Daily Devotional

After taking a bad fall in his palace, King Ahaziah, the son of the wicked Jezebel, wanting to know his future, asked a pagan god whether he would live or die from his injury (2 Kings 1:2). You might recognize the name of this false god: Baal-Zebub, translated as “Lord of the Flies” and, in Ahaziah’s day, seen as the god of prophecy. The name is more commonly referred to in the New Testament as Beelzebub, another name for Satan. (See Matthew 10:25; 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18, 19.)

The prophet Elijah, commanded by God, rebuked the king for his idolatry and proceeded to tell him his bitter end: Ahaziah would die from his injury because he had rejected God (2 Kings 1:6), the only true source of prophecy. In retaliation, Ahaziah sent a military contingent for the prophet—twice. Each time, Elijah proclaimed, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men” (v. 10). (See also verse 12.) And it did.

This was the judgment of those who did not seek the “God in Israel to inquire of His word” (v. 16). This points forward to the New Testament, in which lies the prophecy of the final judgment of those who, similarly, did not seek God’s Word. Note the similar language: “And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9). Scripture teaches that it is God’s “fiery law” (Deuteronomy 33:2) by which we are judged.

Just as God’s messenger in the Old Testament spoke God’s word predicting Ahaziah’s future, God’s messenger in the New Testament, John, did the same, predicting the future of the world: The judgment will come to pass. Justice will prevail; this is a “must.” And it is God’s beautiful promise to us. Evil will not get away scot-free. All of God’s people who have followed His Word and been hated because of it will be vindicated.

I praise You, Lord, that the “word … that goes forth from [Your] mouth … shall not return to [You] void, but … shall accomplish what [You] please” (Isaiah 55:11).

For Further Study: Jeremiah 5:14; Daniel 7:9, 10; 2 Thessalonians 2:8