Through Baalzebub

Through Baalzebub

In the pilot episode of The Matthew Bible Podcast, Pastor Nathan Harding presented the story of king Ahaziah, and the prophet Elijah as found in 2 Kings. The king wanted to capture Elijah because the prophet had proclaimed negatively against him. 150 of the king’s soldiers were sent to capture the man of God who was sitting on the top of a hill, but the soldiers were faced with a protective fire from heaven and could not get through: Only one of three captains chose well.

The Matthew Bible compared to the King James

The main differences that were discussed were the variations in a couple of the names (Ohoziah/Eliah) vs. (Ahaziah and Elijah), and that the Matthew Bible said the king attempted to inquire “through” Baalzebub, whereas the KJV said inquire “of” Baalzebub. This difference in words is a point of interest for future Bible studies. Going through the power of a spirit is different than being in its presence. To go through someone, or a spirit, is to act as their ambassador.

If you choose to use the podcast episode as a Bible study, you might attempt to discover what was taking place in this incident by asking “how did the king try to communicate with Baalzebub?”