The Captain and His Fifty: 1 Kings 22:40
Clarence E. Lunden
Table of Contents
The Captain and His Fifty
“So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead” (1 Kings 22:40).
Some men are qualified for a place of leadership because of special talents or training, while others, who are not capable of honor, inherit power or position, even thrones. However, God in His government might allow such men to rule because of the people’s moral state. This was the case with Ahaziah; years of rebellion and idolatry in Israel had brought upon them just such a king.
God will hold leaders, or those in authority, responsible to rule in righteousness and to give the light of God to their subjects (Gen. 1:14-18). Israel was the nation in which the principles of righteousness, coupled with the light from God, were to be displayed.
If a man in a special position is unable to carry out his responsibility, he can own his failure to God, as King David did in 2 Samuel 23:1-5.
In the history of Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:51-53), there is a summing up of evils of former leaders. Ahab wrought wickedness so that there were none like him before or after; Jezebel, the daughter of the king of the Sidonians, a cursed race, introduced idolatry into Israel in the worship of Baal; and even Jeroboam, who had made Israel to sin long before, was mentioned here.
Ahaziah should have learned from these and taken a different course, but instead he condoned and followed their wickedness, his evil fostering being his downfall. Many mothers of faith were rewarded with sons as Moses, Hezekiah, Lemuel, and Josiah.
“And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease” (2 Kings 1:2).
Although Ahaziah was bound in the chains of idolatrous religious tradition by father and mother, still he was conscious that he must answer to God. Special responsibility rests with the king of God’s people, and he was made well aware of this by the affliction that came his way. The principles of God’s government found here are the same today; they change not. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).
Instead of turning to the Lord and inquiring of God’s prophet, Ahaziah willfully sent to inquire of Baal-zebub. Because they turn not “to the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa. 8:20). During the time of the great tribulation, Israel “taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Matt. 12:45).
“But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say un- to them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed” (2 Kings 1:3-4).
To the messengers of Ahaziah Elijah brought the solemn word from Jehovah, “Thou.... shalt surely die.” It has been said, “Hope springs eternal within the human breast,” but this is man’s logic, not God’s Word. The day is nearing when the only testimony to be carried to the false king is that of death.
Just before the Son of man comes to take His kingdom, two witnesses will bear testimony in Jerusalem to the fact that God is the God of the earth as well as of heaven, and the apostate rulers who refuse to listen will be cut off (Psa. 76:12; Psa. 82).
The fact that there is a God in heaven is rarely opposed, but to speak of the God of the earth or the God of Israel, referring to Christ, irritates man. Man would rather that God remain in heaven and not interfere with earth, man’s world, as he calls it.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” (Mal. 4:5-6).
In this passage Elijah is a type of Christ who will replace all prophets, and He alone is able to turn hearts, whether of fathers or children.
God is following His people (Deut. 11:12). They may be afflicted, scattered, and peeled; their shepherds may exact and feed themselves of them, but a Shepherd will arise. “Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out” (Ezek. 34:11). “I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD” (Ezek. 34:15).
Although God’s blessing is upon His people, restitution cannot come until “he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left” (Deut. 32:36).
Had not Israel said at the trial of Jesus, “His blood be on us, and on our children”? (Matt. 27:25) Before Israel’s history was complete, they not only had slain their Creator but had made it clear that they did not wish for such a Man as Jesus to reign over them (Luke 19:14).
At the death of Jesus there were present chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, Herodians, and Gentile rulers arrayed against Him (Acts 4:25-27). “Nevertheless man being in honor abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish” (Psa. 49:12).
To slay their own Messiah made Israel more guilty than other nations, though all shared in it. There was never a day guiltier than the day of the crucifixion.
God had promised long before that day that He would have mercy upon the nation and bless them (Gen. 28:14; Deut. 32:43). This He will yet do. The last “captain and his fifty” whom we are considering in this paper represent the remnant of faith who will benefit from this promise.
First, however, Israel must become guilty (Hos. 5:15), that is to say, they must acknowledge that they are such. When this acknowledgment takes place, it will be on the part of their leaders first (Joel 2:17).
The two thieves on the outside crosses are also a picture of guilty Israel before their Messiah; one fears God and in tribulation gives testimony to the other who proves to be an apostate. The believing one asked that he be remembered when the Messiah would come into His kingdom (Luke 23:39-43).
“And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? And they said un- to him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to in- quire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die” (2 Kings 1:5-6).
For those who will follow the false Christ in Israel there will be no hope. “And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts” (Isa. 22:14). “And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness” (Isa. 8:22). Such will be the end for those who refuse to repent in Israel.
“And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they an- swered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite” (2 Kings 1:7-8).
Upon hearing the description, there was no question in the king’s mind that it was the prophet Elijah.
We would do well if our dress, deportment, and manner of life told to Whom we belong.
“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 an- swered 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” (2 Kings 1:9-10).
In following Baal, Ahaziah had lost all sense of what was proper in addressing the man of God. Little did he realize the greatness and power of Almighty God. This spirit will characterize the leaders of the people of Israel at the end, just before judgment. Arrogance and self-sufficiency will clothe their pride.
