2nd Kings 16 CALLOUS DEPRAVITY Some of the ancient kings shared the throne with their sons until they came of age or there were some extenuating circumstances that 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. To please people in the name of religious freedom undermines the work and word of God that is practiced by people of faith. The comparison between that which pleases people and that which pleases God is not contrasted but mixed in a "people pleasing" way.
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 this day in the religious practices of some cults similar sacrifices are made. 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. Other ways 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 Aramean's, Ahaz made an arrangement 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 Assyrian of 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 to submit to Tiglathpileser instead of the God of heaven. He had cause later on to regret asking for his help. Some things may appear to be 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.
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. The reproduction of that altar was further evidence of his submission to the Assyrians and disregard for the commandments of God. 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 is 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.
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 for any reason we allow leadership over the lives of people other than that which is of God, we will be swallowed up by practices and customs of an ungodly world. To try to please others by copying them means that we are allowing them the place of God in our lives. The effect of such actions, go beyond us to those who are influenced by us. That includes our family and the assembly of which we are a part.
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 he replaced the altar of God on which holy sacrifices had been made for generations, and used the true altar as no more than a "good luck charm" for divinations. The pagan altar that was appealing to the flesh was used for offerings and sacrifices which God hated. We may not realize at the moment the influence of a careless action, but the consequences are real and lasting. It is inevitable that the consequences of sin will come.
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 as been an identifiable nation since 1948 but that was not established by faith in God. It is the hope of being established and recognized as a nation that 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 a small thing 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. It is expected of us 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.
2Kings 16:10. “And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.”
ACTS OF APOSTASY. They don’t all turn in just the same way – Apostasy shows up in more than one might say. Some with a condescending face silently reject Things they had learned were true, but now don’t accept.
The light they once had, now to darkness has turned. The God they once said they believed now they have spurned. Grace they once had experienced, to them now is a joke – And Satan has bound them to his diabolical yoke.
The pattern of God’s worship they now have scorned. They practice the world’s pattern – the Lord’s, they abhorred. The workmanship of idolatry they have gladly embraced, And substituted evil practices in the place of true faith.
Objects of God’s design have been altered or removed. The apostate changes to suit himself what God had approved. For reasons of rebellion he turns away from God – And like Cain, the first apostate, goes to the land of Nod.
Many don’t understand the seriousness of such actions. Even when confronted, apostates refuse to make retractions. Ultimately the end of these is judgment without repentance; And the final destination is an eternal death sentence.
“Holy God, I know it is not my right to identify apostates because I can only look on the outside of a person. I do see what seems to be evidence of turning away from what they once said they believed. I guess this is the spirit of apostasy. Preserve me, my family and spiritual children from this terrible sin I pray, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”