Facing Reality

Scripture Verses that Caught my attention today: 2 Kings 1:15-16 Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he set out and went down with him to the king, 16 and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron,—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not leave the bed to which you have gone, but you shall surely die.”

Observation: To make a long story short, Elijah, through messengers, had already been told three times that he would die from his illness. Still, the king persisted until Elijah told him face-to-face. The king was apparently hoping that, by asking the same question over and over again, that the answer might somehow change.

Application: There is a fine line between persistence and a stubborn refusal to accept reality. I think the king thought he was being persistent, which can be admirable. But in reality he was simply refusing to accept the inevitable, which requires a change in plan and perspective. The king’s original question (“Will I recover from this illness?”) was fair. His refusal to accept the answer led to a loss of precious time on his part and precious lives in regard to the two companies of prophets (102 people total) who lost their lives as a result of the king’s stubbornness.

Still, I can’t say that I totally blame him. Who of us doesn’t think it’s important to get a second opinion at times, especially in issues related to health? Who of us doesn’t want to seek out some specialist who might be able to offer a new treatment or some other form of hope?

The king, however, was trying to muscle his way to a more pleasing answer. He sent two companies of prophets to essentially try to bully a more desirable answer out of Elijah. But God doesn’t work that way and the king learned that for himself in due time. Unfortunately a bunch of unnecessary collateral damage occurred as a result of the king’s over-inflated sense of self-importance.

Prayer: Lord, help each of us to face the realities of our lives with wisdom and grace rather than a stubborn refusal to accept and work with reality. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: 2 Kings 1-3, Psalm 82, 1 Timothy 1)