Audio Access Available Above
“Reaching For The Wrong Arm” • 9.10.17 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro
- In our study
last week, we made note of the great incursion made by the Assyrian army, which
took a large percentage of Israel's territory. Their shadow looms large over
the land.
- It's hard to
believe that Israel once held a dominant position over it's neighbors during
the days of David and Solomon. Only 200 years have passed and the nation is on
the brink of disaster.
- As we have
read, the North will succumb to it's long awaited fate. What would you have
been doing if you lived in the South? If you were David's descendant, how would
you have responded?
- Let's have a
look, beginning at chapter 16, verse
1.
Text
• II Kings 16:1-4 : "In the seventeenth year of Pekah
the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. Ahaz was twenty years old when he
became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what
was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done. But he walked in the way of the
kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the
abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned
incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree." : Jotham, the previous King of Judah restored a bridge to the
house of the Lord from the Palace complex.
- It was a bridge that Ahaz never sought to use!
He wasn't interested in proximity to God. From his first year at age 20 to his
last year at age 36, Ahaz did not do what was right in the Lord's sight.
- He has his Grandfather Uzziah, and his Father
Jotham as examples. He can even look to the prototype in his great ancestor
David. He still makes a choice to live out his reign in wickedness.
- Ahaz has no heart for God. He in fact, walked
in the ways, he fashioned himself after the Kings of Israel.
- Ahaz, like his northern cousins, chose
idolotry over the worship of Yahweh, though he wasn't necessarily an adherant
of Jeroboam's religion.
- II
Chronicles 28:2,3 discloses that Ahaz worshipped Baal and even entered into
the worship of Molech, which required the sacrifice of at least one of his sons!
- Worshippers came to a hollowed out metallic
statue that was heated from the inside. People who worshipped Molech laid their
infants upon the heated metal.
- To drown out the screams of the children, the
band merely began to play louder. This is part of the legacy of Ahaz, which was
unprecedented in the southern Kingdom.
- When other Kings reigned, we've made note of
the people being guilty of worshipping on the high places. Now, we see Judah's
King leading in that pursuit!
- The end of this section reads as if he left
off all abandon, sacrificing and burning incense every where he could. Verse 5.
•
II Kings 16:5,6 : "Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah
the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they
besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him. At that time Rezin king of Syria
captured Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the
Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day." : Syria and the northern tribes had united in an effort to repel
the Assyrian force.
-
These two entities came up to attempt to take Jerusalem but they weren't alone.
-
The Edomites joined in with this coalition and settled in Elath, the city that
Uzziah restored to Judah. At the same time, the Philistines also invaded the
southern part of Judah. (II Chron. 28:18)
-
II Chronicles 28:5-8 details the
extent of Syria's victory over Judah, as they lost 120,000 valiant men in a
single day!
-
The author of Chronicles explains the reason for all of this activity when he
says,
•
II Chronicles 28:19 : "For the Lord
brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral
decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord." : God is allowing the pressure to build, in order that the King
would turn himself and his nation over to Him! Please turn over to Isaiah 7.
-
When the King and the people of Judah heard about the Syrian's plot, their
hearts were moved like trees in the wind!
-
God sent Isaiah to let the King know that He would not allow Judah to fall into
Syrian hands, even predicting the eventual fall of Israel.
•
Isaiah 7:10-17 : "Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 'Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the
depth or in the height above.' But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!' Then he said, 'Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small
thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the
virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the
evil and choose the good. For before the Child
shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will
be forsaken by both her kings. The Lord will bring the king of
Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not
come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.'" : God is so gracious to come to Ahaz, to offer him this
reassuring sign of His willingness to act.
-
As most of you know, this is the famous prediction of the virgin birth of
Christ! It was initially given to this wicked man as an extraordinary sign that
God would deliver him.
-
All Ahaz has to do is trust the Lord. God is holding out His hand, giving the
King every opportunity. What do you think that Ahaz did with this information?
Take a look at verse 7.
