Introduction
Our narrator managed to cover the lives of seven kings in last week’s chapter: five kings in the northern kingdom of Israel; and two kings in the southern kingdom of Judah. However, the focus of today’s chapter is on one king only: King Ahaz in Judah. And it seems that our narrator has singled him out for special attention because, sadly, he was king who did evil in the eyes of the Lord. And, as one of the commentators [De Graaf] puts it, under his reign the land of Judah looked like the land of Canaan in the old days of the Canaanites. It was as if the Lord had not driven the Canaanites away and the old paganism was alive and well in the Promised Land. Or think of the Court House around the corner from here, which was once a magnificent building, but now it’s a ruin. Well, Judah was once part of a magnificent kingdom. It was once part of Solomon’s magnificent kingdom and people came from all over the world to meet Solomon and to see his kingdom and they were left breathless because of the greatness of his kingdom. And Solomon was able to build a great palace for himself and a temple for the Lord which reflected the glory of heaven above, because it was filled with gold. And the people were happy and they were able to live peacefully and they had everything they wanted. And they honoured the Lord their God who had blessed them with so much. Judah was once part of that great kingdom. But now, Judah is a ruin. It’s like a derelict building. It’s still standing, but all the glory has gone. And it’s because of King Ahaz who did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord.
However, as the same commentator says, the Lord did not want to break with Judah. He was not willing to give them up despite the sins of Ahaz and despite the sins of the people. The Lord had bound himself to them with a promise to be their God and to deliver them from their sin and misery by his Son who was coming into the world. And so, he would not give them up. He would not break with them. He remained faithful to them, even though they were unfaithful to him. And so, it is with us. Despite our sins and shortcomings, despite all the ways we disobey the Lord every day, and despite all the ways we dishonour him, he will not give us up, because he has bound himself to us with a promise to be our God and to pardon us for the sake of Christ our King and Saviour who took the blame for all that we have done wrong.
And so, the sinfulness of Ahaz, and our own sinfulness and shortcomings, highlight for us the grace and mercy of our God.
Verses 1 to 4
Our narrator begins his account of Ahaz’s reign by following his usual pattern. And so, he tells us when he began to reign and for how long. And notice that he became king when he was twenty years old and he reigned for sixteen years. Sixteen years is a long time compared to come of the kings we read about last week. One of them reigned for six months. Another one reigned for only one month. Another reigned for ten years. So, sixteen years isn’t bad. However, when you do the maths, you’ll realise that he died when he was only thirty-six years old. And so, here’s another example of the Lord’s grace and mercy towards his people, because the Lord — who sets the date of our birth and who sets the date of our death — cut this wicked king’s life short and replaced him with a godly king who cleansed the land of the evil effects of his father’s reign.
And having given us the dates and years of the king’s reign, our narrator goes on to give us an assessment of his reign. And, as I’ve already said, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. What does our narrator mean when he says that Ahaz walked in the ways of those kings? Remember how I explained last week that many of the kings of Israel repeated the sin of Jeroboam, who set up two golden calves in Israel for the people to worship? And he taught the people to worship the golden calves instead of the Lord their God who made them and who rescued them from Egypt. Jeroboam was an idolater and many of the other kings of Israel were idolaters too. And since Ahaz walked in their ways, then that suggests that he too was an idolater.
In fact, the writer of 2 Chronicles confirms it for us, because he tells us in 2 Chronicles 28 that Ahaz made metal images for the Baals and he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus. And it says that in every city of Judah, he made high places to make offerings to other gods; and he made the people of Judah act sinfully too. So, Ahaz was an idolater. He worshipped idols and false gods and he taught the people to do the same.
And our narrator tells us that he even sacrificed his son, following the detestable ways of the nations which the Lord had driven out of the land. Do you see that in verse 3? The Lord forbade this practice way back in Leviticus 18, where he commanded his people not to give any of their children to be sacrificed to Molech, who was one of the pagan gods. And in Leviticus 20, the Lord commanded that any Israelite who sacrificed his children to Molech must be put to death. In fact, the Lord said in Leviticus 20 that if the people do not put the offender to death, then he would do it himself. And perhaps that’s the reason why Ahaz died at a relatively early age: the Lord put him to death because he had sacrificed his son to an idol.
And our narrator tells us in verse 4 that Ahaz offered sacrifices and he burned incense at the high places. We’ve heard about these high places before. The one true place of worship in those days was the temple in Jerusalem. However the people continued to offer sacrifices to the Lord at these high places, which were scattered throughout the land. And we’ve seen repeatedly how the kings of Judah did not do anything to remove the high places. However, at least the other kings did not themselves worship at the high places. But that’s what Ahaz did. And from what we read in 2 Chronicles, it seems that he made more high places and he made sacrifices on them to other gods. And so, this king was a wicked king.
