Reading the Bible through with me? Then grab your pen and journal, then read 2 Chronicles 28-30. Ahaz is introduced as one who did NOT do what was right in the Lord’s sight. Not only did he NOT do what was right, he embraced and did a whole lot of wrong. Unlike his father, Jotham, Ahaz joined his people in their wickedness. He erected idols of Baal, offered incense to other false gods, and even sacrificed his own sons as burnt offerings. God judged Ahaz and all of Judah and found them guilty. God’s judgement was to allow the king of Aram to defeat the army of Ahaz and exile a large part of the population to Damascus. Judah was also invaded by Israel’s king Pekah whose army killed 120,000 Judean soldiers. They intended to take 200,000 women and children into exile, but God sent the prophet, Oded, to tell the Israelite leaders that their victory was given to them by God. He then told them they had crossed a line by enslaving the women and children. To do so would bring God’s fierce anger against Israel. So, they released the captives.
In 28:19, it says, “For the Lord humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, who threw off restraint in Judah and was unfaithful to the Lord.” (28:19) His fomenting of Judah’s sin was proved of his depravity. For his entire sixteen-year reign, Ahaz rejected God’s leadership and counsel. The nadir of his reign came when he shut down the Temple and worship of the true God of Israel and accelerated the building of pagan shrines in smaller villages so that people there could worship idols.
Perhaps verse 22 is the tell-tale sign of how spiritually depraved Ahaz was. As Yahweh humbled him by the oppression of his enemies, instead of repenting and turning to Yahweh, Ahaz became even more unfaithful to Him.
It is a dangerous thing to ignore the corrective action, the grace, and the mercy of God. The more resistant you are to the conviction and call of God in your life, the easier it becomes to be even more unfaithful to Him.
Don’t be hard-hearted or hard-headed in your relationship with God. Sooner or later, it will cost you.
