America it is time to wake up!!! So many times we hear this and know it is true but nothing happens. It is almost like our Christian faith has been sold down the river and of course, we don't really know how. Ahaz was the king of Judah and he became king at 20 years of age. Here is some history about Ahaz and his problems. Eleventh king of Judah, son of Jotham, reigned 741-726, about sixteen years. At the time of his accession, Rezin king of Damascus and Pekah king of Israel had recently formed a league against Judah, and they proceeded to lay siege to Jerusalem. Upon this Isaiah hastened to give advice and encouragement to Ahaz, and the allies failed in their attack on Jerusalem. Isaiah 7,8,9. But, the allies inflicted a most severe injury on Judah by the capture of Elath, a flourishing port on the Red Sea, while the Philistines invaded the west and south. 2 .Kin 16; 2 Chr 28. Ahaz, having forfeited God's favor by his wickedness, sought deliverance from these numerous troubles by appealing to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, who forced him from his most formidable enemies. But Ahaz had to purchase this help at a costly price; he became a debtor to Tiglath-pileser. He was weak, a gross idolater, and sought safety in heathen ceremonies, making his son pass through the fire to Molech, consulting wizards and necromancers. So as you can read, this Ahaz had problems because his reasoning was polluted.
The pollution began when he quit doing things that pleased the Lord and began to follow the kings of Israel, who were doing wild sacrifices and polluted practices. He even sacrficed his own son in the fire. Ahaz followed the practices of the pagans of his day and invited those practices in from pagan nations that had been forced out by earlier Godly leaders. The verses are shown below. 2 Kings 16:Ahaz son of Jotham began to rule over Judah in the seventeenth year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel.2 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had done.3 Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel, even sacrificing his own son in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites.4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on the hills and under every green tree.
Doesn't Ahaz doing things that are not pleasing to God sound a little familiar? We seem to be repeating history and not good history at that, but most assuredly are repeating it. Our Christian nation is maybe more a nation witih some Christians in it and the falling away of the church from continuing to be active in our society is beginning to show results we don't recognize and most certainly don't like. There are heresies happening every day and the reasoing of those who are younger is skewed at best and lasting at worst. Well, we had our hayday in the 70's-90's and did not continue to take up our crosses for Christ as commanded and now we are dealing with "Reasoning Pollution" at it's worst. The definition of the words "reason" and "pollpution" says a lot about the depth of our problem. Reason (def) - A cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event. Pollution (def) - Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment.
Ahaz introduced harmful things into his environment and it changed how he looked at all the decisions he was making. With his reasoning polluted by the teaching of Tiglath-pileser he became a convert to idol worship that left God out of his thinking and he became a horrible king that led Judah down a path that did not follow God. Ahaz put new idols in the temple area and desecrated the places reserved for God. Ahaz did this physically and spiritually and shut God, and any semblance of God, out of their nation.
When we get distracted from following God we begin to look at other things and the eye candy they present can get us on the wrong track. That track eventually ends in distruction and it impacts generations.... The next King Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, was a Godly king who built back up what his father Ahaz had torn down. Hezekiah was considered a great king who brought Judah back to God and made Yahweh the only one they worshipped, and the meaning of his name "Yahweh is my strength" is a good representation of how much Hezekiah trusted and followed God. During his reign Hezekiah kept his eyes on God and did not let outside influences sway him from the truth of God.
There will always be those who offer other ways to think about things and we must know what we believe and who we believe and that belief must be in God Almighty. No substitutes!! You may say "How can we get back to where we need to be?" To which I say "Follow God and Him alone!" Don 't let misrepresentations of who God is and what He wants sway you from His Word and make no substitutes for the Lord. There will always be Assyrians on the horizon to drag us away from our foundation, which is the Lord, but turn your eyes to the Lord and He will give you direction. Psalm 121:1-3 says 1 I look up to the mountains-does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! 3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.
God is active and watching and listening so make prayer a priority in your life and God will show you great and mighty things. Don't just look at all this around us, but look to the God who made it all; the mountains, the oceans, the plains, and remember He is powerful and totally in control......as always. Trust Him and He will clean up all the pollution in your mind streams.
David wrote it this way in Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. Now that is high quality H2O. (ala Waterboy, the movie)
The Pilgrimage Continues.....
David Warren
Comments