha throughout the land of Israel, they crossed the Jordan river, pausing for a moment Elisha asked his master for a blessing, a double portion of the Spirit that was on Elijah. Though this was not something he personally could give, he said that if his servant should see him as the Lord took him away, then it would happen. As they continued walking along the path the sky opened up and chariots of fire descended to receive Elijah taking him away.
Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world’s greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.
Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.
Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.
Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.
Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard
Producer: Ben Gammon
Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham
Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith
Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, And the Angel of the Lord said,
unto Elijah, go down with him. Be not afraid of him.
And he arose and went down with him unto the
King Second Kings one fifteen. As I humbly come before you, God,
I will fix my attention and set my gaze to
(00:23):
your command, to trust and rely on you. When I
fall and make a mistake, Let the broken state of
my heart and spirit look to you to be my
physician and healer. No longer will I look to others
to heal the areas in my life that only you
(00:43):
can restore. No longer will I put my trust in
man made traditions and outcomes. But instead I will pray
to you, Lord and wait in faith as you move
on my behalf. I declare that pride an ego will
not have a seat at the table of my heart.
(01:05):
I will not let a his eye as a behavior
become my reality. So as I stand in integrity and
deliver the message you desire for me to give to
the world, I can stand confident knowing that when others
rise up against me, I will be like Elijah. You
will send a fire of justice to speak on my
(01:27):
behalf and protect what you've placed inside of me in Jesus' name. Amen,
Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
hear the Bible come to life. Stay tuned for the
Bible in a Year brought to you by Bible in
a Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
A fallen king and falling fire. In our last story,
we witnessed the faithful rule of King Jehosaphat and Judah.
His desire to seek God and his peace fueled many
victories for Judah. Under his leadership, God provided a hedge
of protection and prosperity over them. Now we learn about
(02:19):
King Aoziah's fall from God literally and spiritually, and we
witness the return of Elijah to once again bring difficult
truths to a corrupt king. Inspired by the Book of
Second Kings.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with the day's episode of
the Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode,
we heard about the rule of Jehasaphat, the King of Judah,
who guided his people back to God and established justice
and worship of the Lord throughout the Southern Kingdom. He
was much like his ancestor David, earnestly seeking the Lord
(02:57):
and being open to correction by God. God's prophet today
will return north to a kingdom in shambles. After the
death of they have, Israel's new king, a Haziah, will
suffer a great fall, and in his moment of despair,
his cries will reveal where his trust really is. We'll
also see the return of Elijah, who will speak God's
(03:19):
heavy judgment upon a dishonorable king. So let's listen to
God's word today.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
The troubled king Ahab had fallen as arrows flew and
pierced his flesh on the battlefield, the tides of power
in the north began to turn. Israel was kingless for
a short while, and the land of Moab tossed and
turned with unrest. Moab had been under the rule in
protection of Israel since King David. However, once Ahab was killed,
(03:51):
the land that settled on the coast of the Dead
Sea saw opportunity to rebel. So the new king of Israel,
a Isaiah, took over during a time of incredible strain
and unrest. One evening, Aasiah was pacing in the upper
room above his palace in Samaria. The warm summer breeze
(04:12):
only made him more anxious. His nervous stomping rumbled the
floor below him. He paced to and fro on his balcony,
worrying over his kingdom. Lost in thought, Aosiah paid no
attention to the lattice work slowly cracking beneath his feet.
All of the sudden, his troubled thoughts were interrupted by
(04:33):
the floor giving way from underneath him. The king fell
more than a dozen feet through the floor of the
upper room, slamming on to the palace floor below. The
fall took all the breath.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Out of him.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
His ears were ringing from the impact to his head. Slowly,
he began to feel the sting of several broken bones
coursing through his body. King Asia laid there motionless for
what seemed like days. The pain was intense, and his
already muddied mind began to panic. It took everything in
(05:07):
him to scream to his servants for help. After several
cries for help echoing through the silent chambers, he finally
found aid. His servants tended to his broken bones and
fractured skull. His lungs were beginning to recover more of
the air they once lost. However, the injuries to his
body and head seemed beyond repair. Heaziah sat in despair.
(05:33):
He had only been king a few weeks, and he
feared he would never recover. His paranoid mind began to
wander into dark places. He wanted answers to questions not
worth asking. He desired for hope in his dark and
painful state. So, in a moment of weakness, Heehaziah sent
(05:55):
his messengers to find priests in the temple of Balzebub,
the god of Ekron. He sent them to ask if
he would ever recover. In so doing, Aasiah revealed where
his hope truly was. His heart was attached to the
philistine god of plagues and flies. His request revealed how
far his heart was from the true God of Israel.
(06:17):
Elijah was walking the fields of Tishby, enjoying the peace
of a mild summer day. The wind blew slightly from
the west. Elijah had enjoyed peace since Ahab's death. No
longer pursued by a witch queen and her puppet king,
Elijah could now fully set his mind on the things
of God. In a moment of prayer, the Lord spoke
(06:40):
to Elijah, saying, go and confront the messengers from the king.
They are on their way to Balzebub to ask Ekron
for wisdom. Elijah was disturbed at the news. Not only
did this reveal the wicked state of King a Isziah's heart,
but it also showed that Philistine influence had crept into
(07:01):
his counsel. King Aziah's mind and heart were compromised. God
spoke clearly again, saying, go and tell them that he
will never leave his bed. He will surely die where
he lies. Elijah knew not to waste any time when
it came to matters of God, so he left where
(07:21):
he was and ran to intercept the king's messengers. He
found them almost at the temple and told them of
all God had said. Disturbed and afraid, the messengers turned
around and ventured back to the palace. King Ayesiah was
alone in his chambers. Just within sight past the entrance
to his door, he could see the hole in the
(07:43):
ceiling where he fell. It tormented him, and he longed
for a day where he could walk again, to be
rid of the view. The king looked to his left
out the window. Feeling an intense pain in his chest,
he coughed and covered his mouth with the cloth in
his hand. He looked down at the cloth blood a grave,
(08:04):
sighing for the king. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes.
Then a sudden echo of footsteps could be heard from
the halls. His messengers had returned. They bowed before his bed.
They had just left that morning, so the king was
confused at their arrival. Why have you returned so soon,
the king asked. A man intercepted us and told us
(08:27):
that he had a message from God. Isiah's eyes widened.
He had seen King Ahab's war with the God of
their forefathers. As a child, he witnessed his father's constant
turmoil with the God of David. At one time, he
considered following the God of David, but decided not to,
for the Philistine gods offered him more room for sin
(08:48):
and lutness. He knew that no good news awaited him.
The servants delivered the message from God, saying, is there
no God in Israel? Why have you sent messengers to Bawsa?
Your request reveals much. You shall never leave your bed.
You shall die on the bed you are lying on.
(09:08):
What sort of man was he? What did he look like?
The king whispered, for he had an idea of who
it was. His father's sworn enemy.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Was still alive.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
They replied. He was a hairy man who wore a
leather belt to hold his robes together. Ayaziah sat up
in his bed. His lungs began to strain, and his
chest swelled up with coughing. Blood spattered all over his sheets,
and his chin was dripping with blood and saliva. Elijah,
he yelled, as blood flung across the room. Take my army,
(09:40):
captain with fifty soldiers, go and arrest him. The king's
coughing filled the room, and his servants came in the
room to attend to him, while the messengers sent word
for his captain. Elijah was sitting on top of a
grassy hill overlooking the city below when the captain and
his fifty men approached. He remained sitting as the captain
drew his sword and pointed it at Elijah. Man of God,
(10:06):
the King has commanded for you to come with us.
Elijah looked at all the men closely. He observed their
angry scowls and violent eyes. He closed his eyes and
gave a brief sigh. He opened his eyes and looked
to the skies. The sun was still high in the air, However,
the clouds were shifting slightly, and it looked like a
(10:27):
storm was possibly approaching. Elijah replied nonchalantly, if I am
truly a man of God, perhaps fire should come down
from heaven to destroy your small army. As Elijah said this,
a flash from the sky pierced downwards and sent all
fifty men flying through the air. Immediately they were consumed
(10:47):
with flames. They were dead almost instantly. Word reached the
king of this incident, so he sent fifty more men
to pursue and arrest Elijah. The other captain pointed his
spear at alia and said, Man of God, you must
come with us. It was a foolish mistake, for Elijah
gave the same reply he did before, and fire from
(11:09):
heaven consumed him and his men. The king heard of
this and was insistent on sending another group of fifty
men to pursue Elijah. Only this time the captain fell
at Elijah's feet and said, please, O, Man of God,
spare us. We are following orders, but do not want
to be consumed like the others. Elijah smiled at the
(11:29):
men for the humility. At the very least, they had
learned their lesson unlike their king. Elijah could hear the
slight whisper of God comforting him. He said, do not
fear the king, go down to him. So Elijah sat
up and willingly walked down with the soldiers to the palace.
He stood before the broken king. Eyasiah could barely say
(11:51):
a word, for his body was failing him. Elijah once
again delivered the message of God, and with those words,
King aa Aiah breathed his last and died. A Isiah
had no sons to succeed him. His brother Juram became
the next king of Israel. Aiah's death was not a
result of injury. Rather, it was the result of a
(12:14):
generational sickness in the kings of Israel. Their corrupt and
selfish hearts were slowly killing the integrity of their nation.
The passion of King David had disappeared in the land
of Israel. What replaced it was a lineage of kings
determined to seek their own glory above the children of God.
Their imperfection only made them more vulnerable to attack and corruption.
(12:37):
One day there would be a king to humbly into
the Kingdom of Israel, a king that would not be
self serving or evil. He would be a king that
would enter in humbly, lying in a manger. He would
come to serve the people and lay down his life
for them. He would bring peace, love and truth to
a people far off and lost. Yet for now, the
(13:00):
ups and downs of kings continued.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
We begin today's passage in the aftermath of King Ahab's death.
With the king dead, Moab rebelled against Israel. It was
a time of great turmoil in the Northern Kingdom, which
is no big surprise given the corruption and the wicked
rule of Ahab and the wicked queen Jezebel. It is
also no great surprise that a Haziah, the new king,
(13:31):
son of Ahab and Jezebel, would follow in his parents'
footsteps and seek out idols, pagan gods, and deities. One morning,
King a Haziah fell through the lattice in his bedroom
and plummeted to the hard floor below. He was seriously
injured and became sick confined to his bed. But rather
than call out to God for help, what did he do?
(13:54):
He turned to false gods, just as his parents had
done throughout their lives. A Haziah sent messengers to seek
answers from Beelzebub, the philistine god of plagues. He wanted
to know if he would recover from his injuries, and
what a Haziah failed to recognize was that his real
sickness was not in his broken body, but in his
(14:14):
broken soul. But God saw the king and was grieved
because of his unfaithfulness. So God sent an angel to
give his prophet Elijah a message to Ahziah. Because the
king had turned to a foreign God, acting as though
there was no God in Israel, he would never leave
the confinement of his bed, but would die there. Elijah
(14:36):
set off to find the messengers who were headed to
Akron to seek out Beelzebub. He told them all the
angel had said, and they returned to a Haziah with
bad news, bad news from the strange man on the road.
When Ahziah asked what the man looked like, the description
confirmed what surely he already knew. Elijah, the same man
(14:58):
who had troubled his father a they have, was at
it again. God's man was being God's man. A Haziah
sent a captain with fifty men to bring Elijah. In
no doubt, the king had a mind to make him
pay for his words. But when they found Elijah, they
called him a man of God and told him to
come quickly, because the king had ordered it. But Elijah
(15:21):
answered to a much higher king, the Lord God. So
he replied that if he was indeed a man of God,
then fire would come down from heaven and consume the men.
