Fall of the House of Ahab
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decreasing, and that in its stead superstition and satanic witchery are
captivating the minds of many.
Today the mysteries of heathen worship are replaced by the secret
association and seances, the obscurities and wonders, of spiritistic
mediums. The disclosures of these mediums are eagerly received by
thousands who refuse to accept light from God’s word or through His
Spirit. Believers in spiritism may speak with scorn of the magicians of
old, but the great deceiver laughs in triumph as they yield to his arts
under a different form.
There are many who shrink with horror from the thought of con-
sulting spirit mediums, but who are attracted by more pleasing forms of
spiritism. Others are led astray by the teachings of Christian Science,
and by the mysticism of Theosophy and other Oriental religions.
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The apostles of nearly all forms of spiritism claim to have power to
heal. They attribute this power to electricity, magnetism, the so-called
“sympathetic remedies,” or to latent forces within the mind of man.
And there are not a few, even in this Christian age, who go to these
healers, instead of trusting in the power of the living God and the skill
of well-qualified physicians. The mother, watching by the sickbed
of her child, exclaims, “I can do no more. Is there no physician who
has power to restore my child?” She is told of the wonderful cures
performed by some clairvoyant or magnetic healer, and she trusts her
dear one to his charge, placing it as verily in the hand of Satan as if
he were standing by her side. In many instances the future life of the
child is controlled by a satanic power which it seems impossible to
break.
God had cause for displeasure at Ahaziah’s impiety. What had
He not done to win the hearts of the people of Israel and to inspire
them with confidence in Himself? For ages He had been giving His
people manifestations of unexampled kindness and love. From the
beginning He had shown that His “delights were with the sons of men.”
Proverbs 8:31
. He had been a very present help to all who sought Him
in sincerity. Yet now the king of Israel, turning from God to ask help
of the worst enemy of His people, proclaimed to the heathen that he
had more confidence in their idols than in the God of heaven. In the
same manner do men and women dishonor Him when they turn from
the Source of strength and wisdom to ask help or counsel from the
powers of darkness. If God’s wrath was kindled by Ahaziah’s act, how
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