Elijah, Elisha, and More Kings of Israel & Judah

Elijah and Ahaziah

Ahaziah had fallen and was confined to his bed. He sent messengers to ask the false god Baal-zebub (the god of Ekron) if he was going to recover. Elijah was sent by God to meet with these messengers to tell Ahaziah that because he had done this, he would not get better but would surely die. Ahaziah sent a captain and fifty men after Elijah to bring him to Ahaziah. Elijah called upon God to send down fire, and the fire consumed the fifty men and their captain. Ahaziah then sent another captain and his fifty men, and once again, Elijah called upon God, and these men were also consumed by fire.

Ahaziah sent yet another captain and his fifty men, and the captain fell upon his knees and begged Elijah to spare him and his men. The angel of God told Elijah to go with these men and not to be afraid. Elijah went with these men to Ahaziah, and Elijah told Ahaziah that because he had sent messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, he would not leave his bed and would surely die. Ahaziah died according to the word of God sent by Elijah. Jehoram became king in his place because Ahaziah did not have any sons.

Elijah

Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. Elijah told Elisha to stay there, but Elisha stated that he would not leave Elijah. They went down to Bethel. The sons of the prophets that were in Bethel came to Elisha and asked him if he knew that Elijah was going to be taken from him. Elisha said that he knew and told them to be quiet. Elijah again told Elisha to stay there, but Elisha replied that he would stay with Elijah. They went to Jericho. The sons of the prophets of Jericho came to Elisha and asked him if he knew that Elijah was going to be taken from him. He again said that he knew and told them to be quiet.

Elijah asked Elisha to stay there at Jericho, but Elisha told Elijah again that he would stay with him. Elijah and Elisha then went to the Jordan. Fifty men of the sons of the prophets came out and stood at a distance from Elijah and Elisha as they were standing by the Jordan River. Elijah took off his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water, and the water parted so that he and Elisha could cross over onto dry land.

After crossing the river, Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for Elisha before he left him. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Elijah told Elisha that if he saw him being taken away, then it would be possible, but if he did not see him being taken away, then it would not be possible. As they spoke, chariots of fire and horses of fire came and separated the two of them. Elijah was then taken up into heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, and Elijah was gone. Elisha tore his own clothes, picked up Elijah's cloak, and asked where God was. He then struck the water, and the water parted so that he could cross back over the Jordan.

Elisha

When the sons of the prophets at Jericho saw Elisha, they said that the spirit of Elijah was in him. They went to him and bowed. They also asked him to send out fifty servants to look for the body of Elijah. Elisha told them not to send the search party, but they kept urging him until he gave in and told them to send the men. The men went out and came back after three days of not finding Elijah's body. Elisha reminded them that he had said that they should not go.

These men told Elisha that the situation in Jericho was pleasant as their king saw it, but the water was bad, and the land was not producing food. Elisha told them to bring him a bowl of salt. He then threw the salt into the spring of water and declared that God had healed the water. The water was healed from then on.

When Elisha went to Bethel, a group of young men came out and taunted him, saying, "Go up, you baldhead!" With this taunt, they meant for Elisha to be gone and to "go up" as Elijah had just done. Elisha responded by cursing them in the name of God, and two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two of the young men. Elisha then went to Mount Carmel before returning to Samaria.

Moab Rebels

Jehoram, the son of Ahab, became king over Israel in Samaria. He ruled for twelve years. He did evil deeds, but he was not as bad as his mother and father because he put away the pillar that had been dedicated to Baal. Unfortunately, he continued the sins of Jeroboam.

Mesha was the king of Moab. He was supposed to deliver 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams to the king of Israel. When Ahab died, however, Moab rebelled against Israel. Jehoram sent word to Jehoshaphat and asked him to join in the battle against Moab. Jehoshaphat agreed, and the king of Edom also joined them. Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of God that they could speak to. He was told that Elisha was a prophet. All three kings went to Elisha, and Elisha told them to bring him a musician. When the musician played, the hand of God came upon him. He declared that God said that He would make a dry streambed full, and they were to drink from it. Then, the Moabites would be delivered unto them.

