What are the consequences of sin and rebellion against God? What can happen to those who trust someone other than God? Let’s begin in 2 Chronicles 28.
How was Ahaz such a disgusting king of Judah? Do we sacrifice our children?
Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled from Jerusalem for 16 years. Ahaz was nothing like his ancestor David. Ahaz disobeyed the Lord and was as sinful as the kings of Israel. He made idols of the god Baal, and he offered sacrifices in Hinnom Valley. Worst of all, Ahaz sacrificed his own sons, which was a disgusting custom of the nations that the Lord had forced out of Israel. Ahaz offered sacrifices at the local shrines, as well as on every hill and in the shade of large trees. (2 Chr 28:1-4 CEV)
How did God punish Ahaz and the nation for his rebellion?
Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king. The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria. (2 Chr 28:5-8 ESV)
What warning did the Lord’s prophet Oded issue to Israel about making slaves out of men from Judah?
A prophet of the Lord named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Look, the Lord God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of His wrath against Judah, but you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven. Now you plan to reduce the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, to slavery. Are you not also guilty before Yahweh your God? Listen to me and return the captives you took from your brothers, for the Lord’s burning anger is on you.” (2 Chr 28:9-11 HCSB)
What did the leaders of Israel do about the warning from God’s prophet?
Some of the leaders of the descendants of Ephraim, including Johanan’s son Azariah, Meshillemoth’s son Berechiah, Shallum’s son Jehizkiah, and Hadlai’s son Amasa, stood up to the army as they were coming back from the battle and told them, “Don’t bring those captives here! You’ll bring even more guilt on us from the Lord, in addition to our own existing sin and guilt! He’s already mad enough against Israel because of our guilt!” (2 Chr 28:12-13 ISV)
Did they then return the captives that they were going to make slaves?
So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation. And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria. (2 Chr 28:14-15 KJV)
Rather than ask the Lord, where did Ahaz get help from? Did he get double crossed? Is he called a king of Israel as an insult, because he blindly followed Israel?
At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help. Indeed, again the Edomites had come and struck Judah and carried away captives. And the Philistines also had raided the cities of the Shephelah and of the Negev of Judah, and had captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its towns, Timnah with its towns, and Gimzo with its towns, and they settled there. For Yahweh humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had caused it to be out of control in Judah and was very unfaithful to Yahweh. So Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and distressed him instead of strengthening him. Although Ahaz took a portion out of the house of Yahweh and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him. (2 Chr 28:16-21 LSB)
Did Ahaz repent or double down on his wrong lifestyle?
Now during the time of his distress, this same King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may help me.” But they became the downfall of him and all Israel. Moreover, when Ahaz gathered together the utensils of the house of God, he cut the utensils of the house of God in pieces; and he closed the doors of the house of the Lord, and made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem. In every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to anger. (2 Chr 28:22-25 NASB)
Was Ahaz buried in ignominy because of his evil lifestyle choices?
The other events of his reign and all his ways, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son succeeded him as king. (2 Chr 28:26-27 NIV)
How easily does the leaven of sin from an evil world influence our lives?
a little leaven leavens the whole lump (1 Cor 5:6; Gal 5:9 NKJV)
What are the consequences of sin and rebellion against God? What can happen to those who trust someone other than God? You decide!
