What a Mess!



2 Kings 16:1-20
Since the reading for today is fairly long, I have included a link so that you can easily read it in its entirety. Please don’t skip this part! It is important to read the whole story. I have also included a link to the same story found in 2 Chronicles 28. There are more details about Ahaz and his apostasy found in that chapter.

http://www.esvbible.org/2 Kings 16:1-20

http://www.esvbible.org/2 Chronicles 28:1-27

As the nation of Israel winds down into extinction Ahaz takes the throne. His leadership is worse than any of his immediate ancestors and he leads the nation even closer to the destruction that is coming for them. He willfully desecrates the temple, offers his own son up as a burnt sacrifice to Baal (or Molech) and seeks the assistance of Assyria rather than God when he needs help. The description of his reign goes from one bad decision to another. And all the while, he plays at worshipping God. The religion that Ahaz practices is one of his very own making. He mixes a little Baal worship with a little bit of Judaism and comes up with something that only angers the true God.

Whenever we mix the worship of God with anything else we begin to walk away from God. Both Old and New Testament are filled with examples of people trying to please God while honoring other gods and placating cultural structures. As the old analogy goes, it only takes a pinch of dog poop to ruin the entire batch of brownies! While that is incredibly crude, it is extremely descriptive. Just a pinch of idolatry mixed in with our love for God can quickly lead us in the wrong direction.

Lord Jesus, please continue to straighten the path before us so that we remain true to You alone. Holy Spirit, direct our steps so that we do not stray from Your way. Heavenly Father, keep us constantly mindful of Your love and protection. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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