Come Down Part 3

2. Elijah was faithful
When Azariah set for Elijah he was alone with his God on the mountain top. We often find Elijah in prayer on the mountain so it is more than likely that Elijah was in prayer when Azariah’s men found him. Elijah was concerned with his relationship with God while the king was concerned with his own comfort.
Azariah was in need and since he was the king he set for Elijah to come immediately. I can imagine that he scoffed at Elijah spending time on the mountain alone with God. To Azariah his comfort was more important than Elijah’s fellowship with God.
Scripture doesn’t tell us why the first two troops of soldiers were destroyed by fire while the third troop was spared. The only indication we have is that the captain of the third troop did not come mocking Elijah or his God but came with a serious request. One of the results of Elijah’s prayer life was that he was a man of discernment. He knew that the first two companies of soldiers were only interested in mocking him and his God but he knew that the third company was led by a man with a different spirit.
When Jesus was asked by James and John to call down fire from heaven to destroy those that mocked Jesus, He rebuked them. I am sure that James and John were thinking about Elijah calling down the fire and they were probably surprised by the response of the Lord. Some people today say that is because the God of the New Testament is different than the God of the Old Testament. However, God is not different. Because He does not judge people or sin immediately isn’t because He has changed the way He looks upon us but it is because of His great mercy.