The book of Proverbs declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased” (Prov. 9:10, 11).
Ahaziah’s days were shortened, for he lived out only two years of his reign. He had no sons.
It seems as though there was no understanding with Ahaziah, and the prophet’s terrible rebuke had no apparent effect upon him. Ahab, his father, had repented at Elijah’s rebuke, but Ahaziah did not repent.
The second request through the second captain and his fifty, which was more urgent, only showed how heartless the king was toward his servants and how irreverent and independent he was toward God. “For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not” (Job 33:14).
When evil reaches its peak and rises up to heaven, God will act. The glory of God is seen in two aspects in Scripture, the glory of His grace (Isa. 60) and the glory of judgment (Isa. 63; 66).
“Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, 0 man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto them, If 1 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. (2 Kings 1:11,12).
In reviewing these pictures of repentance found in Elijah’s ministry, we are impressed with the purpose before the Spirit of God in giving man a foundation for the precious truth which was to be brought in later.
There can be no new birth without repentance as we have seen in tracing the seven pictures in the ministry of Elijah. There can be no salvation without deep heart searching and self-judgment before a holy God. This golden key is available to all of Adam’s race who desire it. May all, as Job, repent in dust and ashes.
“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 be- sought 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 1:13).
As this humbling took place, the prophet’s favor rested upon the third captain and his fifty, the remnant of faith, while judgment was the portion of the first two captains with their fifties, who were apostates.
So with Israel. After the terrible tribulation judgments, called “Jacob’s trouble” by Jeremiah, will have brought the people to their knees, they will own the Lord to be their God, and the leaders will plead for mercy. (See Joel 2 and Deut. 32:35-37.)
Upon repentance and the humbling of themselves before God, one-third of all who will be in the Land at that time will be spared to form the kingdom of Israel again (Zech. 13:8,9; Isa. 17:7). This is illustrated by the three captains and their fifties. In the first two instances a rebellious attitude was seen as the prophet calls fire down from heaven upon them, but the last prefigures a godly remnant of Israel who will be the seed of Jehovah (Jezreel) to again people the Land that was chosen by God to be the center of the new earth, having none other but Jesus, the Son of man, as their King.
Soon the day will be here when the iniquity of Israel will have come to an end. In the prayer of Moses, the man of God, (Psa. 90:3) he says, “Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.”
In Isa. 30:18 we read “And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”
When the last enemy comes in like a flood and encircles the Land, Israel’s power will be gone (Deut. 32:36), and all nations of the earth will be against them (Zech. 12:3). At their cry, fury rises in Jehovah’s face (Ezek. 38:18), and He shall lop the bough with terror (Isa. 10:33).
“And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal- zebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken” (2 Kings 1:15-17).
Ahaziah died without any sons to sit upon the throne. He prefigures the end of old apostate Israel whose inheritance will come to a close (Matt. 24:34).
The sovereignty of God has spared a remnant, the last captain and his fifty, who in complete dependence and obedience inherit the Land (Psa. 37:9-11; Isa. 1:19-20).
In the gospels the Lord Jesus gives us several pictures which set forth Israel’s happy future, where faith is in exercise. We notice that a leader is mentioned in two examples.
One striking picture is that of the nobleman’s son who was restored (John 4:43-54). In Mark 5 we find a sequence of three: the demoniac, a sample of Israel in their last state under the power of demons, as the nation in the time of King Ahaziah, seeking to Baal-zebub rather than to God; next, the woman healed of an issue by touching the garment of Jesus, a glimpse of the calling out of the church; finally, the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter.
There is something very delicate and touching in the last account. Only God can raise the dead, and all men will be raised eventually, some to everlasting life, some to be sentenced to their eternal doom. The resurrection of the nation of Israel is typified in the raising of Jairus’ daughter, twelve years of age. It is prophetically stated in Psa. 110, “Thou hast the dew of thy youth.”
Within a happy house which stood
On Galilean hill,
A little daughter lived whose feet
And tongue were never still;
No lambkin frolicking beside
A running stream’s fair water
Could ever be more gay than she,
That merry little daughter.
One day into that happy house
Came sorrow dark and gray,
The little daughter of the house
Lay dying all the day.
And as the dusk of night came down,
And evening breezes sighed
Through flower and tree
And o’er the sea —
The little daughter died.
Then to the sad distracted house
So full of dark and gloom,
Came Jesus — Light of Life—and stood
In little daughter’s room.
“Lambkin!” He said, “Wake up!” He said;
So clear His word and plain
The little daughter heard, and quick
Her spirit came again.
Her little loving spirit ran
To greet the Voice divine;
The busy tongue began to talk,
The merry eyes to shine;
The mischief in them came again
For every one to see;
The dancing feet began again
To jump and slide with glee;
And all the house was gay again,
With happiness aflame,
Because Lord Jesus came, and called
That little daughter’s name.
—Fay Inchfawn
In Hos. 2:15 we are told that Israel “shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.”
Isa. 62:5 says, “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.”
This is the glorious end that God has in view for His earthly people, Israel, but only after they have repented in their leaders, as was the case with the last captain and his fifty.