1. Baalzebub the god of Ekron – 2 Kings 1:1-18

Baalzebub was a pagan god of the Philistines but it is clear from this passage that some of the Israelites were corrupted by the cult, including King Ahaziah of Israel. The word “Baalzebub” means is translated “the lord of the flies” or some translations have it as “the lord of dung”. The fly was worshipped in some cultures. No doubt they worshipped this lord of the flies in the hope that he would control this menace upon the people.

King Ahaziah had a nasty fall and instead of calling upon the Lord God of Israel, he gets messengers to enquire of the god of Baalzebub if he will get well. An angel of the Lord tells Elijah and it is he who intercepts and asks the messengers to deliver a two-fold message for King Ahaziah.

• Is there no God in Israel that you would enquire of Baalzebub?
• You will die as a result of number one!

The god of Baalzebub (the Lord of flies) could no help King Ahaziah from the God of Israel (the Lord of All).

2. The trouble with live flies

There are few things in this world that are more pesky than flies. They are not direct people killers

• They will harass you – A fly will bite and annoy livestock and people but not kill directly. If you have a picnic outside then it can ruin your picnic. You might chase it away but then more will come and you are often forced to give up.
• Indirectly kill you – The first thing a fly does when it lands on food is to vomit. A fly lands on animal feces and then transfers its contaminants onto your food. This can make you sick or even kill you. The bite of the fly can also lead to disease and death.
• Cover your food – if you don’t cover your food then the flies can land on it and ruin it. It is a nuisance in so many countries in the home, shops, restaurants and markets. You have to clean you food or cook it to get rid of the vomit and disease.

The live flies are like Satan’s agents in the Church. They either harass people to send them money and/or they poison the food with their false doctrine and it is swallowed by believers. You need to cover your food and watch out for flies. You will find flies in your Christian book shop so be discerning!

3. Beelzebub the prince of the devils

See John 3:1-2 “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.'”

Matthew 12:22-28 and Luke 11:14-26.

The Pharisees knew that the miracle of healing the deaf or blind could only be attributed to God. They believed it and taught it. Yet, they deliberately attributed these miracles done by Jesus to the power of Satan. God does not forgive blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which is knowingly attributing to Satan that which is known to be of God in order to lead people away from Jesus. The Sanhedrin apart from very few didn’t mind this blasphemy. You can’t throw out the bad guy unless you are a good guy. Paul cast out demons but the demons wouldn’t obey the false apostle and beat him up. See Acts 19:15-16.

Luke writes to the Gentiles and emphasises the deafness while Matthew writes to the Jews and emphasises the blindness. The Gentiles can see but they are deaf while The Jews can hear but they are blind. Faith comes from hearing and Jesus was giving the Jews a sign they could see but people in unbelief desire a sign. The Greeks could not handle the idea of God becoming a man. The Jews understood that God did miracles.

There was no middle ground with Jesus. You are either with Jesus or against Him. You can’t be a little pregnant and you can’t be a little saved! There is no fence to walk upon. You are either hot or cold. Jesus hates those who are lukewarm. See Revelation 3:15-16.

4. The trouble with dead flies – Ecclesiastes 10:1-2

Do you hate flies? Do you enjoy swatting flies? Do you enjoy killing flies or do you let them go? You need discernment. If you find flies you can’t just shoo them away. They must die or they will pester you or make you sick. Some Churches have flies and some don’t.  The old nature, the flesh, old man or old creation must die if we are to be a new creation. Thank God they are dead in Christ but.. they leave an effect. The flies must die but there is an effect. What do you do with all the corpse

That is my problem and your problem too! We all have dead flies lying around. If the dead flies are lying around and get into the perfume then it will make the perfume stink! We are told to watch out for a little foolishness as it can spread. The fly is a tiny creature but it can create a foul stench from something that had a lovely smell. The Bible mentions other little things that can cause big problems:-

• Little foxes ruin the vineyards. See Song Of Solomon 2:15.
• The tongue is small but can control the body if not tamed. See James 3:4-6.
• A little rest can get carried away and you end up in poverty. See Proverbs 24:33
• A little leaven will spread to the whole dough. See Galatians 5:9

We need to avoid flies but if we see one then we need to kill it and then quickly clean up the carcass. If not then a little foolishness can outweigh much wisdom.

Categories: 2 Kings, Ecclesiastes