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Elijah #7

 [Elijah] WHEN MOCKERS SPEAK_ 

2 Kings 1_ 

 
There was a man who occasionally blazed with anger... his name is Jesus! 
We don’t usually think of Jesus as angry. 
As humans, we tend to be at our worst when we are angry. So, it can be uncomfortable to picture Jesus that way. 
The difference is that I get upset when my personal rights are trampled on... but Jesus never did. 
On the other hand, we tend to be pretty calm when God’s character is insulted... while Jesus was infuriated by that. 

 
[Group discussion] What kinds of stories in the news make you angry? 
What events in our world make God angry? 

 

Like mother, like son... Ahab and Jezebel’s son, Ahaziah, continued in his parent’s footsteps, spreading the poison of idolatry throughout the nation of Israel. 
His reign only lasted two years, but he made them count! 

 
 
[Read 2 Kings 1] 

 

 
Based on what you have read/heard in this chapter, how would you describe Ahaziah? 

 

Think of a time in your life when you “went to Ekron” - that is, turned to other sources for answers that only God can supply. 
How did God intercept you or turn you back to Him? 

 

In verses 5-8, what was it about Elijah that made the king’s messengers to go back rather than complete their mission? 

 

What does Ahaziah’s response to Elijah reveal about his attitude toward God? 

 

Was the fire from heaven designed just to wipe out the enemy or did it have another purpose? 
Explain your answer. 

 

 

Think about times when you have been confronted with new or difficult truths about God. How have you usually responded in those situations? 

 

What risks did Elijah take by going with the captain to the king? 

 

When have you felt like God was asking you to do something that would seem foolish in the eyes of the world? 

 

Why is it difficult to talk with people today about God’s judgement on sin? 

 

 

How would you explain this chapter’s portrayal of God to someone who thinks it conflicts with the bible’s teaching about God’s love? 

 

 

[Activity] In Luke 9:52-55, James and John wanted to recreate Elijah’s fire from heaven when the people in a Samaritan village refused to welcome them. 
In that story, Jesus rebuked the disciples and moved on. 
Why do you think that Jesus didn’t respond in the same way to that insult as God responded to Ahaziah’s insult?  

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