•
II Kings 16:7-9 : "So Ahaz sent messengers to
Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, 'I am your servant and your son. Come
up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king
of Israel, who rise up against me.' And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of
the Lord, and in the treasuries of the
king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria heeded him;
for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its
people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin." :
-
Instead of turning to God, in an act of utter desperation, Ahaz went directly
to Tiglath-Pileser and swore an oath of allegiance to Assyria!
-
He asked for his protection and paid him off to deal with his enemies. That
request caused Assyria to move upon Damascus and to eventually take control
over the North.
-
This was less to help Ahaz and more for the sake of his dominance over the
region. All Ahaz has done is buy a little time. Verse 10.
•
II Kings 16:10-14 : "Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to
meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus;
and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its
pattern, according to all its workmanship. Then Urijah the priest built an
altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the
priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus. And when the king came back from
Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and made
offerings on it. So he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering; and he
poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the
altar. He also
brought the bronze altar which was before the Lord, from the front of the temple—from
between the new altar and the house of the Lord—and put it on the north side of
the new altar." : Ahaz went to meet with Tiglath-Plieser
in Damascus, presumably to pay personal homage. When he arrived, he was taken
by an altar of the Syrians that left a large impression.
-
He immediately orders a drawing made and commissions a replica for use in
Israel!
-
When he returns to Jerusalem, he makes an administrative decision to replace
the altar that stood at the front of the Temple with this Syrian altar! Why
would he do that?
-
Some have suggested that this was done to show the Assyrian King his genuine
heart, but the author of Chronicles discloses the true reason.
•
II Chronicles 28:22,23 : "Now in the time of his distress
King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the Lord.
This is that
King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him,
saying, 'Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to
them that they may help me.' But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel." : He wasn't just turning to the King of Assyria. He was turning
now to the gods of Damascus who had just been beaten by Assyria!
-
The Syrians had beaten him, but their gods were no help against the Assyrian
army! Where does an altar to a defeated god belong? He put it in the house of
the Lord! Verse 15.
•
II Kings 16:15,16 : "Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the
priest, saying, 'On the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, the
evening grain offering, the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering,
with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering,
and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt
offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for
me to inquire by.' Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz
commanded." : The altar that had been given to
Israel by God was now merely the King's personal trinket. "I'll use it to
inquire by."
-
He would use this in extreme cases, when he needed guidance. The altar that
once raised the smoke of the sacrifices will now simply sit around until the
King decides he needs a little help!
-
How many of us know this spirit? How many people want God "around"
when they need Him.
-
They want Him to be accessible in times of trouble and travail. "Just
don't take the center!"
-
They want to dictate the terms of their relationship to God! They don't want to
accept the terms that God has laid out for them!
-
God never accepts the position of being one of many gods. He will be all or not
be at all!
-
It's sad enough that Ahaz has adopted this position personally. What makes it
worse is that he had a willing accomplice in the priest.
-
"Thus did Urijah the priest
according to all that King Ahaz commanded." No protest? No defense of
the Lord? This would have been a great time to point out that it wasn't God who
failed!
-
This would have been a great time to stand firm and convince his King that it
was not too late to turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but you don't
see any of that!
-
When you think about it, you can almost understand Ahaz' decisions. He comes
from a political world. He has just seen Syria's effectiveness against Judah.
-
He might even be taking his cue from the Assyrian King. All of his idolatry may
be linked to an ill-advised attempt to imitate Assyria.
-
But that's not where Urijah's vision has been. He has lived in the Temple that
Solomon built. He has been near the very presence of God.
-
He has heard of his predecessor's bravery in the face of Uzziah, when he and 80
of his priests stood together to bar the entrance of the King into the Temple,
risking their very lives.
-
Unfortunately, Urijah was just the King's "yes" man, devoid of all
fear of the Lord. You could imagine that his punishment would be far worse than
the King's. Verse 17.
•
II Kings 16:17-20 : "And King Ahaz cut off the panels of
the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down the Sea from the
bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones. Also he removed the Sabbath
pavilion which they had built in the temple, and he removed the king’s outer
entrance from the house of the Lord, on account of the king of Assyria. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz
which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings
of Judah? So Ahaz rested with his fathers,
and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Hezekiah his son
reigned in his place." :
-
There are some who believe that the King's actions were taken here to preserve
the valuable items of the Temple from the King of Assyria.
