2 Chronicles 28:1-27

If there were a hall of shame for the kings of Judah, Ahaz would have to be one of the top candidates for immediate induction.  His father had been faithful all of his life but failed to remove the high places.  Now Ahaz is an example of a king that never did anything to please the Lord.  He was an idolatrous, wicked king that seems to be completely blinded by his sin.  Even though his kingdom suffered greatly, he never repented or even show any sorrow for his sin.  A hard heart is a very dangerous thing and we must be careful not to allow ourselves to become hardened to the Spirit and Word of God to the point that we do not see the error of our ways. 

AHAZ WAS A DISOBEDIENT KING: The Law of God clearly forbids any king of idolatry or making sacrifices to God in high places.  Ahaz completely ignores this command and makes idols of metal to Baal and practices every form of idolatry known to man.  He makes sacrifices on the high places; he builds altars to idols and even sacrifices his own children on the altars as a means of pleasing these gods that were of his own making.  He is the most consistently evil king that Judah has ever had.  It is a good reminder to all of us that what the fathers tolerate in moderation; the children will practice to excess.  This blatant rebellion against God is a sin that lurks in all of our hearts and we must be careful not to allow it to fester in us, it will always take a terrible toll on our lives and we may not even recognize a way out.   

AHAZ WAS A DEFEATED KING: God brought judgment after judgment upon the nation of Judah.  They were defeated by the Syrians, they were taken captive by Israel, they were invaded by the Philistines and when Ahaz paid the king of Assyria to come to his aide, the king took the money and then came and attacked him anyway.  Ahaz did not experience one victory and yet he would not turn from his worthless idols.  His refusal to repent brought him defeat after defeat and he seems oblivious to his fate.  God wants to bless us and help us to walk in his ways, but if we refuse to obey Him; we need to be very much aware of the fact that He is able to conquer us and defeat is in multiple ways.  We must be careful not to allow ourselves to be hardened by sin.

AHAZ WAS A DEFIANT KING: Despite his loss after loss on the field of battle, Ahaz continues to go deeper into idolatry.  He goes so far as to take the sacred items out of the house of God and cut them up and use them to build altars to these false gods.  He decides that if these kings were able to defeat him, then their gods must be worthy of his worship.  What he does not realize is that God is punishing his sin with more sin and he just continues to live in defiance.  He died before he turned forty years old and only reigned for sixteen years.  May God spare us from being blinded by our own sin to the point that we do not even consider repentance.  God punishes sin with more sin in hopes that sin and its consequences will wake us up.  If we refuse to listen; God will eventually destroy us.