Reading: 2 Kings 1-3, Psalm 101
The division between first and second Kings is, like all the book division in the Hebrew Bible, a result of the translators of the books into Greek in the second century before Christ’s decision to cut them in half. In this case, they made the division just about the end of the reign of Ahab, but remember that this is really just a continuous narrative with the same purpose as the first book of Kings.
Following the death of Ahab, his son becomes king, and then proceeds to fall through the floor of his second story balcony and hurt his foot. Auspicious beginning. The wound was bad enough he sends to the Philistine god Baal-Zebul, or Prince of Flies, in Ekron for a word of healing. Having witnessed his father’s relationship with Elijah, it is unsurprising he avoided the man, but he cannot escape Elijah’s words. The messengers begin the journey to Ekron, but God sends Elijah to intercept them and sends them back with a curse and a word of doom.
Following this is a scene worthy of a fantasy epic film. Ahaziah sends three sets of soldiers led by a captain speak to Elijah. The first one is consumed by a fireball at Elijah’s word. The second is as well. The third, clearly terrified of Elijah, (and who could blame him?) begs to be spared and for Elijah to come with him. Elijah finally consents. This scene makes it clear who is really in charge here. Elijah is coming of his own volition, not at the summons of Ahaziah. He goes, but only to deliver a confirmation that Ahaziah will not survive his injury. He dies and is replaced by his brother Jehoram.
The next scene is a succession narrative, as we are now fully following the activities of the prophets, rather than the kings, of Israel. God’s word and authority rests on the prophet Elijah, not the kings of Israel. We are treated to a scene in which Elijah gives Elisha three chances to turn away from the office of prophet, but he will not. They cross the Jordan as the river splits before them, recalling the division of the red sea, the entrance of the people of Israel under Joshua, and the return to the throne of David following Absalom’s revolt. Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit from God. The double portion is Israelite society was the right of a firstborn son. Elisha is asking Elijah for the status of primary heir, which he will receive and will be confirmed by Elisha’s performance of exactly twice as many miraculous signs as Elijah did. Finally, Elijah is taken up to heaven by chariots of fire. Which is rad.
Elisha then takes his master’s cloak, splits the Jordan again, and returns to the promised land. He immediately performs two miraculous signs: purifying the water at Jericho, and pronouncing judgment on the mocking young men of Bethel. The second scene, in which Elisha curses the fifty or so young men who mock his bald head, has been troublesome for some people. Remember that Bethel was a center of false worship, one of the places Jeroboam had set up a golden calf. To mock an elder was extremely disrespectful in the culture, and to mock a prophet even more so. These weren’t simply obnoxious young people, they were flaunting their disrespect for the messenger of the God of Israel. So they got eaten by bears. So don’t do that, unless you want to be eaten by bears.
The close of today’s reading is the war against Moab, in which Israel and Judah ally with Edom against them. The important scene here is the total disregard the prophet has for the king of Israel. He directs all his words to the king of Judah. We have been seeing over and over stories that show how God has finished with the kingdom of Israel. Here we are shown that, even though God is going to give Israel and Judah victory, it has nothing to do with the king of Israel, but only the king of Judah. It’s really kind of an audacious statement, as Judah is the smaller and weaker of the kingdoms, though at the moment they have an alliance of equals.
God orchestrates the battle such that the Moabites think that the three kings have gotten in an argument and attacked each other. They come thinking they will be raiding an embattled camp, but are instead faced with all three armies in good shape. They get chased all the way back to their capital city, where something awful and strange occurs. The king of Moab performs a ritual sacrifice of his eldest son on the walls of the city, and as a result combined army of Israel, Judah, and Edom leave for home. What was going on with this? We really don’t know for sure, but bear in mind that at this time two of those three nations were worshiping gods like those of the Moabites. They may simply have been terrified of the consequences of continuing the battle following such a sacrifice. God may also have turned against them to prevent the total destruction of Moab at that time. Or perhaps there was some actual demonic power at work. The story doesn’t tell us why, it just tells us they broke off and went home.
The book of 2 Kings will continue this theme of the authority of the kings moving to the prophets. Israel has been judged, though they will limp along for a few more kings. Judah has so far done okay under Asa and Jehoshaphat, but the story is far from over, and there has not been so much as a hint of a righteous anointed one, only the curses of the prophets, carrying out the covenant law.