Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro:
Talking to my kids around the dinner table about sin
Sin is boring, sin makes
Context
How did Ahab die?
Last week we left Elijah on Mount Sinai where God arrived in his chariot which was described as wind, earthquake and fire.
God then hears Elijah’s report against Israel and tells Elijah that he is going to raise up three swords to bring Israel complete destruction
Hazael
Jehu
Elisha
When Elijah leaves Sinai he finds Elisha and anoints him as his disciple, his apprentice, the next great prophet.
starting in chapter 20 the author of Kings focuses on Ahab and his pathetic leadership
He goes to war with Ben-hadad, the king of Syria.
God gives him victory over Ben-hadad, but Ahab lets him go - which is not what God told him to do
Then we see Ahab wanting a vineyard next to his castle
But the owner of the vineyard would not sell it, so Jezebel has the owner falsly accused of a crime and stoned to death so Ahab would stop whining and get his vineyard.
After this Elijah confronts Ahab, then condemns him for what he has done to Naboth, the owner of the vineyard.
Who is Moab?
Part of the judgement on Ahab was that the dogs would lick his blood in the same place that he had Naboth killed.
1k 21
the conversation continues...
When Ahab heard these words he he was so distraught, so afraid, so grieved that he actually humbled himself before God.
And God told Elijah that because Ahab has humbled himself, the utter destruction of his house and family will begin with his sons, and not with him.
Then in chapter 22 we see Ahab wanting to go to war to claim some land that belonged to Israel.
So he partners with Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, and they go to war.
After the battle dies down, somebody accidentally shoots an arrow which struck Ahab in the chest.
He told his chariot driver to take him home.
And sure enough, Ahab dies, and they washed out his chariot in the same place where owners of the vineyard had been stoned, and the dogs came and licked his blood, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Elijah.
So thats the story of Ahab’s death, so back to 2 k 1:1
Moab was in allegiance and under the authority of Israel.
Who is Moab?
Ahab was demanding that the king of Moab supply 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams.
So when Ahab died, they used that moment as a chance to escape from the heavy hand of Israel.
So now that we know whats going on, we pick up the story of Elijah
And what we see in verses 2-8 is a injured king who is blinded by sin
Sin Blinds People
There are many stories in the bible that we see sins blinding effects.
Sin is boring, its blinds us, and it makes us stupid.
Sin blinds people to the glory of God, and blinds people to the truth
Sin distorts reality to the point that we are incapable of seeing clearly
Most every story in the bible illustrates Sins blinding effects.
From Adam and Eve, to Jacob and Esau, to The disciples and the pharisees.
Sin blinds people to God’s faithfulness, love, peace, truth, righteousness and glory, and we, like blind beggars, go about searching for these things in all the wrong places.
Ahaziah is Ahab and Jezebel’s first born son
1k
So after Ahab dies, Ahaziah takes his seat as the king of Israel
he only reigns for two years, and in those two years he does evil in the same way his father Ahab did.
Now, Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber and lay sick...
We don’t know what sort of accident this was,
Perhaps Ahaziah was a kluts and tripped and fell through some lattice and the injuries are infected
Maybe we was drunk and fell out of a window and is suffering from internal bleeding
We don’t know what happened, only that he fell through some lattice and is now laid up sick with some injuries that are sever enough for him to consult a deity as to whether or not he’s going to recover.
So he sends his messengers to go and inquire of Baal-Zebub as to whether or not he will recover
Who is Baal-Zebub
Baal-Zebub is the god of Ekron, which is a philistine city.
cities and nations that worship Baal all have their own version of Baal
Its the same deity, but interpreted differently
So for Ahaziah to send messengers to Baal-Zebub was just showing that Ahaziah was a chip of the old block, as Ahab also worshiped the Baals.
Whats with the name Zubub?
Satire: One of the really cool things about the bible is how the authors often use rhetorical devices and wit to mock those who reject Truth for Lies.
You see, what Ahaziah really wanted his messengers to do was to inquire of Baal-Zebul
The word Baal is used in two different ways in the bible:
Proper Name: such as Baal the Canaanites god.
Title: which means Lord or Master - In Hosea God refers to himself as baal,
So when Ahaziah sends his messengers he wants them to go to inquire of Baal-Zebul, which means Lord of Princes, or Lord of Thrones - this was an honorary title for Baal
We see that the Scribes accused Jesus of being possessed by this same deity, Beelzebul, who is the Prince of Demons - which we learn is Satan himself.
However, the author of kings, inspired by the Holy Spirit, has a wonderful skill in word play and satire (which we will see more of in the passage)
instead of writing the name Baal-Zebul, which means Lord of Princes, he writes Baal-Zebub, which means Lord of Flies.
This is a mocking title toward Baal
If Baal is not the Lord or master of princes and thrones and lofty places, he is the lord of the annoying bloodsucking, always pestering flies…
This is a great example of the bible taking aim at the idols of a culture and bringing them into proper perspective.
You think you are inquiring of the Lord of Princes, but in reality you seek wisdom and prophecy from the lord of flies.
So off go the messengers to inquire of the lord of the flies as to whether or not the king would recover from his injuries.
As the messengers are on their journey, the the Scene shifts to Elijah in vv.
3-4
2k 13-4
Elijah comes to the messengers with a question, and a prophecy.
Question:
‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
Prophecy:
You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.
The question, is repeated three times in this story, which tells us that this is one of the central concerns of the narrative
Yahweh’s words are repeated three times (vv.
3, 6, 16)—clearly they highlight the central concern of the narrative.
When Ahaziah sends to Philistia he implies Israel has no God; when he appeals to Baal-zebub he is implying that Yahweh is either non-existent or irrelevant and inadequate.
(Is this not, in principle, the essence of all our idolatry?
By taking first recourse to other helps and supports we subtly confess the inadequacy and insufficiency of Yahweh to handle our dilemmas.)
When Ahaziah sends his messengers to Ekron, he implies Israel has no God;
when he appeals to Baal-zebub he is implying that he wants nothing to do with YHWH,
he wants nothing to do with the God of his fathers.
He is in open rebellion against God by pursuing the wisdom of Baal rather than turning to YHWH.
EXAMPLE*
We can all relate to Ahaziah’s idolatry here.
When circumstances of life became overwhelming Ahaziah did not want inquire of YHWH because he hated him.
YHWH was his enemy.
And when circumstances of life become overwhelming for us we often don’t inquire of God, not because we hate him, but because we don’t trust him, or we don’t think he is strong enough, or we think that he is disinterested.
Fear - (Death, sickness, family, finances, relationships) where do you look for security?
Do you go to Jesus?
Do you find security his promises?
Do you find safety in his kingship?
Grief - (Loss of a loved one, disappointment, broken trust) Where do you look for comfort?
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