Occasionally when conversing with people who have strong opinions about a particular topic, I ask where they found their information. If the answer is “I Googled it,” their convictions become suspect. Why? Because the source of our information is critical to forming our opinions. Whom you ask shows whom you trust.

The book of 2 Kings begins where 1 Kings left off. Ahaziah, the son of Ahab is on the throne, and he is behaving like his father (see 1 Kings 22:51–53). We should recall that former king Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, were responsible for the institutionalization of Baal worship in Israel. After Ahab died, he was replaced by his like-minded son, Ahaziah, who continued his father’s idolatrous practices.

Ahaziah’s lack of faith was exposed when he was injured (v. 2). Wondering if he would survive, he reached out for divine help. What he reached out to revealed where his confidence lay; he reached for Baal! Yahweh, the God of Israel, sent a message dripping with sarcasm to challenge the king: “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to inquire of Baal-Zebub?” (v. 3).

The king’s search for answers in the wrong place led him to behave as if God, a trustworthy source, did not exist! This would have been a particularly bad example for the king to set. The people would be tempted to believe that if the king inquired of Baal, maybe it was because the God of Israel was not real. Ahaziah came under God’s condemnation and, as a result, would die of his injuries. The message for God’s people, then and now, is clear: Do not seek truth from false gods. Whom we trust in times of trouble reveals a great deal about what we believe.

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