Verses 5 to 9
And then our narrator tells us in verse 5 that Rezin king of Aram and Pekah king of Israel marched up to fight against Jerusalem. They besieged the king who was in the city. According to 2 Chronicles 28, their campaign was successful in other parts of Judah and they killed thousand of the people and captured others. However, the attack on Jerusalem was unsuccessful. As our narrator tells us in verse 5, they could not overpower Ahaz.
And according to verse 7, Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pilesar, king of Assyria. He wanted the king of Assyria to come and save him from the hand of Rezin and Pekah. And look at his message in verse 7. He refers to himself as Tiglath-Pilesar’s servant and vassal. I’m not sure what the NIV has ‘vassal’, because the Hebrew word means ‘son’. He was saying: ‘I am your servant and son’. In the rest of the Old Testament, the kings of Israel and Judah as well as the people of Israel and Judah were regarded as God’s servant and son. And since they were God’s servant and son, then they looked to God, their Master and Father, to protect them. But instead of turning to the Lord, Ahaz turned to this pagan king for help. Instead of singing with David that ‘The Lord is my shepherd’, he would sing, ‘Tiglath-Pilesar is my shepherd’. Instead of confessing that ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’, he would confess that ‘Tiglath-Pilesar is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’. And he therefore asked the king of Assyria to come and save him from out of the hand of the king of Aram and Israel.
And, of course, Tiglath-Pilesar isn’t going to help him for free. And so, Ahaz took the silver and gold which was in the temple and in the royal treasuries, and he sent it as a gift to Tiglath-Pilesar. And do you see what he’s doing here? He’s robbing the Lord. He’s robbing the Lord to secure Tiglath-Pilesar’s help. The silver and gold in the temple belonged to the Lord. It had been devoted to him for his worship. But Ahaz took it and gave it away to this pagan king.
And according to verse 9, Assyria came and attacked Damascus, the capital city of Aram, and captured it. And Rezin, the king, was put to death. In other words, Ahaz’s plan worked. That doesn’t mean his plan was right or good. Just because we’re successful at something, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. And instead of trusting in Tiglath-Pilesar, Ahaz should have trusted in the Lord. And yet, the Lord is able to use our sinful plans to accomplish his own good purposes. He’s able to use our sins and shortcomings for good. And in this case, he enabled Tiglath-Pilesar to rescue Judah from the hands of Rezin and Pekah.
Verses 10 to 18
But instead of returning to the Lord, Ahaz became even more unfaithful. Our narrator tells us that Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pilesar. And while he was there, he saw their altar. And this altar clearly impressed him, because he sent a sketch of it to the priest in Jerusalem with instructions for the priest to build a copy of it in Jerusalem. And the priest obeyed his command and built a copy according to the plans he received. And he managed to finish it before the king returned.
And when Ahaz returned, he approached the altar and presented offerings on it. And so, not only did he give orders for a pagan altar to be set up in the temple, but he performed the duties of a priest. And in those days, the kings were not allowed to act as priests. Our narrator tells us that he offered up burnt offerings and grain offerings and drink offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar. One of the commentators calls this a parody of piety. It was a parody or an imitation, because while these were the offerings which the Lord commanded his people to make to him, Ahaz’s heart was far, far, far away from the Lord. Instead of worshipping the Lord in the way the Lord required, he was worshipping the Lord in his own way. And instead of worshipping the Lord exclusively, he worshipped idols and false gods as well. And instead of trusting in the Lord, he trusted in a pagan king for help and protection.
And, according to verse 14, he removed the true altar of the Lord from its proper place in the temple. Presumably he did this to make room for his new altar. And he gave orders for the regular sacrifices to be made at his new altar and not on the true one. From now on he would use the true one for seeking guidance. Do you see that in verse 15? It’s not clear what he means by ‘seeking guidance’ but some of the commentators think he means he will seek guidance from pagan gods.
And then he removed the basins from their stands which were in the temple. And he removed the Sea, which was a large container for water, from the bronze bull statues that supported it. It’s not clear why he did this, but perhaps he needed the bronze for another purpose. And he also took away the Sabbath canopy and the royal entrance. We’re not sure what the narrator is referring to, but it’s clear that Ahaz was making further alterations to the temple. And take a look at the end of verse 18: he did these things ‘in deference to the king of Assyria’. And so, he made these innovations in order to please this pagan king. When Solomon built the temple years before, he followed the pattern which the Lord had given to David his father. And Solomon wanted to please the Lord. Everything he did was for God’s glory. But here’s Ahaz. He’s not interested in pleasing the Lord. He wants to please Tiglath-Pilesar. He wants to please this pagan king.
Verses 19 and 20
And the narrator concludes his account of Ahaz’s reign by telling us in verses 19 and 20 that the other events of his reign are written in the book of the annals and he rested with his fathers and was buried.
