I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Kings 1-2.

When Ahab’s son, King Ahaziah was injured he sent to the god of Ekron to determine if he would recover rather than seek an answer from God.  Then after his messengers are intercepted by Elijah and sent back with word from God that he will not recover, he sends soldiers to arrest Elijah.  By sending to Ekron, King Ahaziah revealed that the Baal worship introduced into Israel by his father was not just a different way of worshiping God, but was instead the worship of a different god.  We see here that in times of stress what we truly believe is revealed.  Then we have the experiences of the three groups of soldiers sent to bring Elijah to the king.  The first two recognized that Elijah was a man of God, but nevertheless felt that the power delegated to them by the king gave them the authority to order him to come with them.  They believed that because they were following orders they could threaten the man of God, and use force, or even violence, to compel him to do as the king had commanded.  The leader of the last group recognized that he did not have the authority, nor the power, to compel a man of God to action unless God allowed him to do so.

Elijah is one of two people recorded in the Bible as having their lives on earth end without them dying.  In Genesis 5 we are told that Enoch walked faithfully with God, then he was no more because God took him.  This is as opposed to the other men mentioned in Genesis 5 of which the passage says “and then he died”.  This passage tells us that a chariot drawn by horses of fire separated Elijah from Elisha and Elijah was carried into heaven by a whirlwind.  Before that happened, Elisha had requested a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and to be Elijah’s successor.  I am not sure what the meaning of all of this is, but it is definitely significant that Elijah was one of two people of whom the Bible records their life on earth ending without recording that they died.