January 12 Daily Discovery

Read 2 Kings Chapter 1

Seeking the Wrong God

Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

² And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.

³ But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?

⁴ Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

~ 2 Kings 1:1-4

Where do you go when you have a need?  You run to your God by default.  When you have any need; physical, emotional, financial or otherwise, you will run to the ONE that you think can meet your need.  Examine yourself carefully.  Have you replaced the living and true God with some idol?

It need not be a figure or stature that you bow before to become an idol.  Anyone or anything that you run to that would replace a need that God only should fill has become your God.

Where Could I Go?

First verse and stanza,
Gospel song by James B. Coats

Ahaziah Forsook the Lord

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

~ Jer. 2:13

We forsake the true and living God at the same time that we seek anyone or anything else.  It is the same as repentance and faith in turning to Christ the Savior.  We repent of our sins as we turn to Him.  It is a single step.  They are two sides of the same coin.

The LORD is the God that Heals

²⁶ And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

~ Ex. 15:26

The king should have been reading the Torah and should have known to go to the Lord for healing.

Ahaziah Sought Baal

Ahaziah was the King of Israel and the LORD should have been his God, but he was following Baal.

He had forsaken the God that could have helped him and seeking a false god instead.  It is not that the false gods had no power.  Worship of false gods is the worship of demons and they do have power.  However the only One that is OMNIPOTENT, that is, that has ALL POWER is the LORD.

We are to fight or wrestle against these beings, NOT worship them. (Eph. 6:12)

Why?

And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

~ 2 Kings 1:16

The LORD was the God of Israel, Ahaziah's own land.  Why inquire of the false god of Ekron?

Ahaziah Died Because of His Sin

¹⁷ So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.

¹⁸ Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

~ 2 Kings 1:17-18

It is interesting that Ahaziah only asks if he is going to live or not.  We are not told that he asked for healing, but the seeking of healing is implied at least.

From Elijah's pronunciation from the LORD, it is apprent that if Ahaziah had sought out God for healing, it would have been granted.

Ahaziah followed in his father, Ahab's footsteps, worshiping Baal.

⁵¹ Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.

⁵² And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin:

⁵³ For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.

~ 1 Kings 22:51-53

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. (1 John 5:21)

Ahaziah's idolatry resulted in his death.

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Continue Your Search

In this chapter, do you see any: Commands to Obey, Warnings to Heed, Promises to Claim, Examples to Follow, Vices to Avoid, Praises to Emulate, Prayers to Use, Principles by which to Live, Questions to Ask or Actions to Take?

See: Berean Fellowship Bible Study Method