After King Ahab died, one of his sons became the King of Israel in his place. And this new King was wicked, like his father had been before him. He did not try to please God, but worshiped Baal, the idol that his mother had brought into the land of Israel. And he hated the people who tried to please God.
But Ahaziah, this new King, did not rule the people very long. One day after he had been King only a short time, he fell down through a lattice in his beautiful palace at Samaria, And the fall hurt him so badly that it made him sick. For days and days he lay upon his bed suffering misery. He wondered whether he should ever be well again. Finally he called some of his men and told them to go down to the land of the Philistines and ask the god of those people whether he should be healed of the disease.
Ahaziah did not want to ask a prophet of the true God about his sickness. But the true God knew all about Ahaziah, and why he was sending to the god of the Philistines. And the Lord sent an angel to speak to Elijah, the faithful prophet, and tell him what Ahaziah had done. The angel told Elijah to go out and meet the messengers of the King who were going to the land of the Philistines, and to tell them that God had said Ahaziah would never be cured of his disease.
As the messengers were hurrying on their errand they were met by a stranger, who said, “Is there no God in Israel, that you must go down to the land of the Philistines to inquire of that idol whether your master will be made well of his sickness? Go back and tell him that the Lord God has said he will never be able to rise up from his bed again.” Elijah turned and went away as suddenly as he had come, and the messengers decided to go back at once and tell the King what Elijah had told them. So they hurried back to the palace, and when they entered the sick-room Ahaziah said, “Why have you come back so soon?”
“A strange-looking man met us,” they answered, “and he asked if there is no God in Israel that you must be sending to the Philistines to inquire about your sickness. He said that because you are doing this you will never be cured of your disease, but will die from it.”
The King knew that it must have been Elijah, the prophet, who had spoken to his messengers. And he was greatly displeased with Elijah. He wished to capture him and possibly put him into a prison-house. So he sent a company of soldiers to take Elijah and bring him to Samaria.
When the soldiers and their captain found Elijah he was sitting on top of a hill. The captain called to him and commanded him to come down. But Elijah knew that the soldiers were wicked men, and he knew their King was angry with him and was planning to punish him because he had obeyed God. So Elijah did not come down from the hill. you have said, then let fire come down from heaven and destroy you all.” And fire fell from the sky and burned up the captain and his men.
When this company of soldiers and their captain did not return with Elijah, the King sent another company to capture him. And this second company was destroyed just as the first had been. Then the King was more angry than ever. He sent the third company, and commanded their captain to bring Elijah back to Samaria.
The captain of the third company knew what had happened to the other captains and to their soldiers, and he was afraid of Elijah and of his God. He did not rstand at the foot of the hill and command the prophet to come down, as the other captains had done. He climbed to the top of the hill and fell down on his knees before Elijah, and begged the prophet to spare his. life and the lives of his soldiers. And the angel of God who often spoke to Elijah now told him not to be afraid to go down with the captain to Samaria, to see the King. So Elijah rose up and wrapped his mantle around his shoulders and followed the captain back to Samaria, to see the King.
.When Elijah came to the palace he walked boldly into the sick-room to speak to the King. He was no more afraid of meeting Ahaziah now than he had been of meeting the wicked Ahab in Naboth’s vine-yard. And he told Ahaziah the same words that he had told to the messengers.
God did not let the King harm Elijah; but God caused Elijah’s words to come true. And not long afterwards Ahaziah died, and Jehoram, his brother, ruled Israel in his place.