One More Fight

 "After Ahab's death, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, 'Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.'" 
 2 Kings 1:1-2 (NIV)

When was the last time you turned to Google before you turned to God?

I read about a London jury deliberating a murder case. Four jurors used a Ouija board to "contact" the victim, who supposedly told them to "vote guilty tomorrow." They persuaded the others, and got a unanimous verdict. Imagine! They turned to a false god rather than asking the true God for wisdom.

That’s the exact mistake King Ahaziah made three thousand years ago.

He witnessed everything. He watched the 3½-year drought God sent as judgment. He saw fire fall from heaven on Mount Carmel while 450 false prophets failed. He watched his parents die exactly as Elijah prophesied.

You'd think he'd learn something. But when he falls through the lattice of his upper room and injures himself, look what he does in today's passage: "He sent messengers, saying to them, 'Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury'" (2 Kings 1:2, NIV). 

Baal-Zebub literally means "Lord of the Flies," a false god who supposedly controlled plagues and sickness. And Ahaziah, who's seen God's undeniable power, turns to a fly god instead of the true God.

When evil reigns, people will turn to any god except the one true God. The prophet Isaiah saw this same pattern and confronted it, "When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?" (Isaiah 8:19, NIV) 

He's asking, "Why would you go anywhere else when the God who knows everything is right here?"

Maybe a medical test result has come back inconclusive. Before you spiral into WebMD and worst-case scenarios, stop and pray, "God, You know what's happening. I'm seeking Your wisdom first." Then call your doctor, not Dr. Internet.

The same God who answered Elijah is ready to answer you when you turn to Him first.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the wise counsel I find in Your word. Forgive me for the times I've turned to everything and everyone except You. Break my addiction to false gods or anything else I put before seeking Your face. Help me turn to You first, not as a last resort. In Jesus' Name, Amen.