Today's Scripture Reading (January 17, 2023): 2 Kings 1
Baal-Zebub. It is a name that
reigns as a symbol of evil in English-speaking lands. In Christian thought,
Baal-Zebub, often spelled a little differently, Beelzebub, is often used as just
another name for Satan. It is that thought that Freddie Mercury picks up in
Queen's epic hit song "Bohemian Rhapsody." Mercury sings in the opera
section of the song, "Beelzebub has a devil set aside for me." Mercury's
words are in keeping with the idea that Beelzebub is the king of demons and is,
therefore, the arch-enemy of the creator of the world.
Baal-Zebub actually
translates into "Lord (Baal) of the Flies (Zebub)." Baal-Zebub is thought
to be a god who protected his worshippers by warding off the flies that were
common carriers of disease in the ancient world. But it also seems likely that
the way we have come to understand the demon Beelzebub in our contemporary
thought might differ from the God that the Canaanites worshiped. Or maybe it
isn't.
The reality is that the
identity of Baal-Zebub probably doesn't matter in the consideration of this
passage. It doesn't matter to which god Ahaziah sends his envoys to enquire
about his health and, probably even more importantly, his healing. The point is
that Ahaziah, the King of Israel and a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
is not inquiring of the God of Israel. And Elijah, the prophet of God, is
making sure that Ahaziah realizes his error. Even though Ahaziah is not asking anything
of Elijah's God, the God of Israel has an answer to the question that the King
of Israel is asking of Baal-Zebub. Yes, this is the end of his life; he will
not recover from this injury.
Part of what we need to understand
about this passage is that it is not the injury that will kill Ahaziah. Elijah
doesn't tell the king that his injuries are too grave for him to recover. He
asks Ahaziah if he is going to Baal-Zebub because there is no God in Israel.
And the truth is that that is exactly why Ahaziah sends his messengers to
Baal-Zebub. The Kingdom of Israel had discarded the God of Israel generations
earlier when they had split with the southern Kingdom of Judah. Then, Jeroboam
set up two calves as idols and told his people that these calves were the gods
of Israel who had brought them out of Egypt. But I think even Israel realized
that the idols Israel had set up were empty gods that could not get them help. Because
they didn't want to or were not allowed to worship the God of Israel in
Jerusalem, Israel's kings and people had chased after the gods of neighboring
nations, like Baal-Zebub. And so, it would be that lack of faith in Elijah's
God that would cost Ahaziah his life, not the injuries he had sustained in his fall.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 2
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