(1) What kind of a king was Ahaziah? (1 Ki. 22:52-53)
(2) Why did he seek out Baal-Zebub instead of the Lord? (Baal-Zebub—the fly-god of Ekron, the northernmost city of the Philistines) What was it an indication of?
a. That he truly believed in the power of this fly-god
b. That he was too afraid of the Lord
c. He was too hard-hearted in his rebellion against the Lord
(3) Why was God so angry at Ahaziah that He would pronounce his sure death? (v. 4)
(4) Although God now pronounced his certain death, but not immediate death, how then should Ahaziah have responded to this?
(5) Recognizing that it was the prophet Elijah, why did Ahaziah send a contingent of 50 soldiers to see Elijah, and not just messengers?
(6) Although the captain addressed Elijah as “man of God”, was what he said an invitation or an order? (v. 9)
(7) Why did Elijah choose to have fire fall from heaven to consume them? (v. 10)
(8) Did the second captain show more respect to Elijah than the first captain? (v. 11)
(9) After the death of his two captains and soldiers, what should Ahaziah have done?
(10) While Ahaziah appeared not to have changed his attitude, was the 3rd captain any different from the previous two captains? (vv. 13-14)
(11) In your opinion, why didn’t Ahaziah repent or at least show signs of remorse (like his father in 1 Ki. 21:27)?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) It is obvious that Elijah knew that God was to take him home and in a special way. (v. 10)
a. Why did he not want Elisha to accompany him?
b. Why did he not even make it plain to Elisha whom he knew would be his successor? (1 Ki. 19:16)
c. If no one saw him depart, would people not simply be searching for him and should he not pass on some parting words to the successor of his important ministry?
(2) Why did Elisha ask the prophets at Bethel and Jericho to be quiet? Shouldn’t there be a farewell by them?
(3) We previously read about Elijah using his cloak to cover his head (1 Ki. 19:13).
a. What did Elijah use it for now?
b. What symbol does this cloak bear, especially in comparison to the staff of Moses? (Exod. 14:16, 21)
(4) What did Elijah think he could do for Elisha before his departure? What might he expect Elisha to ask for?
(5) Why did Elisha ask for “a double portion” of Elijah’s spirit?
(6) In what sense might his request be similar to that of Solomon? (1 Ki. 3:9)
(7) Why was it a “difficult thing” that Elijah could not give by himself?
(8) Why did Elijah not have to go through death (like Enoch in Gen. 5:24) but be transported in such a fashion, i.e. in a whirlwind by a chariot of fire and horses of fire?
(9) Upon seeing how Elijah was transported up into heaven, Elisha cried out, “The chariots and horsemen of Israel”. How might it point to the ministry of Elijah?
(10) Elisha tore his own garment apart and took up Elijah’s cloak instead:
a. What does this signify?
b. How did he test if his request was granted?
(11) What might be the meaning of having a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
(1) We have no idea how far toward the east they went beyond the Jordan and whether the company of prophets from Jericho saw the transport of Elijah into heaven, but at least what did they bear witness to?
(2) What would result if Elijah denied Elisha the chance to see him taken up by God?
(3) Why did the prophets insist on searching for Elijah? Did they find him? Why not?
(4) While the prophets witnessed the miracle of the parting of the Jordan by Elisha, the Bible gives us two public displays of the power of the Spirit through him:
a. We know that the city of Jericho was cursed in the sense that it should never be rebuilt into a fortified city (Jos. 6:26; 1 Ki. 16:34):
- In what other way was it cursed?
- How did Elisha reverse it?
- What might be the messages of this miracle?
b. The miracle at Bethel was a rather strange one:
- Since there was a school of prophets at Bethel, do you think they and the city would have heard of Elisha as the successor of Elijah by now?
- How many boys were there mocking Elisha?
- In what ways were these boys wicked?
- How did their behavior reflect the condition of the city?
- Why did Elisha call down a curse “in the name of the Lord”?
- As harsh as this punishment was, what were the messages to the people of the city?
(5) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?