God, the Lord of Life

This passage deals with the scene in which Ahaziah, king of northern Israel, falls ill and sends messengers to inquire of the god of Ekron, and with how God, angered by this, brings judgment through the prophet Elijah. Despite his sinful life, Ahaziah seeks idols rather than repenting before God, and shows his arrogance by opposing God's messenger. By God's power Elijah brings judgment on the king's soldiers and proclaims that God is the Lord of life.

The sermon points out the nature of sin: in moments of crisis people look first to what others think or to the powers of the world, rather than to God. Ahaziah and the first two captains of fifty were destroyed as they opposed God in their own strength, but the third captain of fifty humbly feared God and his life was saved. This shows that human will or authority cannot preserve life, and that there is salvation only when we obey God.

In life's crises and at the crossroads of choice, we must decide whether to trust God or to look for the visible solutions of the world. What does a life that entrusts sovereignty over life to God alone and obeys his will really look like, and how should we live it?