Relationship comes before answers

Before reading the passage: Explain that 2 Kings, like 1 Kings and Chronicles, demonstrate that the nation of Israel was unfaithful to the covenant that God had made with them. These books and the stories they contain demonstrate that God is a God of mercy and grace, and that even the best men, like David or others, have failed.

These books remind us that our hope is in God and not in man. It is the faithfulness of God despite the faithlessness of men that is evident in these books.

Read 2 Kings 1.

We all need answers, sooner or later. However, the greatest need is for a relationship with God, not for answers from God.

You need to be in a relationship with God much more than you need answers from God.

Please do not misunderstand me! I have also sometimes asked "why" to God. In pain or confusion, I have asked "why". Sometimes God has granted me the answer in His grace, and sometimes He has made me understand that His grace is sufficient for me. But no answer, no matter how clear, can replace a living and vibrant relationship with the Lord.

In 2 Kings 1, we have the example of a king, a little-known king. He is the son of the wicked King Ahab and Jezebel. He should not be confused with the other Ahaziah, who was king of the Kingdom of Judah. This Ahaziah grew up in a home filled with idolatry, where not only was Baal allowed, but his mother in particular was an advocate for this idol, Baal. She wanted Baal to become the god of Israel instead of the Lord. Now, their son follows in his parents' footsteps.

Proverbs 22:6 KJV 1900

Train up a child in the way he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Remember that proverbs are principles, not promises or prophecies.

Some see this verse as a promise that their adult children will serve God. But it is not about that - in fact, God is not mentioned at all in the verse.

This verse teaches the principle that children generally follow the path of their parents - not just the words of their parents, but the path of their parents.

If your children had the same walk with God as you do, the same life priorities, would you be happy about that?

Example of a Palestinian family in Ontario: the father and mother rarely came to church. They said they worked as much so that their children could have every chance in life and so that they could serve the Lord. But it doesn't work that way, and it didn't work for them. Their children were led astray by the lack of family passion for the Lord and the lack of parental attention.

Ahaziah grew old and did not turn away from his parents' path, on the contrary. He walked in their footsteps. He completely turned his back on the Lord and turned to the false gods of the family.

But the day came when he wanted answers. This day comes for everyone. And Ahaziah was at the questioning stage, in his case, regarding his health.

I. The desperate circumstance vv. 1-2a

Ahaziah has problems. Many problems. Serious problems.

Moab rebels against him. This country on the east side of the Dead Sea had been subjected to Ahab, but they seize the opportunity to try to break free.

Ahaziah falls from his room and injures himself. The Bible says he became ill - possibly an infection following an injury?

Now, Ahaziah must know what to do. If he is to survive this illness, he might be able to fight against Moab. But if he is going to die, it might be better to make way for his successor so that Moab does not triumph.

Observation: Problems often come in clusters! The Lord may allow this to bring you to your limits and to bring you to Him.

Now I believe there is an application here not just for trials but for any time when we seek answers.

II. The demonstrated confusion v. 2b

Before we continue, we need to understand who this false god, this idol, that Ahaziah wants to consult is. If you have read the Bible, you have seen this name, Baal, in the stories. Even the Pharisees said that Jesus performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub, or if you prefer, Baal-Zebul. It is the same false god as this Baal-Zebub here.

Baal was a name that meant Lord. Even in a generic way. There are places in the Bible where people even used the term "baal" to refer to the Lord, to say "Lord". But generally, Baal was the greatest of the Canaanite gods, the head of their pantheon.

Baal was the god of storms. He was supposed to have the power to send rain. That's why during Ahab's lifetime, there were years of drought without rain, as God demonstrated to Israel that Baal was powerless.

Elsewhere, we see that Baal supposedly could send lightning and storms. And even in our text, God sends fire on the soldiers who were going to capture Elijah and presumably harm him. This is yet another demonstration of the power of the Lord versus the incapacity of Baal.

