Read: 2 Chronicles 26:1-28:27; Romans 13:1-14; Psalm 23:1-6; Proverb 20:11
Amaziah’s life had not ended well. His sixteen year old son, Uzzah was made king. Uzzah means “he will strengthen”. He started out following the Lord under the leadership of Zechariah the prophet. As long as Zechariah was living, Uzzah had success. He defeated his enemies, rebuilt the wall that had been torn down during his father’s rule, restored the landscape and fortified his army and devised new weapons of war.
When he became famous and powerful, it all went to his head. His pride made him feel invincible so he decided he would burn incense in the temple like the priests. The priests tried to stop him but he broke out in rage against them as he was holding the censor to burn the incense. Immediately leprosy broke out on his head…the source of his pride. The priests saw it and rushed him out of the temple. The leprosy stayed with him till he died. His son, Jotham, had to take charge of running the palace and the land. He did what was right in God’s eyes, but the people did not. He grew powerful because of the favor of God and defeated his enemies and made them pay him tribute. He ruled sixteen years until he died and his son Ahaz became king. Ahaz means “possessor”. He was definitely possessed with the wrong spirit. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and worshiped Baal and other idols. God handed him over to Aram who took many of his people prisoner to Damascus.
God turned him over to Israel who killed 120,000 of his soldiers in a day. Uzzah’s son, and his first commander were killed and 200,000 of his people were taken to Samaria. They were met by the prophet Oded who told them to send those captives back to Judah. He rebuked Israel for being just as evil as Judah and having no right to take their people. The leaders did not want to add any more guilt to what they already had so they tended to their wounds, clothed and fed them and sent them back to Judah.
Then, to add to their sins, Ahaz asked the Assyrians to come and help him fight the Edomites who had attacked them and carried some of their people away as prisoners. Instead of being help, the Assyrians came in and took things out of their temple but didn’t help them against the Edomites. Ahaz turned to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him. He thought he could get favor with their gods to help him.
It is amazing to see how walking away from the Lord clouds your thinking and you can’t make good decisions. Ahaz tried everything but God, who was the only one who could really help him.
Romans 13 speaks of the government of God. We don’t have to read long in the Kings and Chronicles to know that the way the leader goes, so goes the nation. We are wrong to think that just because a leader makes a law that we must follow it if it defies God’s laws. Our souls must be subject to the higher power because that is God’s (verse 1). The people that govern nations are put there by him to do his purpose. We obey the laws of the Lord and pray for God to take care of the leader.
As Christians, our job is to walk in the light and put on love. When we trust in the Lord as our Shepherd he will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies.
Surely goodness and love will follow us all the days of our lives and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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