Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

May 3rd, 2010 Now You’ve Gone Too Far

Today’s Reading – 2 Kings 15 & 16

In chapter 16 of today’s passage we read the story of Ahaz, the king of Judah.  He was a wicked king who, the Bible tells us, “made his son pass through the fire”.  He did not follow the example of David, but rather walked in the ways of the kings of Israel.  But the thing that he did in vv 10 – 16 went beyond anything that any of the other kings of Judah had done before him.  The Bible tells us that, while visiting Damascus in Syria, Ahaz saw a heathen altar, and was so impressed with it, he wanted it duplicated back in Jerusalem.  He also takes some of the instruments of worship from God’s temple and incorporates them in his new pagan temple; and he commands the priests to basically forsake God’s house, and perform all of their worship at this new altar that he had built.

I have two thoughts on this.  First, we can see clearly that Ahaz is not a man that has any kind of a relationship with the God of the Bible.  Because he does not know God, he is not seeking God’s direction for his life, or for the nation.  He is doing what seems right in his own eyes.  He is making all of his own decisions without any concern for the will of God.  How often do I do that today?  I have a relationship with God, but so many times I find myself doing and saying things that originate with me, and not with God.  we need to seek God’s principles through the word of God, and the specific will of God through prayer.

The second thought I had was this: Ahaz had forsaken God’s house a placed all of his sacrifices on this pagan altar that he had built.  God expects us today to give our lives as a living sacrifice, yet so often we lay our lives at some other altar, rather than the altar God intends.  Most often it is at an altar of our own making and design which would mean that we are the god of our own lives.  Let’s get back to God.  If we are truly God’s people, let us recognize that we are “bought with a price” and that we no longer belong to ourselves, but to Him.  Let us lay down our lives at the altar of God’s choosing; not seeking to fulfill our own desires, but rather seeking the perfect will of God for our lives.