This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in 2 Kings 1, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
A long time ago, after King Ahab died, the country of Moab rebelled against Israel. Meanwhile, King Ahaziah of Israel fell through the roof of his room and became very sick. He sent messengers to ask a false god named Baal-zebub if he would get better.
But the angel of the Lord appeared to a man named Elijah and told him to go and meet the messengers of King Ahaziah. Elijah was to ask them why they were seeking the help of a false god, instead of the Lord God of Israel, who was the only true God. Elijah warned the messengers that King Ahaziah would die and not get out of bed again because he had disobeyed God.
When the messengers returned to King Ahaziah, he asked them what had happened. They told him that a man named Elijah stopped them and told them that the King would die and not get out of bed again because he had disobeyed God. The King asked the messengers to describe Elijah, and they told him Elijah was wearing clothes made of hair and a belt of leather around his waist.
The King then sent a captain of fifty soldiers to bring Elijah to him, but Elijah refused to go with them. The captain called Elijah a “man of God” and asked him to come down, but Elijah refused again. The captain then demanded that Elijah come with him, and Elijah warned him that if he was truly a man of God, fire would come down from heaven and consume him and his soldiers. Fire then came down and consumed them.
The King sent two more groups of soldiers to get Elijah, but the same thing happened each time. The third group of soldiers, however, approached Elijah differently. They came humbly and respectfully, and their leader fell on his knees before Elijah, begging for mercy.
“O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight,” he pleaded. “Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.”
Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah arose and went down with him to the king.
When Elijah met the King, he told him that he would die because he had disobeyed God and turned to a false god for help instead of seeking God’s help. Sadly, King Ahaziah died, and Jehoram became king after him.
Biblical Lessons
- Only worship the one true God.
- Don’t turn to false gods for help or guidance.
- God will punish those who disobey Him.
- God protects those who follow Him and do what is right.
Related Stories
Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath
Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son
Must-Read Christian Books
Desiring God
Piper unpacks "Christian Hedonism": that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, grounded in Scripture.
View on Amazon
The Knowledge of the Holy
Short, powerful meditations on the attributes of God that lift the reader into a bigger, more biblical view of who He is.
View on Amazon
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
Shows how God's sovereignty in salvation fuels, rather than hinders, faithful evangelism.
View on Amazon
The Reason for God
Thoughtful, biblical responses to common objections to Christianity, aimed at skeptics and believers alike.
View on Amazon
Faith Alone
Defends justification by faith alone as the heart of the biblical gospel and Reformation.
View on Amazon
Don't Waste Your Life
A passionate plea to live for Christ's glory rather than trivial pursuits.
View on Amazon
Let the Nations Be Glad!
Missions-focused theology showing that worship is the goal of evangelism to the nations.
View on Amazon
Redemption Accomplished and Applied
A concise, biblical study of Christ's atonement and the application of salvation to believers.
View on Amazon
Just Do Something
A wise, biblical approach to knowing God's will without paralysis or mysticism.
View on Amazon
The Attributes of God
Devotional meditations on God's character that stir reverence and worship.
View on Amazon
The Sovereignty of God
A strong, Scripture-based defense of God's absolute rule over all things.
View on Amazon
All of Grace
A simple, powerful explanation of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone.
View on Amazon
Christ-Centered Preaching
A standard textbook on preaching that shows how to proclaim Christ from all of Scripture.
View on Amazon
The Gospel Comes with a House Key
A call to radical, everyday hospitality as a means of gospel witness and discipleship.
View on Amazon
God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment
Argues that God's glory in salvation through judgment is the central theme of Scripture.
View on Amazon
The Peacemaker
Biblical principles for resolving conflict in a way that honors Christ and reconciles people.
View on Amazon