However, here, Ahaziah wants his servants to leave Israel and go to Ekron, which is among the Philistines. He wants them to consult Baal-Zebub, which means the Lord of the Flies. Very bizarre! He wants them to go and see the priests who deal with Baal in his role as the lord of flies! I'll let you guess any connection between the king's illness and the supposed lord of flies!

But I have a few observations and applications here:

If you don't have a relationship with God when things are going well, you will be completely helpless when things go bad.

This king, overwhelmed by numerous problems, doesn't know where to turn anymore. You will also be helpless when comes the time to make decisions. You will be stuck leaning on your own understanding!

John 7:17 KJV 1900

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

If you WANT to do His will, you will know what is of God and what isn’t.

If you don’t want to do His will, you won’t know what His will is.

It may seem elementary, but it's not. If you don't have fellowship with God, you will have to seek answers far from God. (Just like Ahaziah had to send his servants out of Israel to an idol that wasn't even there.)

The absence of a relationship with God will make you excessively dependent on the answers you seek.

III. The bewildering confrontation vv. 3-8

In His grace, God saves the king's servants time. Instead of making the round trip of 160 km between Samaria and Ekron, they are intercepted by Elijah with the answer they are seeking!

Elijah poses a weighty question to them, which aligns with the theme of 2 Kings...

"Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron (v. 3)?"

When you have God, you have everything. You have everything you need.

If Ahaziah had recognized who the Lord is, turned away from Baal, and called upon the true God, he would have done himself a great favor. But now he is at a point where he doesn't think he has the answers at hand - he must send his servants far away, to people who are strangers to God's covenants, to receive what he is seeking.

Sometimes our activities are substitutes for God. They are bad substitutes, but substitutes for God.

or friends can be substitutes

or counsellors even

Psalm 127:2 KJV 1900

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows: For so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Application:

Do not despise the confrontations that God sends, where He brings you face to face with your error.

It can be a humble rebuke from a friend. It can be a circumstance that you know is the result of your mistake. It can simply be the voice of the Spirit convicting you through the Bible.

But in the end, this confrontation was God's grace upon Ahaziah. God was not obliged to intercept Ahab's servants and give them the answer. But it was His way of giving Ahaziah another chance to turn to Him. Unfortunately, the king did not do so.

IV. The disproportionate comparison vv. 9-15

The following verses are both tragic and comedic. Obviously, 100 men will lose their lives, which is not funny. But the narrative is constructed in a way to demonstrate the power of God versus the weakness of Baal.

We don't know what Ahaziah intended to say to Elijah. But we can presume that he wanted to harm him, as his parents Ahab and Jezebel had wanted, because in verse 15, God tells Elijah to go and not be afraid of this third captain of fifty.

Whether you find these verses somewhat comical or simply tragic, the lesson here is that God is incomparable. He is greater than any false god, any demon, any wise man, and any resource.

No one is comparable to God.

Psalm 89:8 KJV 1900

God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.

O Lord, God of armies, who is like you powerful, O Lord? Your faithfulness surrounds you.

V. The declared condemnation v. 16

The sin of Ahaziah was not simply idolatry. It was also seeking "another word".

Galatians 1:8 KJV 1900

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

To seek another means of salvation is the greatest denial a person can make against God and His Son.

But what is happening here with Ahaziah is parallel. He rejects God. He chooses another source of spiritual direction and even direction for his life.

Jonah 2:9 KJV 1900

They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs.

1. What is the significance of seeking "another word" in the context of Ahaziah's sin?

2. What does it reveal about the seriousness of seeking another means of salvation other than the one offered by God?

3. How can the rejection of God and the search for another source of spiritual direction lead to a distancing from divine mercy, as mentioned in the verse from Jonah?

Conclusion:

Are you seeking elsewhere than in God in an area of your life?

Have you believed in Jesus, the only means of salvation, or are you trusting in another?

Acts 4:12 KJV 1900

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Are you seeking a relationship with God or just answers to what is happening to you? Answers without the relationship will never satisfy and are not THE answer.

The answers are not THE answer. The answer is a relationship with the Lord.