The Lord of the Flies and the Lord of Hosts Text: 2 Kings 1:1-16
Introduction: Consulting the Experts
We live in an age of experts. When we are sick, we go to a doctor. When our car breaks down, we go to a mechanic. When we are anxious, we go to a therapist. When we want to know the future of the economy, we consult an analyst. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of this; God has filled His world with delegated authorities and distributed knowledge. But a subtle and deadly shift occurs when our consultation with the experts becomes our ultimate appeal. A problem arises, and our first instinct, our gut reaction, is to ask, "What does the world say?" We turn to Google before we turn to God. We trust the diagnosis of the lab coat more than the decrees of the Almighty. We do this because, functionally, we are practical atheists.
We say we believe in God, but when a real crisis hits, when we fall through the lattice of our own upper chamber, we send our messengers, not to Yahweh, but to the modern equivalent of Ekron. We send them to the god of technology, the god of medicine, the god of political solutions. And the question God hurls back at us through the prophet is the same today as it was then: "Is it because there is no God in Israel?" Is your frantic search for secular solutions a result of a temporary memory lapse, or is it high treason? Do you seek answers from the lord of the flies because you have forgotten the Lord of Hosts, or because you are in active rebellion against Him?
The story before us is not a quaint piece of ancient history about a petulant prophet and an unlucky king. It is a stark, violent, and necessary confrontation between two kingdoms. It is about sovereignty. Who is in charge here? Who has the right to speak, to command, to judge, and to define reality? Is it the king in his palace, or is it the God on His throne? Is it the man with the army, or is it the man of God on the hill? This passage forces us to answer that question, not with our pious affirmations in church, but with the frantic dispatch of our messengers when life falls apart.
The Text
Now Moab revolted against Israel after the death of Ahab. And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber, which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will live from this sickness." But the angel of Yahweh said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?' Now therefore thus says Yahweh, 'You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.' " Then Elijah departed. So the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, "Why have you returned?" And they said to him, "A man came up to meet us and said to us, 'Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, "Thus says Yahweh, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.' " ' " And he said to them, "What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?" And they said to him, "He was a hairy man with a leather girdle girded about his loins." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite." Then the king sent to him a commander of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, "O man of God, the king says, 'Come down.' " And Elijah answered and spoke to the commander of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. So he again sent to him another commander of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and spoke to him, "O man of God, thus says the king, 'Come down quickly.' " And Elijah answered and spoke to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. So he again sent the commander of a third fifty with his fifty. Then the third commander of fifty went up and came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and he begged him and said to him, "O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two commanders of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight." Then the angel of Yahweh spoke to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So he arose and went down with him to the king. Then he spoke to him, "Thus says Yahweh, 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?, therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die.' "
(2 Kings 1:1-16 LSB)
Apostasy on the Sickbed (vv. 1-4)
The story opens with two crises for King Ahaziah, son of the notorious Ahab and Jezebel. First, a political crisis: Moab rebels. The kingdom is fracturing. Second, a personal crisis: he has a nasty fall and is laid up, sick and injured. It is in moments of crisis that our true allegiances are revealed. And where does the king of Israel turn?
"So he sent messengers and said to them, 'Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will live from this sickness.'" (2 Kings 1:2)
This is not just a foolish choice; it is an act of cosmic treason. Ahaziah is the king of Yahweh's covenant people. He had at his disposal the entire history of God's faithfulness, the law, and likely prophets and priests. But he ignores all of them. He sends his official delegation to a Philistine city to consult a pagan deity. And not just any deity. Baal-zebub means "lord of the flies." This was likely a derogatory Hebrew pun on the name Baal-zebul, meaning "Baal the prince," but the pun sticks for a reason. This is a garbage god, a deity of decay and filth. Ahaziah, in his desperation, seeks a prognosis for life from a god of the dung heap. This is what idolatry always is: a pathetic and degrading exchange of the glory of the incorruptible God for an image of something corruptible.
But God will not be ignored. He intercepts the king's messengers by sending His own. The angel of Yahweh commands Elijah to confront them with the central question of the entire story: "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?" This is divine, searing sarcasm. God is not asking for information. He is exposing the absurdity of their sin. To bypass the living God who dwelt among them in order to consult a foreign idol was not just faithless; it was monumentally stupid. And because of this treason, the verdict is delivered. Ahaziah sought a prognosis, and now he has one, not from Baal-zebub, but from Yahweh. He will die.
The Uniform of Confrontation (vv. 5-8)
The messengers, having been intercepted by this force of nature, return to the king. Their early return is suspicious. When they relay the message, Ahaziah's first question is not about the message itself, but about the messenger.
"And he said to them, 'What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?' And they said to him, 'He was a hairy man with a leather girdle girded about his loins.' And he said, 'It is Elijah the Tishbite.'" (2 Kings 1:7-8 LSB)
Ahaziah recognizes him by the description alone. This was not the attire of a court prophet. This was the uniform of the wilderness, the clothing of a man who was not on the royal payroll, who was not softened by the luxuries of the palace. This was the uniform of divine confrontation. It marked a man set apart, a man whose allegiance was not to the king of Samaria but to the King of Heaven. It is no accident that John the Baptist, the next great Elijah-figure, would adopt the very same dress code. When a man shows up dressed like this, you know he is not there to flatter you.
Ahaziah knows who it is. He knows the man who represents the God he is actively ignoring. And his response is not repentance. It is rage. He will not bow to the message, so he decides to arrest the messenger.
When God Answers by Fire (vv. 9-14)
What follows is one of those scenes that makes modern, sentimental Christians very uncomfortable. Ahaziah sends a captain and fifty soldiers to fetch the prophet. The captain finds Elijah sitting on a hill, a position of authority, and issues a command.
"'O man of God, the king says, 'Come down.' ' And Elijah answered... 'If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.'" (2 Kings 1:9-10 LSB)
Let us be very clear about what is happening here. The captain uses the correct title, "man of God," but he places it under the authority of the king's command. "The king says." This is an attempt by the state to domesticate the church. It is an attempt to make the Word of God subservient to the word of an apostate ruler. Elijah's response, "If I am a man of God," is not an expression of doubt. It is a legal challenge. It means, "You have invoked the title. Now let us see whose authority stands behind it. Let us see who is truly in charge here." God answers, and the fire falls. This is not Elijah having a temper tantrum. This is a judicial act of the living God against armed officers of a treasonous regime, sent to arrest His accredited ambassador.
Incredibly, the king does not learn. He sends another captain with another fifty men. This second captain is even more insolent. He adds the word "quickly." He doubles down on the arrogance. The result is the same. God will not be mocked, and He will not be hurried. His judgment is righteous and sure.
Finally, a third captain is sent. This man has learned the lesson that his predecessors paid for with their lives. He approaches with wisdom and fear. He goes up, bows on his knees, and begs for his life and the lives of his men. He acknowledges the power that has been displayed. He does not command; he pleads. And in response to this humility, he receives mercy. Here is the character of God in miniature: terrifying, holy, and just toward the proud, but abounding in mercy toward the humble who approach Him on His own terms.
The Unchanging Word (v. 15-16)
Having demonstrated His absolute authority, God now gives Elijah clearance to go. The angel tells him, "do not be afraid of him." The display of power on the hill was not just for the king's benefit; it was to fortify the prophet. Elijah was now to do what the captains had commanded, but not because they commanded it. He goes down because God commands it.
"Then he spoke to him, 'Thus says Yahweh, "Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?, therefore you shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but shall surely die." ' " (2 Kings 1:16 LSB)
Elijah stands before the king and delivers the exact same message he gave to the messengers in the wilderness. The Word of the Lord does not change. It does not get softer in the presence of earthly power. The reason for the judgment is stated again, right to the king's face. The charge is idolatry. The charge is treason. The sentence is death. And the story ends with Ahaziah dying, according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken.
Conclusion: The True Man of God
This is our story. We, like Ahaziah, have fallen. We are broken, sick with sin, and lying on a deathbed from which we cannot save ourselves. And our natural, fallen instinct is to send our messengers everywhere but to the living God. We inquire of the Baal-zebubs of self-reliance, of worldly wisdom, of political saviors, and of cheap grace. We live as though there is no God in Israel.
But God, in His mercy, has sent a greater Elijah. He has sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, the true Man of God. He came confronting the proud and the powerful, and they sought to arrest Him and put Him under their authority. They demanded that He come down, not from a hill, but from a cross.
The fire of God's judgment against sin is real and terrifying. The first two captains represent all who would stand in proud rebellion against Christ, demanding that He submit to their terms. The fire that consumed them is a foretaste of the hell that awaits all who will not bow the knee.
But the third captain shows us the way of salvation. We must come to Jesus Christ as that captain came to Elijah. We must come on our knees. We must stop issuing commands and start pleading for mercy. We must ask that our lives be precious in His sight. And when we do, we find that the fire of God's wrath that we deserved was poured out upon Him. On the cross, Jesus was consumed by the fire of judgment so that we, the humble rebels, might be spared.
The question this text leaves us with is the same question it began with. Now that you know of the mercy offered in Christ, will you continue to send your inquiries to the lord of the flies? Or will you, at long last, turn and inquire of the Lord of Hosts? Is it because there is no God in Israel? No. There is a God in Israel, and His name is Jesus.