Third Encounter of a Different Kind

"O. T. #816 "Third Encounter of a Different Kind"
August 22, 2016
2 Kings 1-Part 2


LET IT GLOW

Surely some of you recall the movie  Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In it a man encounters aliens and goes with them in their spaceship. Well, today 153 men have an encounter of a different kind, one with a man of God. Join me as we see what happens to them at their encounter.

Moab was a nation which oppressed Israel 18 years during the judges. Later, King Saul defeated them and David enjoyed a peaceful relationship with them. then Moab once again troubled Israel.
Ahaziah is now king of Israel, apparently does nothing toward their rebellion.

King Ahaziah had an accident and fell off his second floor balcony, onto the ground. He sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub to ask the idol Ekron whether he would recover. Meanwhile, the LORD told Prophet Elijah to confront the messengers asking, Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-Bezebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king would recover? Because he did this, the king would surely die, to never leave his bed.

Well, the messengers returned to the king and told him of the encounter with Elijah. Then Ahaziah sent an army captain with 50 soldiers to arrest Elijah. This happened 3 times. The first two times the group was killed by fire from heaven, as a result of Elijah saying, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your 50 men."

Did you catch this? Elijah had seen God send fire from heaven earlier when he confronted the 400 prophets of Baal. Now he prays for it to come down 2 more times. What a prayer life! Truly, Elijah was a man of God. He obeyed what God told him to do, even when surrounded by evil. He knew
how powerful his God was,  obeyed Him, and trusted His protection.

Are we prayer warriors like Elijah? Well, maybe we don't pray down fire from heaven, but does God answer our prayers since we are obedient?

LET IT GLOW

The third encounter was a different kind. Ahaziah sent another captain and 50 men requiring Elijah to come down from his hill at once. The captain fell to his knees before Elijah, pleading with him to spare his life and that of the 50 men. This man had learned the lesson of God's power and appealed for mercy, unlike their king.

This time, the LORD instructed Elijah to go down with him and to not be afraid of the king. Elijah personally delivered the deadly message from God to Ahaziah. Sure enough, the king died, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah. Ahaziash's brother Joram succeed him as the next king of Israel. This took place during Jehoram's second year reign of Judah. He was the son of Jehoshaphat.

Do we desire to encountered God in a different way today? He is merciful, gracious, loving, kind, healer, strength, refuge, forgiving, etc...

LET IT GO

Open my spiritual eyes, Lord Jesus, so I can see You working in and around my life.

I want an encounter with the One and Only God.