Last week, in “In the Swearing: Christmas Lessons From the Prophets, Part 2”, we saw that not only does God expect us to keep our word, but He kept His! In keeping with His promises from the beginning of time, God sent Jesus to conquer the father of lies!
There are hundreds of stories from the various Old Testament prophets that would show us different aspects of the Christmas story, but we will focus on just one more: A story from the Prophet Elijah!
The story is recorded in 2 Kings 1, and I encourage you to read the chapter in its entirety. It is nearing the end of Elijah’s life on this earth. The evil king of Israel, Ahaziah, son of Ahab and the wicked queen Jezebel, is lying on his death bed. Like any one of us, he doesn’t want to die. He hopes that by consulting the gods, he can be healed, and he sends messengers: “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this sickness.” (Vs. 2b NASB). The messenger is intercepted by the prophet Elijah with a message from the One true God: “Now therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not get down from the bed upon which you have lain, but you shall certainly die.’” (Vs. 4 NASB). Then Elijah departs.
Needless to say, Ahaziah isn’t exactly happy to hear this message, and he sends one of his captains, a captain of 50 and his 50 men, to find Elijah and bring him back to the king. The captain is successful in finding Elijah: “And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill.” (Vs. 9a NASB). It was with confidence that the captain approached Elijah. After all, who would dare disobey an order from the King! “You man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” (Vs. 9b).
I don’t know if you noticed the lack of respect for a man of God in the captain’s words, and quite probably a lack of conviction that Elijah was, indeed, a “man of God”, but Elijah did. He replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” (Vs. 10a NASB). And it did… “Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.” (Vs. 10b NASB).
Ahaziah is determined, however, to bring Elijah to him. Perhaps he is certain that Elijah will take back his words once he sees the king face to face. Maybe he has even convinced himself that his own presence will instill fear in Elijah, and he will recant! And so the story repeats itself in the next two verses, Vs. 11-12. Another 50 men and their captain are sent, the captain again speaks with disrespect and lack of conviction, fire again comes down from heaven to consume the evil men.
Ahaziah isn’t deterred however. He will have Elijah come to see him! So he sends yet another captain and his 50 men.
The story takes a slightly different turn here, however, and herein lies the Christmas message…
Upon approaching Elijah, this third captain fell to his knees in a stance of humility: “…he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, ‘You man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight.’” (Vs. 13b, 14 NASB). Not only were this captain and his fifty men permitted to live, but Elijah, “…got up and went down with him to the king.” (Vs. 15b NASB)
What made the difference?
Humility! This third captain recognized that he, himself, was nothing in the sight of the Lord Almighty. He humbled himself before Elijah and before God.
Humility is so important in God’s eyes: “…and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 NASB)
And we are told by Jesus Himself: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11 NASB).
It is perhaps this last bit of advice that was on the heart of that third captain of 50, for he humbled himself, and he was exalted.
And this is this exact example that Jesus left for us that very first Christmas: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NASB).
Jesus was born into a poor family. There wasn’t even a place for him in the inn. Rather, in the depths of all humility, Jesus was born in a stable: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7 NASB). And this humility stayed with Jesus, right to the cross: “…He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8 NASB)
This is one of the most important lessons from the Christmas story. If God would humble Himself in this manner, how much more must we humble ourselves in the face of God?
It is only a few more days until Christmas. Why not spend some time meditating on the humility of Jesus over these next few days? Why not resolve to live in humility as Jesus did on that very first Christmas?
This is the last part of the “Christmas Lessons From the Prophets” mini-series. However we will be further exploring some important lessons from the prophets in the upcoming two devotionals: “New Years Lessons From the Prophets”! Please join us for the next two Saturdays!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
(To access the entire, “Christmas Lessons From the Prophets”, please click here.)
