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Chapter 1 continues with the history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. With the death of King Adab, his son Ahaziah became the 8th. King of Israel. He reigned for less than one year. Shortly after he became king, he fell off the Palace upstairs porch and was seriously injured. He sent messengers to the Temple of the pagan god Baal-ze-bub at Ekron, to ask if he would recover. There were at least 14 of these temples named after the pagan god Baal. Each one was dedicated to some part of their lives. This one, Baal-ze-bub, was lord of flies. It was located in the city of Ekron in Philistia near the boarder of Judah.
This arrogance on the part of Ahaziah and total disregard for Yahwah, angered the Lord and thru Elijah, he learned of his fate. Elijah met the messengers before they got to Ekron and sent them back to the King with the message that he would never leave his bed and that he would surly die. When the messengers returned so quickly, the king knew that they had not had time to get to Ekron and he asked them why they had not done as he had commanded them. They told him that on the way they had met a man and that he had answered their question and prophesied the King's death. The King then inquired what the man looked like and when they told him that he was a hairy man, Ahiziah knew that it was Elijah.
Then the King sent one of his army Captains and 50 men to arrest Elijah and bring him back. When they found Elijah, they told him why they had come and demanded that he return with them to the Palace, but Elijah called down fire from heaven and destroyed them all. When the King heard of this, he sent 50 more men and another Captain and Elijah destroyed them also. Once more the King sent 50 men and a Captain but this time, the Captain was a humble man and he fell on his knees in front of Elijah and begged for his life and the lives of his men.
An Angel then told Elijah not to be afraid to go with the men so he went with them to the Palace of the King. Went Elijah came before the King, he told the King that because of his indifference of the Lord, and because he had not recognized the Lord as the source of his information and as the Lord of Israel, he would surly die.
Ahiziah died in 852 BC as Elijah had prophesied and his brother, Jehovah, became the 9th. King of Israel, as Ahiziah had no sons.
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