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Daily Devotion: 2 Chronicles 28:1-4, 22-25

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2 Chronicles 28:1-4    "Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father:  (2)  For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim.  (3)  Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.  (4)  He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree."

2 Chronicles 28:22-25    "And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.  (23)  For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.  (24)  And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem.  (25)  And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers."

I became more and more distressed as I read this chapter concerning Ahaz. He seems to have been one of the most, if not the most, wicked kings of Judah. What causes a man to go to such lengths to transgress against the most Holy God?  Yesterday, we read that his father, Jotham, "prepared his ways before the LORD his God." Ahaz had a proper example to follow, but it seems he had no desire whatsoever to seek after the Lord God.  There is only one explanation as I see it. The only way any person can seek after the Lord is by the Holy Spirit drawing him/her. It is not in man's natural being to seek after the Lord. Jesus would later express it as plainly as can be. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44)

Notice the extreme that Ahaz took in trying to establish the gods of other nations, going so far as to close the house of  God and destroying the vessels used in worship. The verses in the center of this chapter shows that God's wrath was poured out upon Judah because of Ahaz. The wickedness of Ahaz was so great that he sacrificed his children unto Baalim. There seemed to be no length to which Ahaz would go in trying to show his disdain for God. God would not allow that to continue. He allowed Judah to be taken captive for a period of time. No nation, not even Judah, can get away with transgressing against the Lord God.  We will see in the son of Ahaz that God is true to His Word: "If my people that are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear their prayer and heal their land." The next verse says, "Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place." (2 Chronicles 7:15)

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