Ahaz's Idolatry

 

 

2 Chronicles 28: 22-27

 

August 31, 2023

 

Ahaz's Idolatry

In the time of his distress, he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz.   For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.  And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.  In every city of Judah, he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers.  Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.  And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.

“The Old is forever New”; we learned not one thing from history, but we are great at repeating it.  We are a religious nation, yes very religious about many things, one of the new little gods is climate change, and another is gender confusion, money, and power are also some of the top little gods of this nation.  

Many years ago, I was told the difference between Religion and Christianity, it is simple but very profound.  It is “Do” and “Done”!  Religion is all about “Do”, what one can do to earn God's grace and forgiveness.  And Christians is “Done” is the redemption that was done for us on the Cross by Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Jesus said it was finished, what was the act that was finished, your sin and mine we cover by His precious blood, death, and hell were defeated, and to as many as would put their trust in Jesus and confess their sins and believe in their hearts that He is alive this very day sitting at the right hand of His Father, will be saved. 

It is past time that we as Christians or if you prefer followers of Christ, tell everyone what we are told in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  And have you known people that say if my good life is not good enough for God, then I will not go to heaven?  It is not, the Scripture is clear on that.  The prophet Isaiah states that it is not in Isaiah 64:6, ^“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness’s are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”  Maybe if Isaiah was the only one saying that in the Scripture, it could be dismissed, but he is not. Romans 3:27-28, “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.  For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”  And Titus 3:4-5, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” 

 

Trusting in your goodness is making yourself a little god, and that is an abomination to a Holy God, who loves you and sent his only Son to pay your sin price.  Give thought to this truth, all that put faith in anything but Jesus Christ will spend eternity in a place not designed for them.  It was for the devil and his angels; man’s rejection of Jesus is a choice.  Choose Jesus, choose heaven with a Father that loves you, not in punishment with the devil and his angels.

Yes, Ahaz went after the pagan gods of his enemy and rejected the only God, and guess what, not one thing has changed.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice