2 Kings 16:1-20
Ahaz Reigns in Judah

Ahaz, the next king of Judah, broke the pattern of kings who generally did what was right. Ahaz did not do what was right and walked in the evil ways of the kings of Israel. In the verse quoted in the sidebar, the Chronicler makes a gross understatement when he calls Ahaz “very unfaithful” but balances it by referring to Ahaz as the king of Israel.

Like the kings before him, Ahaz did not remove the high places where YHWH was worshiped, perhaps rationalizing that his people could worship the LORD in many places, not just Jerusalem. Good, right? But by disobeying God’s instructions about worship, Ahaz set his foot on a slippery slope, and he slid quickly. He engaged in child sacrifice, burning his own son to gain favor with a pagan god. When the king of Syria and the king of Israel joined forces and came against Judah, Ahaz shook with fear. Although Isaiah the prophet brought a message of grace and salvation from the LORD to Ahaz, he rejected it. Instead, he placed his trust in the king of Assyria, calling himself “your servant and your son.” Sliding still further down the slippery slope, he placed a replica of a pagan altar in the temple in Jerusalem, moving and decommissioning the legitimate altar built according to the LORD’s instructions.*

What are we to do with this account of a king who slid into syncretistic worship of a god he himself had cobbled together? First, it is a serious warning to all of us. Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12) Setting one foot – one toe, even – on the slippery slope of idolatry is dangerous. That first step doesn’t look dangerous; it looks harmless, and lots of people do it. Perhaps it’s picking and choosing Bible verses to justify what I want to do. (Ahaz did that, by the way. See Isaiah 7:12) Perhaps it’s regularly skipping church to play golf on Sunday morning. I can worship on the links, out in God’s beautiful creation, after all! Lord, I know I am not immune to idolatry. Keep me far, far away from that slippery slope. Grab me and shake me if I lift my foot to take even one step that way.

Second, it seems to me to be a call to challenge a professing Christian who seems to be following Ahaz’s example, as prompted and led by the Holy Spirit, of course. Maybe it’s a friend or acquaintance who is a Lone Ranger Christian, who says, “I don’t need the church.” Maybe it’s a family member who now attends a fast-growing church with a celebrity pastor and TED-talk preaching. Lord, use me as You see fit to challenge the thinking of people I know who are sliding toward idolatry. Give me words rooted in Your Scripture to shine the light of truth into their lives and give me courage to speak.

* The cross-references Pastor Dave used included 2 Chronicles 28 and Isaiah 7:1-14.

Calvary Family

Today on Veteran’s Day, thank God for the men and women who set aside normal life to serve their country and preserve our freedom, especially those who never returned to that normal life. Pray that their example will inspire today’s young people to be ready to answer the call when our nation needs them.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

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