Ahaziah had grown up in the wicked household of Ahab and Jezebel. He had inherited their propensity towards idol worship. His reign was short because he refused to look to God for answers to his problems, but looked for help from pagan sources of the people of the land. When he injured himself, we read that “he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” Elijah answered him, “is there no God in Israel that you should inquire from Baal?”

I love Dilday’s application of this action that cost Ahaziah his life. He writes, “One reason so many in contemporary society are miserable is that they have repeated Ahaziah’s worst mistake: seeking help in the wrong place. They are searching for strength, fulfillment, and com fort in the wrong places. Some look for help in chemical reinforcement, mistakenly assuming that a prescription, a pill, a bottle, or an injection can provide life’s missing ingredient. The worldwide epidemic of heroin and cocaine addiction has shocked us. Alcoholism continues to take its toll in traffic deaths and broken homes. These are painful reminders that the remedy for personal emptiness is not a chemical substance.”

I like what the black preacher said in warning his congregation about drugs and alcohol. In a loud, booming voice he preaches, “Some of you think you can drown your troubles in drink. But I want to remind you, ‘Troubles can swim!’”

There is a God in Israel. There is a God in the US. Paul tells us what that God is like. He writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction…”

Let us ignore the idols of our day and turn to our God for our comfort in times of trouble.

Chuck
“But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9