DEPRAVITY and APOSTASY. 2nd Kings 16 Some ancient kings shared the throne with their sons until they came of age, or some extenuating circumstances made this practice necessary. Ahaz, king of Judah, apparently was one of those who did this. His sole leadership lasted sixteen years, but the change done to the nation and its people in sixteen years affected them even to this day. Because of God's promise to David, Judah continued to exist as a nation longer than Israel, but under the reign of Ahaz, there were extremes of depravity. Even the "good kings" of Judah had left the "high places" where pagan practices and altars allowed idolatry to continue. The action of Ahaz to have his son sacrificed in the fire was a depraved practice of those nations around Judah that were supposed to have been driven out of the land rather than tolerated.
To please people in the name of religious freedom undermines the work and word of God that people of faith practice. The comparison between that which pleases people and that which pleases God is not contrasted but mixed in a "people-pleasing" way. To this day, similar sacrifices are made in some cults' religious practices. Even in society, the sacrificing of unborn children by the choice of the mother for her convenience and personal freedom is legally accepted by our nation. Another way to undermine the potential faith in Christ of children is to promote personal pleasure by immediate gratification at the expense of living by faith in God. To them, games are more important than God. Fun is more important than faith. The pursuit of pleasure is more important than "preaching peace by Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all."
When the pressure came on the nation of Judah from Israel and the Arameans, Ahaz arranged with the king of Assyria to come to his aid and stop the invasion from the north. Rather than turn to God and call upon Him, Ahaz paid tribute to the Assyrians with the gold and silver that belonged to the Lord's house. His gratitude and loyalty were given to a pagan ruler, and he was responsible for submitting to Tiglath-Pileser instead of the God of heaven.
Later on, he regretted asking for his help. In the case of Ahaz, his first journey as a vassal of the Assyrians to the city of Damascus led him another step further in depravity. The pagan altar he saw appealed to him more than the altar of the Lord. Reproducing that altar was further evidence of his submission to the Assyrians and disregard for God's commandments.
Some things may appear expedient at the moment, but to act in haste usually means we will have to repent in leisure. Compromise and careless action have lasting consequences. We learn from Ahaz that one step away from that which is right leads to others and a downward fall that cannot be stopped without true repentance and forsaking of sin. If we try to fit the Gospel message and the practice of church life into our personal preferences, we are doing the same thing Ahaz did. A callous disregard for God and His word is a form of idolatry rather than "relevant Christianity."
We are to preach the message of the Gospel as it is given to us in the Scripture. Church doctrine and practice are not up for "private interpretation." It is defined in the word of God. God is God, and we come to Him and worship Him for who He is, not what we perceive Him to be to suit our opinion. If, for any reason, we allow leadership over the lives of people other than that which is of God, we will be swallowed up by the practices and customs of an ungodly world.
To try to please others by copying them means that we are allowing them to take the place of God in our lives. The effect of such actions goes beyond us to those who are influenced by us. That includes our family and the assembly of which we are a part. We may not realize the influence of a careless action, but the consequences are real and lasting. The consequences of sin will inevitably come.
Because of Ahaz's actions as a weak king without convictions, he influenced a weak and compromising priest to do what was wrong. He not only made an idolatrous altar but also replaced the altar of God on which holy sacrifices had been made for generations. He used the true altar as no more than a "good luck charm" for divination. The pagan altar that appealed to the flesh was used for offerings and sacrifices, which God hated.
The northern nation of Israel was soon taken into captivity by the Assyrian empire and dispersed.
Discipline follows sin, and the consequences of sin cannot be avoided. In some cases, consequences cannot be reversed. Even today, the sins of that chosen nation have kept many of the Jews separated in nations all over the world. There has been an identifiable nation since 1948, but that was not established by faith in God. The hope of being established and recognized as a nation guides the will of the people in Israel rather than carrying out the will of God. There will be no lasting peace in Israel until they submit to the leadership of the One who will sit on the throne of David.
It is not insignificant for believers who have been called by God's grace and responded in faith to Him to be His representatives in this world. A callous disregard for His will has consequences today, the same as in the past. We are expected to yield to His revealed will and do what we do in our lives and in the assembly of which we are a part, to His glory and according to His word.
Those who reject God’s revealed truth don’t all turn away from Him in the same way. Apostasy may show up in actions more than the words one might say. Some with a condescending face silently reject things they had learned were true when they were young but now don’t accept. The light they once had now has turned to darkness. The God they once said they believed in, now they have spurned. God’s grace they once had experienced, to them now, is a joke, and they consider His grace no more than “luck.” Even more sinister is that Satan has bound them to his diabolical yoke.
The biblical pattern of worshiping God, they now scorn as being old-fashioned, and instead of being worshippers, they go to “church” to be entertained and socially accepted. Social service has replaced divine service; giving to people has taken the place of giving to God. They practice the world’s accepted norms but have abhorred the Lord’s pattern. The workmanship of idolatry they have gladly embraced and substituted evil practices in the place of true faith.
Objects of God’s design for life, worship, and holy service have been altered or removed. The apostate changed what God had approved to suit himself and to accommodate his schedule. In rebellion, he turns away from God, His word, and His will, and like Cain, the first apostate who went into the land of Nod, the apostate goes into the land of self-will, idolatry, and self-pleasing. Many people don’t understand the seriousness of such actions or realize they are rejecting God when they reject His word. Even when confronted, apostates refuse to make retractions. Ultimately, the end of these people is judgment without repentance, and their final destination is eternal separation from God in everlasting punishment.