Just then, God sent fire from the skies and wiped
out a Haziahs men. This sign would deter any reasonable
and wise king. But a Haziah was far from reasonable
(15:43):
or wise, so he sent a second captain with fifty men,
the same order, the same response from Elijah, and the
same outcome fire from heaven that consumed the men. A
Haziah sent a third contingent of men, but this time
the captain did not demand that Elijah come with him. Instead,
(16:03):
he humbled himself before Elijah, saying, as recorded in Second
Kings one thirteen old Man of God, please let my
life and the life of these fifty servants of yours
be precious in your sights. In other words, please don't
kill us, Please don't take us out from the power
of your God. So this man had a different attitude
(16:27):
and a different request, a different response. Therefore, God told
Elijah to go with a man and deliver his message
personally to a Haziah. So Elijah went to the king
and again told him that because he turned to the
philistine God, his very life would be taken from him
in that bed, And just as the Lord said, a
(16:47):
Haziah died then and there a short reign marked by
idolatry and foolishness and death. Today's passage reminds us that
our God is the one true God, and that he
is a jealous God who deserves our full focus, attention, adoration,
and affection. Let there be no other gods before him.
(17:11):
Like his parents before him, a Haziah gave his heart
to false gods, and it cost him not only an
abundant and peaceful life and a beautiful reign among the people,
it cost him everything. It cost him his life. Because
God will not be mocked. The Bible says, whatever a
person sows, he will also reap. So let's pray, Dear God,
(17:33):
thank you for this story that teaches us that you
are a great God, a glorious God, and you and
you only are God. And we pray that we would
never turn to the world and the idols of this
world and the things of this world to find relief
or rescue or comfort in any false God. We thank
(17:54):
you that you are jealous for us, that you love
us because we are yours, and love us deeply and dearly,
and you always want our best. Remind us God today
that our hearts are to be completely yours in Jesus' name. Amen,
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
(18:16):
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage
you to go ahead right now and download thepray dot
com app and make the Word of God and prayer
a huge priority in your life. Let me also encourage
you to tell others about this podcast because you can
pass the word to others. And if you want more
(18:37):
resources on how to tap into God's power for living
the Christian life, be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org.
That's Jack Graham dot org. We would love to connect
with you right now.
Let us pray, And the Angel of the Lord said,
unto Elijah, go down with him. Be not afraid of him.
And he arose and went down with him unto the
King Second Kings one fifteen. As I humbly come before you, God,
I will fix my attention and set my gaze to
(00:23):
your command, to trust and rely on you. When I
fall and make a mistake, Let the broken state of
my heart and spirit look to you to be my
physician and healer. No longer will I look to others
to heal the areas in my life that only you
(00:43):
can restore. No longer will I put my trust in
man made traditions and outcomes. But instead I will pray
to you, Lord and wait in faith as you move
on my behalf. I declare that pride an ego will
not have a seat at the table of my heart.
(01:05):
I will not let a his eye as a behavior
become my reality. So as I stand in integrity and
deliver the message you desire for me to give to
the world, I can stand confident knowing that when others
rise up against me, I will be like Elijah. You
will send a fire of justice to speak on my
(01:27):
behalf and protect what you've placed inside of me in Jesus' name. Amen,
Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
hear the Bible come to life. Stay tuned for the
Bible in a Year brought to you by Bible in
a Year dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
A fallen king and falling fire. In our last story,
we witnessed the faithful rule of King Jehosaphat and Judah.