When the Moabites saw the morning sun shining on the water, it looked red, and they thought that it was the blood of their enemies. When they went down to collect the spoil, the Israelites struck them and overthrew the cities. King Mesha was so desperate that he sacrificed his own son on the city wall, and the wrath against Israel was great. The Israelites withdrew and went back to their own land.

The Widow's Oil

A widow of one of the sons of the prophets called Elisha and told him that her husband was dead. She said that a creditor had come to take her children as slaves. Elisha asked her what she had in her house, and she answered that all she had was one jar of oil. He told her to gather jars from all of her neighbors and to return home and fill all of the jars with oil. As she poured, they brought more vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she told her son to bring her more, but he replied that there were no more. That is when the oil finally stopped flowing. The widow told Elisha, and he said that she was to sell the oil so that she could pay her debts. The rest of the oil was for them to live on.

The Shunammite Woman

Elisha went to the village of Shunem and met a wealthy woman who lived there. She urged him to eat some food. From then on, whenever he went that way, he would stop there and eat food. The woman told her husband that they should fix a room for Elisha so that he could stay there. One day, Elisha stopped by and was resting. He asked his servant, Gehazi, what they could do for the woman since she had done so much for them. She did not want anything, but Gehazi noticed that she did not have a son. Elisha told her that in a year, she would have a son. Despite this being very unlikely, she bore a son that following spring.

When the child was grown, he went out with the reapers in the field one day. He told his father that his head hurt. His father sent him home to his mother, and he sat on her lap until noon and then died. The Shunammite woman went out with one of her servants to find Elisha. She found him at Mount Carmel. When she approached, Elisha told Gehazi to go to her and ask if all was well with her, her husband, and her son. She told him that all was well, but when she came to Elisha, she grabbed his feet. Gehazi came to pull her away, but Elisha pointed out that something was wrong. When he realized what had happened, Elisha sent his servant ahead to lay his staff on the face of the child. The servant did as he was told, but the child would not awaken. Elisha then went in and prayed. He went to the child and laid on him, putting his mouth on the child's mouth, his eyes on the child's eyes, and his hands on the child's hands. The child began to grow warm. Elisha got up, walked around, and came back to the child. The child sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes. When the woman came in, Elisha told her to pick up her son. She fell at his feet, picked up her son, and went out.

The Deadly Stew

Elisha came to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and Elisha told his servant to boil some stew for the sons of the prophets. The servant gathered herbs, wild vines, and gourds, and he cut them up and made a stew, not knowing that they were poisonous. While the men were eating the stew, one cried out that there was death in the pot. Elisha instructed them to bring some flour, and he put it in the pot. Elisha said to pour some out for the men. There was no harm that came from the pot of stew once Elisha did this.

A man came from Baal-shalishah with twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain. Elisha told the man to give it to the men so that they could eat. The man asked how this could feed one hundred men. Elisha assured him that they would eat and there would even be some left over. He set it before the men. They ate, and some food remained, according to the word of God.

Naaman Healed

Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army. He was a mighty man and was brave, but he was also a leper. He had a servant that was a little girl. She had been taken from Israel on a raid and served Naaman's wife. The little girl told Naaman's wife that there was a prophet in Samaria that could cure Naaman of his leprosy. Naaman went to his king and told him what the girl had said. The king of Syria told Naaman to go and promised to send a letter to the king of Israel.

The king of Syria sent Naaman with a letter, gold, silver, and ten changes of clothes. After reading the letter, the king of Israel tore his clothes and asked how he could cure leprosy. When Elisha heard this, he sent a message to the king telling him to send Naaman to him. Elisha told Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman was angry because he thought that Elisha would just come out and cure him, but Naaman's servants convinced him to try, so he went to the Jordan and washed and was cured.

