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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
You know I often like to begin with a question… so here’s my question for us this Tuesday: ‘in all your lifetime what might have been your lowest point, the time when you felt there may be no hope’?
In the long history of your family or the community where you live, or your church if you have one, and the nation in which you live, I wonder when the very lowest points have been? In all the discouragement of recent weeks, as we approach Thanksgiving 2020, may I invite you to join me in learning some important lessons in what may be one of the lowest points in the history of Israel, 2 Chronicles 28? King Ahaz was a despicable leader. Arrogant, hard hearted, totally disrespectful of the great legacy passed to him by his father king Jotham and grandfather king Uzziah, who had together led the kingdom of Judah for more than 60 years, in times of peace and prosperity and God’s blessing. Ahaz had turned away from God and was doing his best to remove God from every segment of society in Jerusalem! He only reigned 16 years but these were terrible years of great shame for the people and the nation.
Listen to this brief but powerful summary of the failed leadership and legacy of king Ahaz: “In his time of trouble, king Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus… He gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and took them away. He shut the doors of the LORD’s temple and set up altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. In every town in Judah Ahaz built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and he provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers, to anger.” (2 Chron. 28:22-25) In vs. 3 of this same 28th chapter the record says “Ahaz…sacrificed his own sons in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out…”
Never before in the history of the people of Israel had there been a king in Jerusalem who was so violently opposed to the God of Israel. The God who had rescued His people from Egyptian slavery, sustained them for 40 years in the desert. The God who had brought them into this promised land and delivered the land to them, and blessed this nation so abundantly, for centuries! Amazingly, king Ahaz had watched as BOTH the kingdom of Syria and the northern kingdom Israel had been destroyed by the Assyrian army and thousands of people from both nations dragged off into captivity, in the recent years. Yet he seemed to become even more prideful and hard hearted.
Despite repeated messages of warning from God’s prophet Isaiah, still king Ahaz’s hard heart refused to seek God or acknowledge God’s goodness to His people. And finally, Ahaz actually outlawed worship of the Holy God of Israel, in Jerusalem, closed the great temple built by king Solomon, and erected idols on every street corner, demanding the people worship these man made images. (2 Kings 16:10-18)
This may have been the lowest point in the history of Israel up to that point.
Finally king Ahaz died. We have only this brief report: “Ahaz rested with his fathers (died) and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel.” (2 Chron. 28:27) From the days of king David, a certain section of the city of Jerusalem had been set aside for “the tombs of the kings.” The funeral procession and mourning period was intended to honor the deceased king. The people had for many days, even sometimes weeks, the opportunity to celebrate the legacy of the deceased king’s reign, and his family, one of whom would follow him on the throne. But in the case of king Ahaz it seems clear no one… not his family, not the other leaders of his administration, and none of the people, had any desire to honor this king but rather to end his influence in Jerusalem as quickly as possible. Have you ever lived or worked under the leadership influence of such a person?
Not long before the death of king Ahaz, the prophet Isaiah had spoken a word from God which gave the people of Jerusalem great hope that someday a very different king would reign. He would appear first in the area of the north, in the Galilee, and he would bring much light of truth and hope to the people in a dark, desperate, dreadful time. Isaiah had written that this is what would be said of him: “For to us a child is born,to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6,7)
Do you recognize these famous words? For the people who heard them in the desperation and darkness of king Ahaz’ time, can you imagine what they felt? Isaiah words sounded like utopia, paradise! It is true wicked king Ahaz had a son named Hezekiah, and his 29 year reign was one of the most wonderful, glorious, God blessed years in the long history of the people of Israel. It was especially so because of the spiritual and leadership contrast between Hezekiah and his father, wicked king Ahaz. But God wasn’t speaking specifically of king Hezekiah when Isaiah uttered these words. God was speaking of Jesus and these great words could ONLY be applied to Jesus, the Son of God, who came to earth, lived there in Israel, walked those streets in Jerusalem 700 years after king Ahaz, and brought a taste of God’s kingdom in heaven, here to earth. Remember Jesus prayed “Thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matt. 6:10)
As you look at each phrase in Isaiah’s statement, can you see how the words are fulfilled in Jesus? Can you also see Jesus’ kingdom is global, so much larger than the little land of Israel, and it is immortal, so much wider in time than simply one short lifetime? Yes, Jesus’ kingdom is intended for all descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…the children of Israel, but His kingdom is also intended for every race of people in the world, in every generation! And do you see Jesus’ kingdom is unlike ANY human kingdom, for it is a supernatural kingdom of God’s holy justice and righteousness? This kingdom is established and sustained by the power and zeal of the LORD God Almighty.
So I have a very important question to conclude today: Regardless of your age, your ethnicity, your gender, where you live in the world… are you a citizen of the kingdom of God? Has the Holy Spirit of God accomplished that glorious work IN you, that only He can accomplish when you fully trust Jesus Christ to be your Savior? If so, these closing words will encourage you. Here’s a glorious thought for citizens of God’s kingdom living in difficult times like ours in our world, from Colossians 1: “We pray that God will fill you with the knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding given by His Holy Spirit, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord Jesus and please Him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all God’s power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and give joyful thanks to God the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in His kingdom of Light. For God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.” (Colossians 1:9-14)
Oh Lord Jesus we thank You for Your great kingdom, and the privilege You give to us of becoming citizens of Your kingdom, as we confess our sins and You rescue us out of the domain of the kingdom of darkness, and bring us into YOUR kingdom. Help us live today as God’s people, citizens of Your kingdom, Lord Jesus, empowered by Your Holy Spirit, in the darkness of our world.
Now friends, worship with this amazing rendition of the Lord’s Prayer. . .
Click to read today’s chapter: 2 Chronicles 28. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
NEW FEATURE: Click here to listen to a dramatized reading of 2 Chronicles 28.
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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