The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 5 · Section 19 · Concurrent kings · Isreal · Ahaziah
AHAZIAH began to reign over Iſrael in the 17th. year of Jehoſhaphat King of Judah, The 8th King that reigned in Iſrael was AHAZIAH.and reigned two years. He did evil in the ſight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his Father and of his Mother, and in the way of Jeroboam who made Iſrael to ſin, and he ſerved Baal and worſhipped him, and provoked the Lord God of Iſrael to anger according to all that his Father had done, 1 King. 22. from 51 to the end.
As he was walking in his Palace at Samaria, ſome grate in the floor of the Chamber where he was (whereby perhaps light was conveyed to the lower room) did ſuddenly break, and ſo he fell through and was dangerouſly bruiſed with the fall. In this extremity he ſends meſſengers to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, whither he ſhould recover or no? This Idol was ſo famous that the Jews uſed to call the Prince of Devils, Baalzebub, Mat. 12.24. An Angel of the Lord ſends Elijah to meet theſe Meſſengers, and to ſay unto them, Is it not becauſe there is not a God in Iſrael, that you go to inquire of Baalzebub the God of Ekron? Therefore go back again to the King that ſent you, and tell him what I ſay unto you, and further acquaint him that he ſhall not come down from that bed on which he is gone up to lye, but ſhall ſurely die. The Meſſengers perceiving Elijah to underſtand the ſecret meſſage they were ſent about, and hearing him alſo ſo peremptorily to foretell the Kings death, they knew he muſt be ſome Prophet, though (it ſeems) they knew not his perſon. And accordingly they went back to the King and told him faithfully what he had ſaid. The King askt them what manner of man he was? they told him an hairy man, and girt with a leathern girdle *John Baptiſt was thus attired to ſhew that he was that other Elijah that was to come, compare Mat. 3.4. with Mal. 4.5.about his loins. Then the King knew it was Elijah the Tiſhbite, and being enraged at this hard meſſage, he reſolved to have the life of him that ſent it, and poſſibly he was ſomething alſo excited thereunto by his mother Jezebel, who was as much incenſed againſt Elijah as Herodias was againſt John Baptiſt, Mat. 14.8. Whereupon he ſent a Captain of fifty with his fifty men to apprehend him, who (he underſtood as it ſeems) was at Mount Carmel. The Captain coming to the place where he was call'd to him, and as 'tis like (in a ſcornful deriding manner) ſaid, Thou that art eſteem'd a man of God, and takeſt liberty to ſend what bold meſſages thou pleaſeſt to the King, know thou that by me the King commands thee to come down and to render thy ſelf to me: If thou wilt not, I have here thoſe with me that will fetch thee down with a vengeance. Elijah anſwered, If I be indeed a man of God (as thou ſcornfully calledſt me) let fire come down from heaven and conſume thee and thy fifty. And immediately fire came from heaven and conſumed them. This judgment Elijah denounced out of an extraordinary zeal for the glory of God, and by a ſpecial inſtinct of his Spirit. And therefore when the Diſciples of Chriſt out of a carnal deſire of revenge would have imitated this act of Elijah, they were reproved by our Saviour for it, who told them they knew not what manner of ſpirit they were of; that is, they did not well conſider from what frame of ſpirit that uncharitable motion came. For thoſe who are called to preach the Goſpel are to ſhew all meekneſs and gentleneſs to men, and to deſire and endeavour to ſave them, and not to deſtroy them, Luk. 9.54, 55. Ahaziah was nothing moved with this dreadful judgment that had befallen his Captain and his men, but like a man that neither feared God nor regarded the lives of his ſubjects, he ſends another Captain of fifty and his men to take the Prophet. This ſecond Captain ſhews himſelf as impudent as the former, and coming to Elijah ſaid to him, O man of God, thus ſaith the King, Come down quickly. He not only commands him to come down, but to do it ſpeedily, implying that he would not be delayed, but would drag him down by force, if he would not yield inſtantly. Elijah gave him the ſame anſwer he had done the former Captain, ſaying to him, If I be a man of God let fire come down from heaven and conſume thee and thy fifty, which was done immediately. And thus we ſee that like ſins uſually pull down like judgments. One would have thought that Ahaziah ſhould have been greatly terrified with two ſuch dreadful judgments as theſe were; but increaſe of judgments increaſes ſome mens hardneſs and obdurateneſs. Therefore like a deſperate man, and as it were in defyance of God himſelf he ſends a third Captain with his men to take Elijah, but he being ſenſible of his extream danger, and terrified with what had befallen the two Captains and their men that went before him: He, when he came to Elijah in a moſt humble poſture fell on his knees before him, and beſought him, ſaying, O man of God, I pray thee let my life and the lives of theſe fifty thy ſervants be precious in thy ſight, and do not ſuffer them as vile things to be caſt away, nor deal with us as thou didſt with the former Captains and their men, but be intreated to go along with us to the King. An Angel from the Lord immediately ſpake to Elijah to go along with him, and bids him not be afraid, but to tell the King expreſly what the Lord had ſaid. Elijah being aſſured of Gods protection readily goes, and tells the King plainly from the Lord that he ſhould die of that ſickneſs. It may ſeem ſtrange that the King who was ſo enraged againſt the Prophet before, that he ſent no leſs than three Captains of fifty one after another to take him, intending no doubt to kill him, for delivering ſo ſad a meſſage to his ſervants concerning his death, yet now when he has the Prophet in his hands, and hears him utter the ſame terrible things againſt him to his face, he ſhould neither ſpeak not do any thing againſt him. So true is that of Solomon, that the hearts of Kings are in the hands of God; Prov. 16.1. And as Elijah propheſied, ſo it came to paſs, for Ahaziah ſoon after died, having reigned two years, and Jehoram his Brother reigned in his ſtead.
2 King. 1. from v. 2. to the end.