Gehazi's Greed

After being cured of his leprosy, Naaman returned to Elisha. He tried to give Elisha a gift, but Elisha refused. Naaman asked for two mule loads of earth because he would only worship the true God from then on. Naaman also requested that he be forgiven when he needed to accompany his king while the king worshipped his false god. Elisha told him not to be concerned with that.

Naaman left, and Gehazi, Elisha's servant, went after him. Gehazi caught up with Naaman and said that he had come for the reward for his master. Naaman gave him silver and two changes of clothing. When Gehazi returned to Elisha, Elisha asked him where he had been. Gehazi lied and said that he had not been anywhere. Elisha knew that he was lying and what he had done. He told Gehazi that Naaman's leprosy would cling to him and his descendants forever.

The Axe Head

The sons of the prophets said to Elisha that they wanted a larger place to live. They went down to the Jordan River and began cutting down trees to build their new home. One of the young men dropped his axe in the water by accident. He cried out that it was borrowed. Elisha asked him where in the water it fell. The young man showed him, and Elisha cut off a stick and threw it in the water, and the axe floated. Elisha told the young man to pick it up, so he did.

Syria Comes after Elisha

The king of Syria was fighting with Israel. Elisha warned the king of Israel not to pass by the place where Syria had its camp. Syria's king was troubled by this. He thought that Israel had a spy in his camp. His servants told him that there was no spy but that it was Elisha telling the king of Israel where they were. The king sent out his people to find Elisha and seize him. They told the king that Elisha was in Dothan, so he sent a great army and surrounded Dothan.

Elisha's servant awoke the next morning, and the city was surrounded, but Elisha told his servant not to be afraid. Elisha prayed to God and asked God to make the army blind. God struck the Syrians blind according to the prayer of Elisha. Elisha told the Syrians to follow him, and he would take them to the man they sought. He led them to Samaria. When the king of Israel saw these men, he asked if he should strike them down. Elisha told him not to kill them but to feed them and send them home. After they ate and drank, they were sent home. These Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.

Ben-hadad, King of Syria

Ben-hadad, king of Syria, was not impressed by the Israelites' mercy. He mustered his army and besieged Samaria. Samaria was in a time of great famine, and the people were starving. One day, the king of Israel passed by a woman, and the woman cried out to him that she had made a deal with another woman that they would kill her son, boil him, and eat him one day, and then do the same to the other woman's son on the next day. The woman complained to the king that the other woman hid her son when it was her turn. This made the king so angry that he threatened to kill Elisha.

The king sent a man to kill Elisha because the plague had come from God. Instead of humbling themselves before God, the people wanted to kill His messenger. When the man approached, he told Elisha that he had come to murder him. Elisha replied that the siege and the famine would soon end, but the man would not eat.

Four lepers went to the camp of the Syrians and found it to be empty. God had caused the Syrians to hear a mighty army approaching, and they had fled and abandoned the camp. The lepers went into the camp, ate, drank, carried off silver, gold, and clothing, and then hid the spoils. They realized that what they were doing was wrong, so they went to the city's gatekeepers and told them what they had discovered. The king thought it was a trick, so he sent out horsemen. They found items scattered all the way to the Jordan River that the Syrians had discarded as they fled.

The people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians, hauling away so much that the value of flour and barley was what Elisha had predicted. The man that Elisha had said would not get to eat was trampled to death, and he did not partake of the plundered food, just as Elisha had prophesied.

The Shunammite Woman Returns

Elisha warned the Shunammite woman that he had previously helped that there was a great famine coming, and it would last for seven years. He told her that she should travel somewhere else. The woman listened to Elisha and went to the land of the Philistines for seven years. After seven years, she returned to her home. She went to the king to ask to get her land and house back. The king happened to be talking to Gehazi at that time and asking him all of the things that Elisha had done. Gehazi told the king that this was the woman that Elisha had helped by bringing her son back from the dead. The king appointed an official for the woman, saying that she was to have all that she had possessed before she left, along with all of the produce that came from her fields while she was gone.

