When trouble comes, we seek answers. We ask why. We want to know the cause and the outcome of our troubles.

Somebody said we should not ask God, “Why?” But Jesus Christ the Son of God certainly mouthed that question as He hung on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 26:46, emphasis mine).

The issue is not the questions; it is who we are asking.

There was a certain king in the Bible who might have asked the right question, but he sought to ask the wrong person.

Ahaziah was the king of Israel. He was the son of Ahab, who was also a king of Israel. Ahab was a wicked king who worshipped idols, but he had a lot of interaction with the living God of heaven through the prophets of God. Doubtless, King Ahaziah was well aware of the unquestionable displays of the presence and power of Jehovah God.

There was Mount Carmel with the confrontation between Elijah and the false prophets of Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah prevailed by the power of God and the false prophets were killed (1 Kings 18:16-40).

There was also the prophecy of Micaiah, the true prophet of God, and the 400 false prophets (1 Kings 22:6, 17-18). Once again, the false prophets were proven false while God’s prophet accurately predicted that King Ahab would be killed in battle.

Surely, Ahaziah knew who the one true God was.

Ahaziah had a bad accident. He fell through the lattice of his upper room and injured himself (2 Kings 1:2). The injury was bad enough to be life threatening so Ahaziah wanted to know the outcome of his circumstance. This was not a bad question; there was a lot riding on the future health of this king.

Ahaziah told his messengers to go off to Ekron, which was in Philistine country, and there seek answers from Baal-Zebub, a false entity (2 Kings 1:2). Ahaziah was well aware of Elijah, as evidenced in 2 Kings 1:6-8, so it was not ignorance that led him to seek a false god. It must have been rebellion.

It is interesting that all through the Bible the false prophets had better news than the prophets of God.

Jeremiah was a true prophet of God but he was continually refuted by the false prophets (Jeremiah 28:1-9). False prophets serve their master Satan who is the deceiver and master of lies.

Human nature goes against God and His ways. We are self-seekers of pleasure, comfort, peace, etc. The living God of heaven is not against our good as long as it comes His way. Satan always has a shortcut, and we quickly buy into the lie that there might be an easier way than the way of righteousness and holiness.

Ahaziah did not seek out the Living God of Heaven through Elijah the prophet because he did not necessarily want to know the truth. He wanted the good news that might come from a hireling false prophet of a false god.

Elijah intercepted the men sent to Ekron and gave them the message of the God of heaven (2 Kings 1:3-4). The message was that Ahaziah would die soon.

Would the outcome have been different if Ahaziah had gone straight to Elijah to seek the living God of heaven? We do not know, but we do know one thing: Ahaziah would have died in right relationship with God rather than in evil opposition.

There is only one true God and he has all the answers. We may not get an answer to our question, but we can rest in God’s mercy and grace, which are lavished on those who humbly seek him.

The Rev. Dan Puckett is a minister with Life Action Ministries.