Come Down Part 2

1. The people were fickle.
A few years earlier Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The end result was that the prophets of Baal had been destroyed and the people had confirmed their faith in the living God. Now it would seem that what had happened on Mount Carmel did not have a lasting result. The king rejected the Lord and had put his confidence in Baal. However, when Baal did not bring about the desired results he reluctantly sent for Elijah. The Lord was gracious to Azariah in that he did not die and gave him time to repent. Even though Azariah was confronted with the judgment of God he still would not yield his will or bow the knee to the Almighty God. The influence of this ungodly king caused over one hundred men to die an untimely death. Because he would not repent or bow the knee others would suffer. The Lord has told us that He is not willing that any should perish but that everyone should be saved. If God withholds His judgment it is not because of His inability to judge sin but because of His mercy.
When Elijah appeared before the widow of Zarephath she knew that she had met a man of God. However, she was hesitant to acknowledge that fact because Elijah’s holiness showed up her sinfulness. After her son was raised from the dead she saw Elijah as a savor of life unto life. Azariah only saw Elijah as one who condemned his life style and he had no desire to change. To Azariah Elijah reminded him he was a man under judgment so he came to him a savor of death unto death.