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Ahaz Almost Ruins the Kingdom
149
“Those who lead you,” the prophet continued, “cause you to
err.”
Verse 12
. Scripture says about Ahaz, “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.”
2 Kings 16:3
.
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Great Peril for the Chosen Nation
In the kingdom of Judah the outlook was dark. The forces for
evil were multiplying. The prophet Micah had to exclaim, “The
faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright
among men.” “The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is
sharper than a thorn hedge.”
Micah 7:2, 4
.
In every age, because of His infinite love, God has borne long
with the rebellious and urged them to return to Him. This is how it
was during the reign of Ahaz. God sent invitation after invitation to
erring Israel. And as the prophets stood before the people, earnestly
pleading for repentance and reformation, their words bore fruit.
Through Micah came the wonderful appeal, “O My people, what
have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against
Me. For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you
from the house of bondage.”
Micah 6:3, 4
.
Throughout probationary time God’s Spirit is urging men and
women to accept the gift of life. “Turn, turn from your evil ways!
For why should you die?”
Ezekiel 33:11
. Satan leads them into sin
and then leaves them there, helpless and hopeless, fearing to seek
pardon. But God invites the sinner to “take hold of My strength, that
he may make peace with Me.”
Isaiah 27:5
. In Christ every provision
has been made, every encouragement offered.
In Judah and Israel many were inquiring: “Shall I come before
the Lord ... with burnt offerings? ... Will the Lord be pleased with
thousands of rams, ten thousands of rivers of oil?” The answer is
plain: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does
the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:6-8
.
From age to age these counsels were repeated to those who
were falling into a religion of ceremonies and were forgetting to
show mercy. When a lawyer approached Christ with the question,