Ahaz

But sometime I want you to go read Second Chronicles 29 and Second Chronicles chapter 31, actually 29 through 31.

And what you'll find is Hezekiah was the king that followed Ahaz.

And what's going on in 29, 30 and 31 is the reform of the nation of Israel.

When Hezekiah got there, all your ashram poles and all your high places, Hezekiah burned them all to the ground.

After this, they were taken captive by the Assyrians.

That Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.

He was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem.

And it says in verse 3, And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.

And so you have the king of Egypt coming and taking some of the treasures because some of the kings had to buy them off.

You have the king of Assyria coming and Ahaz stripped the silver and the gold from the temple in order to buy him off so that Israel might not be destroyed.

Then finally you get good king Hezekiah who does a very foolish thing.

There's a delegation that comes from Babylon and they say, you know, we just like to see the temple.

And so you have the king of Egypt coming and taking some of the treasures because some of the kings had to buy them off.

You have the king of Assyria coming and Ahaz stripped the silver and the gold from the temple in order to buy him off so that Israel might not be destroyed.

Then finally you get good king Hezekiah who does a very foolish thing.

There's a delegation that comes from Babylon and they say, you know, we just like to see the temple.

You built for yourself a spacious house, ventilated upper rooms fitted with windows, and paneled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.

Surely you will not be king, because you are irritated with Ahaz your father.

They will not eat, and they will not drink.

It is better for you to execute judgment and righteousness.

A reading from the prophet Isaiah, beginning with the seventh chapter, the first verse.

In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, the king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it.

when the house of David was told, Syria is in league with Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

And the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out to meet Ahaz, you and Shir Jashub, your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the washer's field.

and say to him, Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands at the fierce anger of Rezan and Syria and the son of Remaliah.

Because Syria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, Thus says the Lord God, It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.

And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.

If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.

And so after Solomon and after this division, we had this series of really bad kings.

And the worst of them was a man named Ahaz and his wicked wife Jezebel.

Queen Jezebel.

And they allowed foreign idols to be set up in the temple.

They defiled the temple.

They encouraged people to participate in all sorts of terrible things, sacrifice and human sacrifice, all sorts of terrible things that Ahaz and Jezebel allowed.

Well, when Ahaz died, his son Hezekiah took over as the king of Judah.

And who would have thunk it, but he was a great king.

God, you've come to do what only you know how to do in this place today.

asking you Jesus to allow your spirit God to help us to link with this word today God open our ears our hearts our minds God to hear this and to receive this and God help us to respond properly in an ultra prayer at the conclusion of this service God because I do not want to be lost in the name of Jesus Christ we pray in Jesus name Jesus name Somebody say in Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated this afternoon.