-
It's just as likely however that he did removed these items because it made the
Temple complex more appealing to the King of Assyria.
-
Either way, there is a presumptive air on the part of young King Ahaz.
-
These were not men's ornaments which had come from their own ingenuity.
-
These were divinely placed symbolic reminders of the order of Yahweh's worship.
It is God's order that His priests walk through. But he cut off the panels of
the carts. He removed the lavers.
-
He took down the Sea, the large pool of cleansing water. He removed the Sabbath
pavillion and removed the King's outer entrance from the house of the Lord.
-
Ultimately, whatever can be said regarding his motives, Ahaz chose the fear of
the King of Assyria over the King of the Universe! He died and faced the
reality of his error.
-
Ahaz is undoubtebtly the most wicked King that Judah has had to date.
-
He proceeded from two fairly righteous Kings and embraced evil. What do you
think his child Hezekiah will be like? He will be one of the greatest, most
spiritually admirable Kings of Judah!
-
It's a mystery that cannot be explained when a child turns from a good example
and chooses a life of wickedness. It is a triumph of God's mercy when the
opposite occurs!
-
Ahaz' death and the darkness that he left behind is swallowed up in the light
of Hezekiah. And it really can't happen soon enough. Chapter 17.
•
II Kings 17:1-4 : "In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of
Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned
nine years. And
he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him. Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up
against him; and Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute money. And the king of Assyria uncovered a
conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and
brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year.
Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison." : We return to the
north and the final King of Israel Hoshea.
-
He's an interesting man, first because most believe him to be an Assyrian
appointed regent King. Second, his name ironically means "salvation."
-
He represented Israel's final chance to be saved from what was a nearly
determined fate.
-
Third, he did not do evil in the same way that his predecessors did. The
sentiment seems to be one of degree. He didn't quite live up to their previous
standard.
-
When Hezekiah invites the north to join them in a celebration of the Passover,
Hoshea allows the messengers to bring the invitation and does not stop the few
participants. (II Chron. 30:5ff)
-
This could be some of the reasoning behind the statement, though I also suspect
that some of his "lesser evil" status was owed to the fact that he
was simply a puppet King for Assyria.
-
He largely existed to carry out Assyria's desires and was not really allowed to
act outside of those perameters. He managed to carry out his office well for
about 6 years.
-
When Shalmaneser succeeded Tiglath-Pileser, Hoshea believed that he could
capitalize on Assyria's change in power and perhaps save a little money in the
process. What does he do?
-
He sent messengers to the Egyptian King to propose a new alliance with him
against Assyria!
-
Hoshea, Salvation, sought deliverance by reaching out to Egypt! When the
Assyrian King discovered his plot, he showed just how strong he was and
imprisoned the vassal King. Verse 5.
•
II Kings 17:5,6 : "Now the king of Assyria went
throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three
years. In the
ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away
to Assyria, and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and
in the cities of the Medes." : Hoshea's
plot became the act of war that the King of Assyria needed to fully assert
himself against the Northern Kingdom.
-
After holding out for three years, the King took Samaria and relocated the
citizens of Israel to these foreign lands. Assyria's modus operandi was to
remove all of the best and brightest.
-
They would leave the most poor and the least influential to take care of the
needs of the land.
-
Of the lands, you will recognize the "cities of the Medes," which
would be Iraq and Iran. The nation of Israel is scattered from their home,
never to return.
Conclusion
- Two Kings and two very poor choices. Ahaz was given a promise of deliverance by God through Isaiah. He ran to the King of Assyria, the rising power of his time.
- Two Kings and two very poor choices. Ahaz was given a promise of deliverance by God through Isaiah. He ran to the King of Assyria, the rising power of his time.
- Hoshea, salvation, knew of his people's
history and knew of his people's God. When he needed deliverance, he turned to
Egypt, the nation that once enslaved his own people!
- These men faced the crisis of their time,
choosing the hands that seemed most powerful and reliable to deliver, only to
realize that they reached for the wrong hand!
- Which hand will you and I reach for in the
time of our crisis? Will it be the arm of the flesh or the arm of the Lord? May
we have the grace to choose wisely!
No comments:
Post a Comment