“The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.” – Psalm 9:9-10
Scripture reading: 2 Kings 1:1-8
Like father, like son. Like mother, like son. Both adages are true with regard to Ahaziah, Ahab’s son and successor. Ahaziah’s significant injury left him quite unwell. Concerned about his future, he sends messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the Philistine god of Ekron and to see if he would recover.
Everyone who knows the history of Israel sees the folly in this. In the days before the kings reigned, the Philistine gods were helpless before the ark of the God of Israel (1 Sam. 5). The narrator highlights the folly by mockingly changing the name of the god from Baal-zebul (Glorious Baal) to Baal-zebub (Lord of a Fly). What Ahaziah has done is plain silly.
It’s also plain sinful and this is what Elijah confronts him with. ‘Ahaziah,’ Elijah asserts, ‘you are living as if God does not exist.’ Ahaziah has rejected the God of Israel. That’s his sin and that’s his folly. God’s judgement is that Ahaziah will surely die.
Two things I wish to point out for you to ponder. First, who we go to in our troubles is an indication of where our trust is. Why is God often the port of last resort for many troubled Christians? Second, it is a signal kindness of the Lord that intervenes through Elijah to head off Ahaziah’s folly and sin. Ignoring the Lord doesn’t make the Lord go away. This isn’t always true; sometimes He leaves us to our sin. But what a mercy when He does arrest us. How will Ahaziah respond to such kindness? How do you?
Suggestions for prayer
Pray that we would instinctively call on the Lord in times of trouble when we are convicted of sin, concerned about the future, or otherwise in distress. Ask that the Lord would give us sensitivity so that when the Spirit convicts us that we are going the wrong way, we would respond with repentance and gratitude.
Reverend John van Eyk began his ministry in Cambridge, Ontario as Church Planter and Minister of the Riverside Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. After 13 years there he served almost 10 years in the Tain/Fearn congregation of the Associated Presbyterian Churches in the Scottish Highlands. John currently serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity Reformed Church (United Reformed) in Lethbridge, Alberta. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
