"That you may have a
trial whether I be a true prophet, I will pray that fire may fall from heaven,
and destroy both the soldiers and yourself." (5)
So he prayed, and a whirlwind
of fire fell [from heaven], and destroyed the captain, and those that were with
him. And when the king was informed of the destruction of these men, he was
very angry, and sent another captain with the like number of armed men that
were sent before. And when this captain also threatened the prophet, that
unless he came down of his own accord, he would take him and carry him away,
upon his prayer against him, the fire [from heaven] slew this captain as well
the other. And when, upon inquiry, the king was informed of what happened to
him, he sent out a third captain. But when this captain, who was a wise man,
and of a mild disposition, came to the place where Elijah happened to be, and
spake civilly to him; and said that he knew that it was without his own
consent, and only in submission to the king's command that he came to him; and
that those that came before did not come willingly, but on the same account;
— he therefore desired him to have pity on those armed men that were with
him, and that he would come down and follow him to the king. So Elijah accepted
of his discreet words and courteous behavior, and came down and followed him.
And when he came to the king, he prophesied to him and told him that God said,
"Since thou hast
despised him as not being God, and so unable to foretell the truth about thy
distemper, but hast sent to the god of Ekron to inquire of him what will be the
end of this thy distemper, know this, that thou shalt die."
2. Accordingly the king
in a very little time died, as Elijah had foretold; but Jehoram his brother
succeeded him in the kingdom, for he died without children: but for this
Jehoram, he was like his father Ahab in wickedness, and reigned twelve years,
indulging himself in all sorts of wickedness and impiety towards God, for,
leaving off his worship, he worshipped foreign gods; but in other respects he
was an active man. Now at this time it was that Elijah disappeared from among
men, and no one knows of his death to this very day; but he left behind him his
disciple Elisha, as we have formerly declared. And indeed, as to Elijah, and as
to Enoch, who was before the deluge, it is written in the sacred books that
they disappeared, but so that nobody knew that they died.
Footnotes
(4) This god of flies seems to have been so called, as
was the like god among the Greeks, from his supposed power over flies, in
driving them away from the flesh of their sacrifices, which otherwise would
have been very troublesome to them.
(5) It is commonly esteemed a very cruel action of Elijah,
when he called for fire from heaven, and consumed no fewer than two captains
and a hundred soldiers, and this for no other crime than obeying the orders of
their king, in attempting to seize him; and it is owned by our Savior, that it
was an instance of greater severity than the spirit of the New Testament
allows, Luke 9:54. But then we must consider that it is not unlikely that these
captains and soldiers believed that they were sent to fetch the prophet, that
he might be put to death for foretelling the death of the king, and this while
they knew him to be the prophet of the true God, the supreme King of Israel,
(for they were still under the theocracy,) which was no less than impiety,
rebellion, and treason, in the highest degree: nor would the command of a
subaltern, or inferior captain, contradicting the commands of the general, when
the captain and the soldiers both knew it to be so, as I suppose, justify or
excuse such gross rebellion and disobedience in soldiers at this day.
Accordingly, when Saul commanded his guards to slay Ahimelech and the priests
at Nob, they knew it to be an unlawful command, and would not obey it, 1 Samuel
22:17. From which cases both officers and soldiers may learn, that the commands
of their leaders or kings cannot justify or excuse them in doing what is wicked
in the sight of God, or in fighting in an unjust cause, when they know it so to
be.
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