Application 1
Ahaz made all these alterations ‘in deference to the king of Assyria’. He re-arranged the temple and the way the people worshipped to please this pagan king. And believers in every age are often tempted to change the way we worship the Lord in deference to an unbelieving world. Someone manages to persuade us that word and sacrament and prayer are not enough and that we need to make the service of worship more interesting or engaging for people who are not used to such things. And yet, we need to remember that the Lord has given us his word and the sacraments and prayer for our good; and he has promised to use these things for our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace. And so, we must never abandon them in favour of other things, but we must continue to worship the Lord in the way that he has commanded us, trusting that he will do what he has promised and use these things for our good.
Application 2
Ahaz was also an idolator. Instead of worshipping the Lord alone, he offered sacrifices to false gods and idols. He made metal images for the Baals; and he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus; and he made high places to make offerings to other gods. And he even sacrificed his son to Molech as the pagans did. He was an idolator.
And this is what people do by nature, isn’t it? The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, tells us that people do two related things. Firstly, because we’re sinners, we suppress or we repress the truth of God which God has made known to us. So, God has made himself known to us in lots of different ways. He reveals himself to us in what he has made, because the creation speaks to us of his great power and divine nature. He revealed himself to the Israelites by saving them from Egypt. Then he revealed himself by sending his Son into the world. And now he has given us his word so that we might know him and know his will for our salvation. And he also sends preachers into all the world to declare his word.
God has made himself known in many ways. But instead of believing the truth, people suppress it. They repress. They push God out of their thoughts. And the reason people do this is because we’re sinners. And therefore, we’re sinfully inclined to reject the truth of God.
And not only do people suppress or repress the truth, but according to the Apostle Paul, they also substitute the truth of God for a lie. In other words, instead of worshipping the Lord, they worship something else. Instead of trusting in God to help them, they trust in something else.
And that’s what Ahaz was doing. He knew the truth about God, because he grew up in Jerusalem, where God’s temple was located. But instead of worshipping the Lord, he worshipped these false gods; and he trusted in a foreign king, instead of trusting in the Lord.
And people do the same today. Instead of turning to the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, people turn to other religions. Or they turn to one of the cults. Or, as I’ve said before, they turn to one of the modern isms or ideologies to show them how to live in the world. I’ve mentioned before that one of the biggest Christless religions in the world is consumerism, which is the belief that we can make a better world for ourselves through all the goods and services which we create and consume and enjoy. And once we spread wealth and prosperity throughout the nations, then everyone can benefit from these goods and services and we’ll have heaven here on earth. That’s what many people believe in. That’s what they’re hoping for. That’s what they’re working for. Heaven on earth by means of all the goods and services we can create for ourselves.
But these are all false gods and false religions and the true God is the one who created the world in the beginning; and who sustains and directs all things; and who sent his only begotten Son into the world to deliver us from our sin and misery by his life and death and resurrection; and who sends his Spirit into our lives to renew us in his image; and who has promised his believing people everlasting life in the new and better world to come. And God has revealed that he is one God in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And he’s the one we’re to worship and trust.
And if it were not for God’s kindness to us, then we would be like those who do not believe and who repress the truth and who substitute the truth for a lie. We would be just like them. But God graciously and freely entered our lives and he enabled us to believe the truth and to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. And since he has shown such kindness to us, then we should be careful to worship him alone and to walk in his ways and to honour him in our daily lives by the things we say and do. By the way that we live, we should make clear that he is our God and we love him and want to serve him. And if we’re ever tempted to turn away from him, or if we’re ever tempted to trust in something else apart from him, then we should resist the temptation with all of our strength and remain devoted to the one true and living God.
Application 3
And then, before we finish, we should marvel at God’s grace and mercy. I said at the beginning that despite Ahaz’s sin, the Lord was not willing to break with Judah. He was not willing to give them up. The Lord had bound himself to them with a promise to be their God and to deliver them from their sin and misery by his Son who was coming into the world. And so, he would not give them up. He would not break with them.
And sure enough, it was during the reign of this wicked king that the Lord revealed that the day was coming when the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God with us’. Those are the words of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah to this ungodly king. Though the king was unfaithful, though the people were often unfaithful too, the Lord is faithful. He was not willing to give his people up. And instead, in those evil days he reassured them one more time of his great plan to send his only begotten Son into the world, born of the virgin Mary, to be the Saviour of the world. And his Son came to make peace for us with God and cleanse us from all guilt by his blood, shed on the cross. And now he sends his Spirit into our lives and he renews us inwardly so that we become more and more the people God wants us to be and to live the life he wants us to live. And when we gather for worship on Sundays, we bear witness to the truth that God’s Son, Immanuel, is coming again. And when he comes, he will bring all of God’s believing people in a new and better world where we will worship the Lord and the Lord alone for ever and for ever.
Sermons and Stuff 