His desire to seek God and his peace fueled many
victories for Judah. Under his leadership, God provided a hedge
of protection and prosperity over them. Now we learn about
(02:19):
King Aoziah's fall from God literally and spiritually, and we
witness the return of Elijah to once again bring difficult
truths to a corrupt king. Inspired by the Book of
Second Kings.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Hello, this is Jack Graham with the day's episode of
the Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode,
we heard about the rule of Jehasaphat, the King of Judah,
who guided his people back to God and established justice
and worship of the Lord throughout the Southern Kingdom. He
was much like his ancestor David, earnestly seeking the Lord
(02:57):
and being open to correction by God. God's prophet today
will return north to a kingdom in shambles. After the
death of they have, Israel's new king, a Haziah, will
suffer a great fall, and in his moment of despair,
his cries will reveal where his trust really is. We'll
also see the return of Elijah, who will speak God's
(03:19):
heavy judgment upon a dishonorable king. So let's listen to
God's word today.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
The troubled king Ahab had fallen as arrows flew and
pierced his flesh on the battlefield, the tides of power
in the north began to turn. Israel was kingless for
a short while, and the land of Moab tossed and
turned with unrest. Moab had been under the rule in
protection of Israel since King David. However, once Ahab was killed,
(03:51):
the land that settled on the coast of the Dead
Sea saw opportunity to rebel. So the new king of Israel,
a Isaiah, took over during a time of incredible strain
and unrest. One evening, Aasiah was pacing in the upper
room above his palace in Samaria. The warm summer breeze
(04:12):
only made him more anxious. His nervous stomping rumbled the
floor below him. He paced to and fro on his balcony,
worrying over his kingdom. Lost in thought, Aosiah paid no
attention to the lattice work slowly cracking beneath his feet.
All of the sudden, his troubled thoughts were interrupted by
(04:33):
the floor giving way from underneath him. The king fell
more than a dozen feet through the floor of the
upper room, slamming on to the palace floor below. The
fall took all the breath.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Out of him.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
His ears were ringing from the impact to his head. Slowly,
he began to feel the sting of several broken bones
coursing through his body. King Asia laid there motionless for
what seemed like days. The pain was intense, and his
already muddied mind began to panic. It took everything in
(05:07):
him to scream to his servants for help. After several
cries for help echoing through the silent chambers, he finally
found aid. His servants tended to his broken bones and
fractured skull. His lungs were beginning to recover more of
the air they once lost. However, the injuries to his
body and head seemed beyond repair. Heaziah sat in despair.
(05:33):
He had only been king a few weeks, and he
feared he would never recover. His paranoid mind began to
wander into dark places. He wanted answers to questions not
worth asking. He desired for hope in his dark and
painful state. So, in a moment of weakness, Heehaziah sent
(05:55):
his messengers to find priests in the temple of Balzebub,
the god of Ekron. He sent them to ask if
he would ever recover. In so doing, Aasiah revealed where
his hope truly was. His heart was attached to the
philistine god of plagues and flies. His request revealed how
far his heart was from the true God of Israel.
(06:17):
Elijah was walking the fields of Tishby, enjoying the peace
of a mild summer day. The wind blew slightly from
the west. Elijah had enjoyed peace since Ahab's death. No
longer pursued by a witch queen and her puppet king,
Elijah could now fully set his mind on the things
of God. In a moment of prayer, the Lord spoke
(06:40):
to Elijah, saying, go and confront the messengers from the king.
They are on their way to Balzebub to ask Ekron
for wisdom. Elijah was disturbed at the news. Not only
did this reveal the wicked state of King a Isziah's heart,
but it also showed that Philistine influence had crept into
(07:01):
his counsel. King Aziah's mind and heart were compromised. God
spoke clearly again, saying, go and tell them that he
will never leave his bed. He will surely die where
he lies. Elijah knew not to waste any time when
it came to matters of God, so he left where
(07:21):
he was and ran to intercept the king's messengers. He
found them almost at the temple and told them of
all God had said. Disturbed and afraid, the messengers turned
around and ventured back to the palace. King Ayesiah was
alone in his chambers. Just within sight past the entrance
to his door, he could see the hole in the
(07:43):
ceiling where he fell. It tormented him, and he longed
for a day where he could walk again, to be
rid of the view. The king looked to his left
out the window. Feeling an intense pain in his chest,
he coughed and covered his mouth with the cloth in
his hand. He looked down at the cloth blood a grave,
(08:04):
sighing for the king. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes.
Then a sudden echo of footsteps could be heard from
the halls. His messengers had returned. They bowed before his bed.
