Monday B-Side

Ahab would not be broken, and he was removed.

Ahazaiah wants to reach out to Baal, and he reaches out far away to Ekron, because Israel's messengers of Baal have been killed. He could have been healed like the widow of Zarephath's son if he only had the faith of the pagan widow.

Structurally, the chapter is a chiasm. The central portion is verses 7 and 8. It hinges upon the king (Ahaziah) wanting to meet with Baal, and he's instead met with Elijah, the "Baal of hair".

The soldiers' humility saved them from the fire of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! We need to fear God more than we fear men.

In Matthew 12:22, the Pharisees accused Jesus of being in league with Satan as he cast out demons. They likened worshipping Jesus to worshipping Baal. We must be careful not to make the mistake of the Pharisees, and read the Word not for legalistic or academic purposes, but to learn more about the character and nature of God! We must come to the Word honestly, as a blank piece of paper, and allow God to correct us.