II Kings 1:3
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But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are on your way to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
We here find Ahaziah, the genuine son and successor of Ahab, on the throne of Israel. His reign continued not two years; he died by a fall in his own house, of which, after the mention of the revolt of Moab (Kg2 1:1), we have here an account. I. The message which, on that occasion, he sent to the god of Ekron (Kg2 1:2). II. The message he received from the God of Israel (Kg2 1:3-8). III. The destruction of the messengers he sent to seize the prophet, once and again (Kg2 1:9-12). IV. His compassion to, and compliance with, the third messenger, upon his submission, and the delivery of the message to the king himself (Kg2 1:13-16). IV. The death of Ahaziah (Kg2 1:17, Kg2 1:18). In the story we may observe how great the prophet looks and how little the prince.
Open source ↗1:3-4 The angel of the Lord does not seem to be a christophany in the book of Kings, as in other Old Testament texts (e.g., Judg 6:11-18). • Elijah, who had previously confronted Ahaziah’s father, Ahab, had a twofold message for the king: a condemnation for failure to acknowledge that Yahweh, not Baal, is God (see 1 Kgs 18:16-18), and a pronouncement of doom (see 1 Kgs 21:17-24).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD lives—the God of Israel before whom I stand—there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.
God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel.
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”
“He was a hairy man,” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.
After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”
This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”
At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.