Elijah and King Ahaziah
Bible Passage: 2 Kings 1: 1-18
“Now therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'” – 2 Kings 1: 4
This was the warning given to Ahaziah the first time when the messengers returned to him. And yet, Ahaziah chose to ignore this and sent captains with their fifties to get Elijah. Of course, we know what became of those poor fellows, save the last group.
If you were Ahaziah and you found out your first captain and his fifties got toasted by fire from above? I think the sensible side of us would tell us to consider why this had happened, pondered on what Elijah had said and probably realise that we’ve sinned against God and seek repentance and forgiveness.
But maybe Ahaziah was more dense than the Dead Sea, but he kept sending ore men until one captain was able to ask Elijah to go back with them… *Fast forward*… Then, Ahaziah died in bed.
Who should I depend on?
At the beginning of the chapter, after his horrific accident, we can already see that he did not trust in God to begin with. Instead, he sought the council of Baal-Zebub (some council that’ll be…). As written in a posting a couple years back, we can see who he really trusted in when he was in a dire situation. Instead of trusting in the one true God, who was suppose to be his God, he didn’t even give a second thought about Him but sought his own way and sought other gods.
Though we might not have sought other gods, I think many of us have been susceptible to just forgetting about God in certain moments of need. Unlike Ahaziah who completely disregarded God, most of us forget to seek Him out of our weakness, or maybe because we thought we could handle it ourselves. But still, because we know that He is our God and our help in times of need, all the more we have to remember to seek Him first.
“But I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God…” – Psalms 40: 17
Chance after chance
When we have sinned, our God could easily just punish us once and for all with no chance for repentance. But we know that He is a God who is compassionate and patient, ever ready to forgive us of our sins, as long as we repent and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in mercy and truth…” – Psalms 86: 15
Sometimes, He may give us some pretty harsh warnings. But God is telling us that He is willing to forgive us and is giving us chances to seize to change anew. He gave Ahaziah those warnings (after all, he wasn’t the one getting burnt or singed), and yet he was too stubborn to realise the mercy of God. And he ultimately paid the price for it.
When we receive some warnings or even a little suffering, it is good that we take a step back and ponder. Of course, these do not necessarily mean that we have sinned, but we should still consider if we have. And before it is too late, we must quickly repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness.
“Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored…” – Lamentations 5: 21a