Read 1 Chronicles 28:1-27
King Ahaz was a bad king from the beginning. This text gives no indication that Ahaz started out good and then spiraled into an evil frenzy. Don’t you wonder how the son of a good king (Jotham) could be so corrupt? Rebellion perhaps?
The Chronicler loves storytelling, especially when it has to do with worship. An evil king becomes evil because of who he worships. The story unfolds about an evil king with no victories or successful conquests. In fact, defeats and plundering are more abundant. Why would a king want to lead like that? Did Ahaz even realize that these repeated disappointments were because of his worship practices?
King Ahaz “followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.” There was even mention of child sacrifices. I’m not familiar with many of the rituals of the pagan nations, but they do not worship the one true God. Beyond that downfall, the LORD makes it pretty clear he’s not impressed with Ahaz.
God allowed all sorts of punishment to crush Ahaz, and still there was no repentance. Silly King Ahaz even believed the pagan gods of the victorious Aram were the answer! God even gave Israel victory over Judah under King Ahaz.
Israel was already “in the dog house” with God, but not so much so that God couldn’t use them for his purposes. A brave prophet of the LORD comes forward to the leaders of Israel who were just a little “too proud” of their victory over Judah. I wonder what would have happened had they not listed to the prophet’s warning.
Do we often listen to words of prophecy with speculation, or do we gratefully embrace it? Once we’ve done our due diligence to make sure that the messages are coming from God, we should be jumping for joy at being given direction from the creator of all things. We’ve seen time and time again in the Bible what being disobedient will get you. Defeated. Abandoned.
God can use anyone for his purposes. We see how he used the Assyrians here. King Ahaz thought he had an ally in Assyria only to be blindsided and defeated. Even worse, “The Lord was humbling Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah, for he had encouraged his people to sin and had been utterly unfaithful to the Lord.” It’s one thing to fall from grace yourself, it’s entire another to pull everyone else down with you. Ahaz was most certainly a bad king.
Even bad kings have their place in God’s story. We’ll continue to follow the Chronicler’s account. It’s always refreshing to see glimpses of good amongst the bad. We see many of the same bad behavior choices today. Remember God sends rescue when we’re feeling tempted. Never be afraid to ask for help.
Let’s pray. LORD, I see so much evil in our world today. People’s human tendencies are drawing them toward a mindset of self only. It’s frightening to see. Help me to stay focused on you and help others do the same. If I stand secure in my faith and allegiance to you, I am confident the world cannot break me down. Open my eyes to your truth in every circumstance. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