They had just left that morning, so the king was
confused at their arrival. Why have you returned so soon,
the king asked. A man intercepted us and told us
(08:27):
that he had a message from God. Isiah's eyes widened.
He had seen King Ahab's war with the God of
their forefathers. As a child, he witnessed his father's constant
turmoil with the God of David. At one time, he
considered following the God of David, but decided not to,
for the Philistine gods offered him more room for sin
(08:48):
and lutness. He knew that no good news awaited him.
The servants delivered the message from God, saying, is there
no God in Israel? Why have you sent messengers to Bawsa?
Your request reveals much. You shall never leave your bed.
You shall die on the bed you are lying on.
(09:08):
What sort of man was he? What did he look like?
The king whispered, for he had an idea of who
it was. His father's sworn enemy.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Was still alive.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
They replied. He was a hairy man who wore a
leather belt to hold his robes together. Ayaziah sat up
in his bed. His lungs began to strain, and his
chest swelled up with coughing. Blood spattered all over his sheets,
and his chin was dripping with blood and saliva. Elijah,
he yelled, as blood flung across the room. Take my army,
(09:40):
captain with fifty soldiers, go and arrest him. The king's
coughing filled the room, and his servants came in the
room to attend to him, while the messengers sent word
for his captain. Elijah was sitting on top of a
grassy hill overlooking the city below when the captain and
his fifty men approached. He remained sitting as the captain
drew his sword and pointed it at Elijah. Man of God,
(10:06):
the King has commanded for you to come with us.
Elijah looked at all the men closely. He observed their
angry scowls and violent eyes. He closed his eyes and
gave a brief sigh. He opened his eyes and looked
to the skies. The sun was still high in the air, However,
the clouds were shifting slightly, and it looked like a
(10:27):
storm was possibly approaching. Elijah replied nonchalantly, if I am
truly a man of God, perhaps fire should come down
from heaven to destroy your small army. As Elijah said this,
a flash from the sky pierced downwards and sent all
fifty men flying through the air. Immediately they were consumed
(10:47):
with flames. They were dead almost instantly. Word reached the
king of this incident, so he sent fifty more men
to pursue and arrest Elijah. The other captain pointed his
spear at alia and said, Man of God, you must
come with us. It was a foolish mistake, for Elijah
gave the same reply he did before, and fire from
(11:09):
heaven consumed him and his men. The king heard of
this and was insistent on sending another group of fifty
men to pursue Elijah. Only this time the captain fell
at Elijah's feet and said, please, O, Man of God,
spare us. We are following orders, but do not want
to be consumed like the others. Elijah smiled at the
(11:29):
men for the humility. At the very least, they had
learned their lesson unlike their king. Elijah could hear the
slight whisper of God comforting him. He said, do not
fear the king, go down to him. So Elijah sat
up and willingly walked down with the soldiers to the palace.
He stood before the broken king. Eyasiah could barely say
(11:51):
a word, for his body was failing him. Elijah once
again delivered the message of God, and with those words,
King aa Aiah breathed his last and died. A Isiah
had no sons to succeed him. His brother Juram became
the next king of Israel. Aiah's death was not a
result of injury. Rather, it was the result of a
(12:14):
generational sickness in the kings of Israel. Their corrupt and
selfish hearts were slowly killing the integrity of their nation.
The passion of King David had disappeared in the land
of Israel. What replaced it was a lineage of kings
determined to seek their own glory above the children of God.
Their imperfection only made them more vulnerable to attack and corruption.
(12:37):
One day there would be a king to humbly into
the Kingdom of Israel, a king that would not be
self serving or evil. He would be a king that
would enter in humbly, lying in a manger. He would
come to serve the people and lay down his life
for them. He would bring peace, love and truth to
a people far off and lost. Yet for now, the
(13:00):
ups and downs of kings continued.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
We begin today's passage in the aftermath of King Ahab's death.
