Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Kings 1-4.
When Ahaziah fell sick, his decision to seek help from a false god instead of the true, living God cost him his life.
“And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, ‘Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this sickness.’ 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 to them, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?” Now therefore thus says the Lord, “You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.”‘ Then Elijah departed” (1 Kings 1:2-4).
Ahaziah later died “according to the word of the Lord” (1 Kings 1:17).
When Ahaziah sent his messengers to the god of Ekron, he may have received some answer to his question, depending on how the priests or prophets of that god determined the answer. That answer could have been correct or incorrect. It would be merely a guess. The false god could not have known the answer and certainly could not have affected the outcome.
In contrast, the God of Israel not only knew the answer to the question but had the power to heal Ahaziah. Yet Ahaziah was content to consult the false god.
People today do the same kind of thing that Ahaziah did. They seek for answers; but rather than looking to God and His word, they look to the false religions of the world – Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, the denominations of men, etc. These religions may be able to offer some truth – not because they are the source of truth but just because they happen to be right on certain points. But they cannot save the one who is seeking answers to his questions.
The source of truth is God and His word (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17; 2 Peter 1:3). Jesus came to earth “to testify to the truth” (John 18:37). But more than just offering truth, Christ is able to save us as well.
“For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
We do not need to seek for truth anywhere except in Christ and His word. He not only possesses all truth, but He is the only source of salvation.
Tomorrow’s reading: 2 Kings 5-8
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
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