The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 17

the present life there are things more precious than money. Men who Aacrifice every- thing for money soon find that they have lost things which money cannot buy. "The world with stones instead of br,1ad My hungry soul has always fed : It promised health; in one short hour Perished the fair but fragile flower. It promised riches; in a. day They made them wings and flew away. It promised/riends; a.11 sought their own, And left my widowed hea.rt a.lone." And then what shall we say of the folly of those who, while making ample provision for this short life, have made none for the life that is to come? "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? " Let us beware of making a god of money. We see the same love of what is seen entering even into the Church of God. There is too much tendency, even in the Christian Church, to worship earthly rank, to attend to the rich and neglect the poor. How often have our Churches made a god of custom, of the traditions of men, of public opinion, of expediency and worldly policy I Images and pictures are set up to aid in the worship of him of whom it is said that " God is a Spirit : and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." II. THE CONSEQUENCE OF SEEKING AFTER STRANGE GODS. .. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the King of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but aha.It surely die." The strange deity that Ahaziah sought after had not served him much. Strange gods have never been mnch help to those who seek after them. They have not helped the heathen nations, but their degrading and demoralizing worship has al ways been a source of weakness and decay. It is the same with all the strange gods that men serve eve1ywhere-with all the passions and desires to gratify which they spend their energies and time. We read of King Ahaz that he turned away from the true God to serve the gods of Damascus, because Syria enjoyed prosperity. He said, "Because the god~ of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me." "But," says the Bible narrative, "they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel" (2 Chron. xxviii. 23). How many a man has done like Ahaz-turoed his back upon God, and found that the strange gods whom he served proved to be his ruin! Many a man has lived without God when in health, who was very glad to seek him when sickness came and death was drawing nigh. It is told of a sceptic called Saunderson, who was a great admirer of Sir Isaac Newton's talents, but who made light of bis religion when in health, that when on his death-bed he was beard to sa,v, in mournful entreaty, "God of Sir Isaac Newton, have merey on me!" But, as many a one bas found, it may be too late then to seek the Lord. Such are the consequences of seeking after strange gods. The same message which was sent to Ahaziah will one day be sent to us-this part at least: "'l'hou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but sbalt surely die." The way to prepare for that message is to accept the messages of life. The way to prepare for sickness is to serve God while in health. -0. H. I. Vers. 5-16.-Firefrom lieaven. Ahaziah's messengers were intercepted by Elijah. They brought back to Abaziah the fearless prophet's announcement of his doom. Elijah's message was God's message. He began it by" Thus saith the Lord." The statement that Ahaziah would surely die was in reality the sentence of him who knows the future of every life, and in whose hand is tbe breath of every human being, be he peasant or be he king. But such a terrible sentence bad not brought Ahaziah to his senses. He does not begin to set his house in order. He does not prepare to meet his God as a guilty but penitent sinner. No; but when the messengers tell him of the strange interruption they had met with, recognizing at once from their description that it was Elijah the 'l'ishbite who had stopped them, ho is filled with anger and defiance. He has defied God when in health; now he defios him from a bed of sickness. He 10 THE SECOND IlOOK OF THE KINGS. [OH, I, 1-18,