Hazael and Ben-hadad

Elisha went to Damascus. Ben-hadad was sick, so he sent a man named Hazael with a gift for Elisha to inquire of God if Ben-hadad was going to die. Elisha stared at Hazael and wept. Hazael asked Elisha why he was so upset. Elisha told him that it was because he knew all of the evil that Hazael would do to Israel. Elisha described the horrible things that he would do, but Hazael asked how a servant like him could do such things. Elisha told him that God had shown him that Hazael would be the king of Syria. Hazael went back to Ben-hadad, and Ben-hadad asked if he would recover. Hazael answered that Elisha said that he would. The next day, Hazael killed Ben-hadad by wetting a piece of bedding and covering his face with it.

Other Accounts

Jehu Assassinates Joram and Ahaziah

Beginning with 2 Kings 8:16, the focus changes to the kings of Judah. This section is a retelling of the accounts of Jehoram. The story of the Edom and Libnah revolts is also covered. 2 Kings summarizes Ahaziah's rule in Judah as well.

2 Kings then switches back to discussing Israel and describes the overthrow of Joram by Jehu. The two kingdoms' stories merge again when 2 Kings recounts the anointing of Jehu as king.

Elisha told one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu (son of Jehoshaphat) to be king of Israel. Jehu then overthrew Joram and sought out all of the house of Ahab to destroy. Jehu not only assassinated Joram but also Ahaziah.

Jehu went from place to place, killing the house of Ahab. He also killed Jezebel, and he gathered together the worshippers of Baal in their temple and ordered them all to be killed. He tore down the temple of Baal and turned it into a latrine. Jehu reigned in Israel, but he did not turn away from all of the sins of Jeroboam. There were still golden calves in Bethel and in Dan. Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years, and his son Jehoahaz reigned after him.

Athaliah—Another Account

2 Kings Chapter 11 gives another account of Athaliah and how she came to power. It also recounts how Joash came to power (helped by Jehoiada).

Summary

Ahaziah sent messengers to a false god to find out if he would recover from his illness. Elijah met the messengers and told them that Ahaziah would die. Ahaziah sent three groups of soldiers to bring Elijah in. The first two groups were killed by God, who sent fire down on them. Elijah went with the third group and met with Ahaziah. Ahaziah died and was replaced by Jehoram.

When Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. Jehoram sent word to Jehoshaphat and asked him to join in the battle against Moab.

Elijah went into heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha took on the role of prophet and did many miracles. He healed unclean water. He told a widow what to do to save her children from slavery, and she filled many vessels with oil that did not run out. Elisha also raised a child from the dead. He fed the sons of the prophets with a stew and made it safe to eat. Naaman was healed from leprosy through Elisha's advice (received from God). Elisha's servant took money from Naaman and ended up with leprosy.

One of the sons of the prophets dropped an axe in the river while cutting trees to build a house. Elisha threw a stick into the water, and the axe floated to the top. The Syrians were fighting with Israel, but Elisha was providing information about Syria to Israel. The Syrian king found out and sent an army to capture him. God struck the army blind, and the men were led away from the city where Elisha was.

Ben-hadad, king of Syria, mustered his army, and together they besieged Samaria. The people in the city were starving. A man was sent to kill Elisha. Elisha told the man that the people would have food the next day, but the man would not. Four lepers went to the Syrian camp and discovered that the Syrians had abandoned the camp. The people from Samaria came and looted the camp, and sure enough, the man Elisha had said would not get to eat was killed by people running over him at the gate.

Application and Reflection

Application

In the account of the miracle with the axe, many may see this as a minor thing, but to the man that lost the axe, it was a tremendous problem. What is a disaster to one person may not seem important to others, but that does not make it any better for the person that is affected by it. God wants to help us, even if our problems seem small to others.

Reflection

The four lepers that found the abandoned Syrian camp thought of themselves first but realized their actions were wrong. They sent word to Samaria, and the people came and were saved. Even if you make a mistake, you can correct it and do what is right. What would you have done if you were in the position the lepers found themselves in?