2 Chronicles 28:24-29:224And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers. 26Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. 1Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. (2 Chronicles 28:24‑29:2).
AHAZ seems to have been one of those special tools of Satan to seek to destroy every trace, if possible, of Israel being the people of God. He took the vessels out of the house of God and cut them into pieces; he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord and made altars in every corner of Jerusalem. Also he made high places in the cities of Judah for the people to burn incense unto other gods, and he provoked the anger of the Lord God of his fathers. The more he was smitten, the more he sinned against Him.
As if in utmost contempt, because of his evil ways, the Spirit of God comments, "This is that king Ahaz." When he died, he was not buried in the sepulchers of his fathers.
God was cutting Judah short, but His mercy still lingered over His people. His promises concerning them must be fulfilled. It was to Ahaz that the sign was given, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isa. 7:1414Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14). Though all was failing in Judah as well as in Israel, God had One in prospect through whom the blessing would be finally secured, and the succeeding reign of Hezekiah was a faint shadow of the coming glory.
Isaiah 1:99Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah. (Isaiah 1:9) tells us, "Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah." Though Satan and men led on by him become more violent and deceitful, we are assured that the Lord will always have a people for His name here until He comes. We should seek grace, wisdom and strength from the Lord that we might be found going on in the path of His will until that day.
We now come to one of the bright spots in the history of God's dealings with His people in the land of Judah. Hezekiah, a godly son of a wicked father, began to reign at the age of twenty-five years, and he reigned for twenty-nine years. Surrounded with idolatry in his youth, wherever Hezekiah looked an idol met his eye. How burdened his heart must have been during the last years of his father's reign! Yet we see in him a remarkable in. stance of the power of God over sur. rounding influences, for we read that "he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done." We read in 2 Kings 18 that "he clave unto the Lord and departed not from following Him, but kept His commandments which the Lord commanded Moses." Hezekiah, in his youthful energy and godliness, is an encouragement and example for all who seek to follow the Lord. In a later day Timothy was exhorted to be "an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." 1 Tim. 4:1212Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12). Hezekiah searched the Scriptures to find out how the Lord would have him and his people walk so as to please Him. He had been preparing his heart beforehand so that he was ready the first day to act for the Lord.
If we look at the ten commandments we find that the first four have to do with man's responsibility toward God; the fifth sets forth man's responsibility toward father and mother, and the last five, man's responsibility toward his fellowman. To begin right, we need to read the Scriptures and there we learn that we have to do with God and with the Lord Jesus Christ. Pilate asked in his day, "What shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ?" Everyone is held accountable as to how they answer this question.
Messages of the Love of God 11/2/1958