2 Kings 1:9-13 -- On Respect and Humility

"Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.

And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight."
2 Kings 1:9-13


This is an interesting story that seems kind of scary.  The king sends a detachment of the army off to the prophet to get him.  The prophet defeats the army.  ... It happens again.  And then, the third time, the king sends the army off to get the prophet.  The king hasn't changed at this point, but something else has: respect.  The third man is still fulfilling his mission to the king by going, but instead of commanding the prophet, he now understands where the real power lies, and he begs for his life and the lives of his men.

This kind of echoes the way that we deal with God.  We start out by attempting to command him.  We tell him to prove himself to us, or to solve a problem for us.  And we wonder why our commands are going up in smoke. :)  ... We don't really get anywhere with God until we approach him on our knees and sincerely ask for his help.

Today, let's learn from the lesson of Elijah and the King.  Let's not attempt to command God, or ask anyone to do anything contrary to his will.  ... That's just a death sentence... if not literally, then still figuratively.  Let's instead go to God with humility and plead for his help in saving us and the people around us.  As we do, God will preserve us, and help us to learn and grow and become our best selves, and powerful influences for good in the world.