2 Kings 16 -- A Bad One In The Middle

Jotham's son Ahaz became king at age 20 and ruled until he was 36.  "His father had been a good king and his son Hezekiah would be a very good king, but he himself was not a godly man or even a good man.  Instead of discovering and doing the will of God, Ahaz imitated the wicked kings of Israel and even the pagan practices of Assyria," my commentary said.

Ahaz was pro-Assyrian and chose to trust the king of Assyria over Jehovah.  This led Israel and Syria to try to remove him from the throne, but God was still in control despite Ahaz's sins, and He kept the throne of David from falling.  God's message, though, failed to change Ahaz's heart and religious compromise soon began to occur.  Ahaz's trust in Assyria rather than the Lord was unconscionable.  "He took wealth from the temple, the palace, and the princes" and sent it to Assyria.  "Ahaz had no living faith in the Lord and put his trust in the army of Assyria instead, and this cost him dearly."

Ahaz saw an altar in Damascus that he liked better than the one God had designed, and he had it installed just outside the temple, moving the one God had ordained.  He also redesigned and replaced other items in the temple using Assyrian designs.  "All of this is a picture of what often happens in Christian ministries today:  someone sees something out in the world that would fit into the Lord's work, and the church starts to imitate the world," my commentary said.  "Today, the church is becoming so like the world that it's getting difficult to tell them apart."

"Ahaz thought that the Lord would be pleased with sacrifices offered on this magnificent new altar, but he was wrong ... The religious novelties in churches today may excite and entertain the people, but they don't edify the church or exalt the Lord.  The sanctuary becomes a theater, worship becomes entertainment, ministry becomes performance, and a congregation becomes an audience.  The measure of all this is not the glory of God but the applause of the people," my commentary said.

"Once we allow worldliness to get into the church fellowship, it will quietly grow, pollute the fellowship, and eventually take over.  It was not until the reign of his son Hezekiah that the temple Ahaz defiled was reopened and sanctified for ministry."

Father, make us all the more aware of what Your design s are for our worship and ministry.  Keep us seeking after You and not trying to adapt ourselves to the world.  Remind us of Your uniqueness!

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford