“In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.” 2 Chronicles 28:22-23
The kings of Judah were a mixed bag, some faithful, some unfaithful and some were faithful but not with a whole heart. When we come to King Ahaz we find a king that God had nothing good to say about. In 2 Chronicles 28 we read, “he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD, like his father David, but walked in the ways of
the kings of Israel.” He was so consistently evil that God said he was like a king of Israel – none of them were ever faithful to the Lord. God’s hand of blessing was taken off King Ahaz and the nation
of Judah. The king of Assyria came against Judah and to placate him, Ahaz gave him utensils and artifacts from the Temple of God. God’s word tells us God “did not help him”. This shows us that if God is not protecting and blessing us, we cannot prosper or find a way out of our difficulties. Thusthings got very much worse for Judah and Ahaz.
God then makes an important point for us to ponder in 2 Chronicles 28:22-23. Ahaz began to calculate what he had to do to be successful. First God tells us again this is a time of trouble. This is
the time when believers who have forgotten God should wake up and turn to Him. Not Ahaz. God tells us he became even more unfaithful to God. King Ahaz went to Damascus to ask the king of Assyria for help and while there he saw a pagan altar. He assumed this was Assyria’s secret of success (Idolatry always looks appealing on the surface) so he sent plans to his priest, Uriah, to make a similar altar in Jerusalem. When he returned, Ahaz sacrificed to the idols of Damascus on that altar. Then Ahaz moved the altar of the Lord, and though he kept it to use it for “guidance”, all his sacrifices were offered on his “new” altar.
Ahaz was not through copying the world’s practices. He removed the royal entryway of the temple as well as the Sabbath canopy, and cut the temple furnishings into pieces (2 Chronicles 28:24). He shut the doors to the temple and placed his altars at all the street corners in Jerusalem. Then he set up high places to worship Assyrian idols in every city in Judah (2 Chronicles 28:24–25). The outcome was what we expected.
They were his downfall God’s word says worshipping idols were Ahaz’s ruin. The word downfall means to make to stumble or totter. Remember God’s word. “He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Christ said it this way – “you cannot serve God and mammon.” Ahaz “knew God but glorified Him not as God and his foolish heart was darkened” – a dark heart of sin!
And the downfall of all Israel The evil king led the nation into perversity. Instead of following the living and true God he led the
entire nation to follow their government’s descent into idolatry – the path to their own destruction.
What can we learn? Ahaz was not living for the Lord and was not as successful as he thought he should be. Rather than repenting and seeing God’s face he looked at who in the world was successful. He thought if he copied the world’s secrets to success he would be successful too. He would keep God in his back pocket if he ever needed Him but for now he would adopt the world’s practices. Ahaz soon learned he was on the broad path to defeat. His doublemindedness stopped God’s blessing on him and Israel. He accomplished nothing of value. One who is deceived never does. That’s the way one wastes his life. Learn this! Believers do not copy the world’s practices. Trust God’s wisdom and follow His direction for how to be a success in His eyes even while living in this world!