#152: Blame the Christian!
Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth his body. Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!”
II Kings 6:30-31 NKJV
It does not seem a stretch to call the Lord’s fire from heaven at Mt. Carmel the highlight of Elijah’s public ministry in Israel. Never before or after in Elijah’s ministry was the truth and power of the LORD God manifested so publicly in the face of the king, the false prophets of Baal, and all the Israelites together. While the Israelites professed afterwards, “The Lord, He is God,” the wicked king and queen did not make such a profession. Instead, when Jezebel (who did not go to witness her prophets’ defeat), heard the events of Mt. Carmel recounted for her from Ahab she said to Elijah through a messenger, “so let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time” (I Kings 19:2).
Here is the response of the wicked when the Lord’s truth and power is displayed to all the world – kill the prophet of the Lord! What did they do to the prophets of old? Some they beat (Micaiah); some they imprisoned (Jeremiah); some they murdered (Zechariah (II Chron 24:21) and likely Isaiah); and many they attempted to murder (Elijah and Elisha). To show their wrath towards God, the wicked will attempt to destroy God’s people.
Rather than repenting in dust, ashes, and sackcloth before the Lord for His sin, the king of Israel put on sackcloth and made an oath to decapitate Elisha that very day. Even the wicked king knew the account of the woman was a thing to be mourned and yet instead of repenting as the king of Nineveh once did, the king of Israel swore an oath to kill God’s prophet. Such is the madness, folly, and bondage of sin. The way of salvation is before the sinner and he will choose darkness rather than light. They will curse the messengers of truth rather than bow before the God of truth.
Every miracle of God and every truth of His word had been on display by God to the king through God’s servants Elijah and Elisha all the days of the king’s life. Yet at the late hour of God’s curse the king vowed to kill Elisha rather than ask Elisha to plead with God to save the land.
We ought not be surprised when the world hates us. For they hated the prophets who came before us. More than the prophets they hated the perfect, sinless, Son of God to the point that He who knew no sin was crucified on the cross at the hands of wicked men for everything His chosen people had done. We are not servants better than our master but like the world hated Jesus so it will hate us. Do not fear dear saints. He who preserved Elijah and Elisha, also preserves us. Press on!
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