“If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” (2 Kings 1:10)
The first chapter of 2nd Kings is dedicated to the prophet of fire – Elijah. Elijah calls for fire from heaven to consume his enemies, and it does. Hundreds of years later, two men, James and John, would turn to Jesus and ask, “Lord do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them as Elijah did?” (Luke 9:54)
Jesus would rebuke them because they didn’t understand; now was not a time for the spirit of Elijah, but for the spirit of Christ. James and John wanted to wield the power of justice, but Jesus sent His apostles to wield the power of the gospel of forgiveness and mercy.
Elijah is a reminder that God can be an all-consuming fire… but for those in Christ, He chooses mercy instead.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
This Week’s Reading: 1 Kings 22; 2 Kings 1-6; Psalm 39; Proverbs 8 This year, #Biblebites are looking at lessons from the history of the Old Testament. Each week reads a section of history with a Psalm to meditate on and a dash of Proverbs to dwell upon. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2024-vision