2 Kings 14-16

April 25

2 Kings 14-16

Ahaz the son of Jotham did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Ahaz broke the string of good kings in Judah. Ahaz got his eye off of God and put his trust in the power of the king of Assyria. As the armies of his enemies approached, Ahaz turned to Tiglath-Pilser instead of turning to the Lord. The Psalmist wrote; "Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save." (Psalm 146:3, NIV) But that is exactly where Ahaz put his trust. Judah was supposed to be a servant and vassal of God, but Ahaz trusted man more than he trusted God.

When Ahaz went to Damascus to visit the king of Assyria, he saw and altar that impressed him. The altar designed by man impressed him more than the altar in Jerusalem designed by God. Ahaz had a replica of the altar built and made it the central place of worship in Jerusalem.

The sin of Ahaz is the sin many of us face. We trust men more than we trust God. We trust what we can see and hold instead of trusting in spiritual forces. God had delivered Israel and Judah in the past, but Ahaz only saw the present. He first focused on the power in the Assyrian army, but then he put his trust in the Assyrian worship.

God is a jealous God. We wants us to worship Him and Him alone. When we fix our eyes on Him and trust him even when the enemy is close at hand, we will see God move in amazing ways. When we panic and put our trust in men, we will eventually fall. We cannot see everything that is powerful. That is why it is called faith. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1, NIV)