Ahazya

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David's Flight (II)
Chapter 19 (Part II)
Rabbi Amnon Bazak
When David escapes to Shmuel, a comical situation occurs: Shaul's messengers’ prophesied against their will, and eventually Shaul does as well. What is the significance of this episode? What can it teach us about Shaul and Shmuel? What links Shmuel and Eliyahu?
Ahazya (Part 1)
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
The short and bitter reign of Ahazya son of Ahav is characterized by sin and failure. He surpasses the evil of his father by becoming personally involved in idol worship. As a leader, his partnership with Yehoshafat fails, and Moav rebels from under Israelite control. He falls ill and dies with no son to take the throne from him. The narrative is described through the sending of messengers by Ahazya.
Ahazya (Part 2)
Ahazya's Messengers
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
God's Angel commands Eliyahu to confront Ahazya's messengers, instead of speaking with Ahazya directly. An explicit message is conveyed to Ahazya, and an indirect message for the messengers themselves. The messengers return to Ahazya before completing their mission, and deliver the words God conveyed through Eliyahu to Ahazya. Their actions prove their loyalty to Eliyahu and the word of God, and repentance for their prior loyalty to Ahazya.
Ahazya (Part 3)
"A Hairy Man With a Girdle of Leather About His Loins"
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
After angering Ahazya by not fulfilling his mission and by relaying God's message to him, the messengers pretend not to know who the man who confronted them, in order to avoid angering Ahazya further. Ahazya identifies Eliyahu both by his appearance and by his methods.
Ahazya (Part 4)
Why are the Two Captains of Fifty, and their Fifty Men, Consumed by Fire?
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
Neither the Sages nor the commentators criticize Eliyahu for the consumption by fire of the captains and their men because Eliyahu's actions throughout this chapter are guided by the Angel of God and not of his own initiative. Ahazya wants to harm Eliyahu not merely as a punishment, but as an attempt to battle God's decree that he will die. God prevails on three occasions: by consuming the first two captains by fire, by the surrender of the third captain, and by Eliyahu's fearless appearance in person to Ahazya. The captains and their men were deserving of their punishment as they chose Ahazya over Eliyahu - God's representative as opposed to the messengers earlier in the story and to the third captain.
Ahazya (Part 6)
The Third Captain of Fifty
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
In order to save his life from the fate of the previous two captains, it would be sufficient for the captain to refuse to comply to the Ahazya's orders. Going to Eliyahu and begging for his life means that the captain is asking Eliyahu to come with him. However, Eliyahu's agreement to go to the king would seem to give the king the victory as he achieved what he wanted. The Angel commanding Eliyahu to go gives Eliyahu the permission to proceed to Ahazya.
Ahazya (Part 9)
The Structure of the Story
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
The structure of the story sheds an additional light on the story. The subject of our story is the victory of God's word and the victory of its bearer over the king who has sinned. However, the real message of the story is the failure of the attempts to harm Eliyahu. Those who attempt to sabotage the fulfillment of God's word by harming Eliyahu are punished. In contrast, those who submit to the prophet are not harmed, even though the act of submission would seem to endanger them. This is true of Ahazya's first set of messengers, as well as applying to the third captain of fifty and his men.
Ahazya (Part 10)
Summary
Rabbi Elchanan Samet
As in many other biblical narratives where God's word stands the test of prevailing over its opponents, here too the root d-b-r appears as the key word in the story. The key word appears in our narrative in groups, usually with one d-b-r paired against another: The word of God as opposed to the word of the king, or the word of the king contrasting with the word of Eliyahu. The ultimate victory of the word of God comes in the wake of the victory of its bearer, the prophet, over his opponents. Eliyahu announces God's word to Ahazya himself, and this word of God is soon fulfilled in reality, as the prophet had "spoken" it.