I Kings 16:1a He told the king, ‘This is what the Lord says: is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?
Every so often in schools a big push is made for cooperative learning. This takes many forms and can be a good thing. But sometimes it seems to morph into the idea that the students can replace the teachers. Not surprisingly, I am not a fan of this! I have had experiences where one student helped another and it was fine. Other times I have had big problems to unravel because someone who didn’t want to ask the teacher for help was paired with one who ‘knew all the answers!’
For a long time the Northern Kingdom had been ruled by idolatrous kings. Jeroboam started the process when he suggested two golden bulls as a convenient, (and politically expedient) substitute for going to Jerusalem to worship. Fast forward to Ahab and Jezebel and the kingdom looks just like their neighbors. Even after the contest on Mt. Carmel, when Elijah had demonstrated God's power over Baal's, and the people had a brief conversion, things went right back to the way they had been. Now Ahab is dead and his son is king. His son had a terrible fall and was unsure if he would recover. His solution was to send a servant to ask a prophet of Baal. (Baal-Zebub. Look familiar? It’s another name for Satan. It means Lord of the Flies.) But on the way to that prophet the servant ran into Elijah. After hearing what the mission was, Elijah asks a great question: “Is it because there’s no God in Israel that you consult Baal?”
A lot of problems are really easy to detect. In other people. Not so easy in our own life. We live in a day of quick answers and easy solutions. When we have a question we just pull out our phone. Siri or Alexis are so pleasant to work with! If we have deeper problems we can find an appropriate and helpful podcast or a Facebook group, or maybe a sub Reddit. The newspaper still publishes horoscopes that we can consult. We have so many ways of getting help! But what about Elijah’s question? “ Is it because there's no God in ________ that we consult all these other options? Might it be that we don't consult God for the same reason they didn’t back then? We’re just a little bit concerned that if we bring God into the picture, He might have some questions about how we’re living our lives?
From the beginning of time Satan's lie has been that God just wants to tell you what to do. He doesn't want you to know the truth: that God loves you and wants what's best for you. He has revealed Himself in His word. So here’s a great question: “Is it because there’s no Bible in your hand that you consult ______?”
blessings,
Pastor Russ