With the king dead, Moab rebelled against Israel. It was
a time of great turmoil in the Northern Kingdom, which
is no big surprise given the corruption and the wicked
rule of Ahab and the wicked queen Jezebel. It is
also no great surprise that a Haziah, the new king,
(13:31):
son of Ahab and Jezebel, would follow in his parents'
footsteps and seek out idols, pagan gods, and deities. One morning,
King a Haziah fell through the lattice in his bedroom
and plummeted to the hard floor below. He was seriously
injured and became sick confined to his bed. But rather
than call out to God for help, what did he do?
(13:54):
He turned to false gods, just as his parents had
done throughout their lives. A Haziah sent messengers to seek
answers from Beelzebub, the philistine god of plagues. He wanted
to know if he would recover from his injuries, and
what a Haziah failed to recognize was that his real
sickness was not in his broken body, but in his
(14:14):
broken soul. But God saw the king and was grieved
because of his unfaithfulness. So God sent an angel to
give his prophet Elijah a message to Ahziah. Because the
king had turned to a foreign God, acting as though
there was no God in Israel, he would never leave
the confinement of his bed, but would die there. Elijah
(14:36):
set off to find the messengers who were headed to
Akron to seek out Beelzebub. He told them all the
angel had said, and they returned to a Haziah with
bad news, bad news from the strange man on the road.
When Ahziah asked what the man looked like, the description
confirmed what surely he already knew. Elijah, the same man
(14:58):
who had troubled his father a they have, was at
it again. God's man was being God's man. A Haziah
sent a captain with fifty men to bring Elijah. In
no doubt, the king had a mind to make him
pay for his words. But when they found Elijah, they
called him a man of God and told him to
come quickly, because the king had ordered it. But Elijah
(15:21):
answered to a much higher king, the Lord God. So
he replied that if he was indeed a man of God,
then fire would come down from heaven and consume the men.
Just then, God sent fire from the skies and wiped
out a Haziahs men. This sign would deter any reasonable
and wise king. But a Haziah was far from reasonable
(15:43):
or wise, so he sent a second captain with fifty men,
the same order, the same response from Elijah, and the
same outcome fire from heaven that consumed the men. A
Haziah sent a third contingent of men, but this time
the captain did not demand that Elijah come with him. Instead,
(16:03):
he humbled himself before Elijah, saying, as recorded in Second
Kings one thirteen old Man of God, please let my
life and the life of these fifty servants of yours
be precious in your sights. In other words, please don't
kill us, Please don't take us out from the power
of your God. So this man had a different attitude
(16:27):
and a different request, a different response. Therefore, God told
Elijah to go with a man and deliver his message
personally to a Haziah. So Elijah went to the king
and again told him that because he turned to the
philistine God, his very life would be taken from him
in that bed, And just as the Lord said, a
(16:47):
Haziah died then and there a short reign marked by
idolatry and foolishness and death. Today's passage reminds us that
our God is the one true God, and that he
is a jealous God who deserves our full focus, attention, adoration,
and affection. Let there be no other gods before him.
(17:11):
Like his parents before him, a Haziah gave his heart
to false gods, and it cost him not only an
abundant and peaceful life and a beautiful reign among the people,
it cost him everything. It cost him his life. Because
God will not be mocked. The Bible says, whatever a
person sows, he will also reap. So let's pray, Dear God,
(17:33):
thank you for this story that teaches us that you
are a great God, a glorious God, and you and
you only are God. And we pray that we would
never turn to the world and the idols of this
world and the things of this world to find relief
or rescue or comfort in any false God. We thank
(17:54):
you that you are jealous for us, that you love
us because we are yours, and love us deeply and dearly,
and you always want our best. Remind us God today
that our hearts are to be completely yours in Jesus' name. Amen,
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
(18:16):
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage
you to go ahead right now and download thepray dot
com app and make the Word of God and prayer
a huge priority in your life. Let me also encourage
you to tell others about this podcast because you can
pass the word to others. And if you want more
(18:37):
resources on how to tap into God's power for living
the Christian life, be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org.
That's Jack Graham dot org. We would love to connect
with you right now.
Host
Jack Graham
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.