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Seek wise council
Jeff Weinkauf2 Kings 1:1-4
1 After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2 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.”
3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ 4 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.
Sometimes when we're desperate for answers we will look just about anywhere for them. Even when we know better.That's the case with king Ahaziah who found himself physically broken after an accident. He was looking for a little good news. "Will I recover" was what he wanted to know. So he sent his people (presumably) to a place where they could expect a positive response.
But the angel of The Lord placed Elijah in play to interrupt. The king would not be allowed to seek consultation from a false Philistine God. It's clear he knew the right place to ask, but he chose not to. When his men came back with the word Elijah gave them he even asked:
7 ..."What kind of man was it who came to meet you and told you this?”
8 They replied, “He had a garment of hair[a] and had a leather belt around his waist.” The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”
The king was not ignorant of where to seek Godly wisdom. He just chose not to.
If we align with God and call Jesus "the Christ", we are not only privileged, but also obligated to seek wisdom and understanding from Him who is the author of all truth. We have to take the example of King Ahaziah's fail and especially avoid corrupted wells. It's not harmless to check a horoscope. It's not just fun going to a palm reader. There IS a negative impact when you put a junk stone totem in your yard. God takes these things seriously and while they have no "power" to interrupt what He will purpose, they do speak to the orientation of our hearts and whether we can be effectively used for His kingdom purposes.
God may we your people always seek you for answers. Protect us and make us wise in discerning truth. Amen
