When we focus on God, we stand united. When we focus on ourselves, we are divided.
Sadly, Ahaz, King of Judah, adopted the sins of Israel and the ways of the nations whom the LORD had driven out of the promised land. He did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD. Typically things do not go well for God’s people when they rebel and move further away from Him and His instructions.
Yahweh’s people in Israel and Judah were not intended to be enemies. To the extent they would focus on Yahweh, instead of their own power or desires, they should always have reason to be united and face together any other enemy. How sad and how odd that Israel and Judah should each partner with pagans against one another.
Ahaz Reigns over Judah
1In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. 2Ahaz 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. 3But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and even made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had driven out from before the sons of Israel. 4He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.
5Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to wage war; and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. 6At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram, and cleared the Judeans out of Elath entirely; and the Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.
Ahaz Seeks Help of Aram
7So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” 8Ahaz 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 a present to the king of Assyria. 9So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and captured it, and carried the people of it away into exile to Kir, and put Rezin to death.
Damascus Falls
10Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar which was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the pattern of the altar and its model, according to all its workmanship. 11So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, thus Urijah the priest made it, before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus. 12When the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar; then the king approached the altar and went up to it, 13and burned his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14The bronze altar, which was before the LORD, he brought from the front of the house, from between his altar and the house of the LORD, and he put it on the north side of his altar. 15Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening meal offering and the king’s burnt offering and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their meal offering and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16So Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded.
17Then King Ahaz cut off the borders of the stands, and removed the laver from them; he also took down the sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone. 18The covered way for the sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of the LORD because of the king of Assyria.
Hezekiah Reigns over Judah
19Now 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? 20So Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
Take care not to attack one another as brothers in Christ, even where we have disagreements. Seek unity in Christ as our LORD. While we can have vigorous discussion or debate in the body of Christ about truth and proper understanding of scripture, we should remember that we are serving the same LORD and should not be enemies, but rather allies. We should stand together to defend Christ and our right to worship Him freely and joyfully.
I invite you to pray with me:
Father, please help those who are called by your name to stand together in unity against those who do not call you LORD. Help us to meaningfully debate and discuss scripture without becoming enemies. Help us to stand firm together to honor and glorify your name. Help me to see others who follow you as my brothers and sisters, even in disagreement. Help me not see them as enemies. Help me remain focused on your glory and your agenda, rather than my own. Amen.
Shalom
Devotion by John in service to Christ
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