Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did ,.... During his two years' reign, which yet were imperfect, and his acts must be but few: are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel ? in which were written his father Ahab's also, and his predecessors', see 1 Kings 22:39 . read more
THE REVOLT OF MOAB . THE ILLNESS , IMPIETY , AND DEATH OF AHAZIAH The narrative of the Second Book of Kings follows on that of the First Book in the closest possible sequence. The history of Ahaziah's reign begins in 1 Kings 22:51 , and is carried on, without any real break or pause in the sense, to 2 Kings 1:18 . How the two books came to be divided at this point is quite inexplicable. The division is most unhappy. Not only does it, without apparent reason, draw... read more
The short reign of Ahaziah: his sins, and their punishment. For homiletic purposes we must attach to this chapter the last three verses of the First Book of the Kings. We find in that passage a short but very complete account of the general character of Ahaziah's sins; we find in this chapter a tolerably full account of one great act of sin, and a clear declaration of the manner in which that act and his other sins were punished. It will be well to consider separately I. THE SINS .... read more
Man in three aspects. "Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty," etc. In this paragraph we have man in three aspects. I. MAN RUINED THROUGH THE CONDUCT OF OTHERS . The messengers which the king sent to Elijah—fifty each time on three different occasions—were all, except the last fifty, destroyed by lightning. This awful judgment came upon them, not merely on their own account—although, like all sinners, they had forfeited their lives to eternal justice—but as... read more
Unwritten history. Ahaziah died, and Jehoram his brother succeeded him. "The rest of his acts" were written "in the book of the chronicles of the Kings of Israel;" but Scripture has not preserved them. Why should it? What was there in the records of that brief and evil existence to entitle the memory of it to live? "The memory of the just is blessed; but the name of the wicked shall rot" ( Proverbs 10:7 ). Enough is written to hold him up to after-ages as an example of the certainty of... read more
Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did. These may have included some months of warfare against Mesha, King of Moab, who seems to have rebelled at the very beginning of Ahaziah's reign ( 2 Kings 1:1 and 2 Kings 3:5 ). Mesha's war of independence consisted of a succession of sieges, whereby he recovered one by one the various strongholds in his territory, which were occupied by the Israelites—Medeba, Ataroth, Nebo, Jahaz, Horonaim, and others—expelling the foreign garrisons,... read more
1:1-8:15 MINISTRY OF ELISHAElijah succeeded by Elisha (1:1-2:25)Ahab’s son Ahaziah had not reigned long when he was injured in a fall. When he sent messengers to ask foreign gods whether he would recover, Elijah met them along the way. He sent them back with a message that the king would die, because he had forsaken the true God for foreign gods (1:1-10). Ahaziah sent soldiers to arrest Elijah, apparently with the intention of killing him because of his bold words. The ungodly king lost a... read more
3. Ahaziah’s evil reign in Israel 1 Kings 22:51-2 Kings 1:18 (continued)Second Kings begins with Ahaziah’s reign that fell during the 33-year period of Israel and Judah’s alliance (874-841 B.C.; 1 Kings 16:29 -2 Kings 9:29). This period in turn fits within the larger context of the divided kingdom (931-722 B.C.; 1 Kings 12 -2 Kings 17). [Note: See the diagram of the period of alliance near my notes on 1 Kings 16:29.] "The typical Syrian upper balcony was enclosed with a jointed wood... read more
B. THE PERIOD OF ALLIANCE 1 Kings 16:29-2 Kings 9:29 [CONT. FROM 1 KGS.] ) read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 1:9-18
Here, I. The king issues out a warrant for the apprehending of Elijah. If the God of Ekron had told him he should die, it is probable he would have taken it quietly; but now that a prophet of the Lord tells him so, reproving him for his sin and reminding him of the God of Israel, he cannot bear it. So far is he from making any good improvement of the warning given him that he is enraged against the prophet; neither his sickness, nor the thoughts of death, made any good impressions upon him,... read more