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Speaker 1: I'm John Stanghy, and today we're in Second King's Chapter sixteen,
Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. A Has,
Speaker 1: son of Jotham, became King of Judah in the seventeenth
Speaker 1: year of Pica's rule in Israel. He was twenty years
Speaker 1: old at the time, and he ruled from Jerusalem for
Speaker 1: sixteen years. A Has wasn't like his ancestor David. Instead,
Speaker 1: he disobeyed the Lord and was even more sinful than
Speaker 1: the kings of Israel. He sacrificed his own son, which
Speaker 1: was a disgusting custom of the nations that the Lord
Speaker 1: had forced out of Israel. A Has offered sacrifices at
Speaker 1: the locale as well as on every hill and in
Speaker 1: the shade of large trees. While Ahaz was ruling Judah,
Speaker 1: the King of Edom recaptured the town of Elath from
Speaker 1: Judah and forced out the people of Judah. Edomites then
Speaker 1: moved into Elath, and they still lived there. About the
Speaker 1: same time, King Resin of Syria and King Pica of
Speaker 1: Israel marched to Jerusalem and attacked, but they could not
Speaker 1: capture it. A has sent a message to King Tiglath
Speaker 1: Poliser of Assyria that said, your majesty, King Resin and
Speaker 1: King Pica are attacking me, your loyal servant, please come
Speaker 1: and rescue me. Along with the message, A has sent
Speaker 1: silver and gold from the Lord's temple and from the
Speaker 1: palace treasury as a gift for the Assyrian king. As
Speaker 1: soon as Tiglath Polieser received the message, he and his
Speaker 1: troops marched to Syria. He captured the Kappa city of Damascus.
Speaker 1: Then he took the people living there to the town
Speaker 1: of Kerr as prisoners and killed King Resin. Later, AHAs
Speaker 1: went to Damascus to meet Tiglath Polizer, and while Ahaz
Speaker 1: was there, he saw an altar and sent a model
Speaker 1: of it back to Uriah the priest, along with the
Speaker 1: plans for building one. Uriah followed the plans and built
Speaker 1: an altar exactly like the one in Damascus, finishing it
Speaker 1: just before Ahaz came back. When Ahaz returned, he went
Speaker 1: to see the altar and to offer sacrifices on it.
Speaker 1: He walked up to the altar and poured wine over it.
Speaker 1: Then he offered sacrifices to please the Lord, to give
Speaker 1: him thanks, and to ask for his blessings. After that,
Speaker 1: he had the bronze altar moved aside so his new
Speaker 1: altar would be right in front of the Lord's temple.
Speaker 1: He told Uriah the priest, from now on the morning
Speaker 1: and evening sacrifice, as well as all gifts of grain
Speaker 1: and wine, are to be offered on this altar. The
Speaker 1: sacrifices for the people and for the king must also
Speaker 1: be offered here. Sprinkle the blood from all the sacrifices
Speaker 1: on it, but leave the bronze altar for me to
Speaker 1: use for prayer and finding out what God wants me
Speaker 1: to do. Uriah did everything A has told him. A
Speaker 1: has also had the side panels and the small bulls
Speaker 1: taken off the movable stands in the Lord's temple. He
Speaker 1: had the large bronze bull called the Sea, removed from
Speaker 1: the bronze bulls on which it rested, and had it
Speaker 1: placed on a stand made of stone. He took down
Speaker 1: the special tent that was used for worship on the
Speaker 1: Sabbath and closed up the private entrance that the kings
Speaker 1: of Judah used for going into the temple. He did
Speaker 1: all these things to please Tiglath Polizer. Everything else A
Speaker 1: has did while he was king is written in the
Speaker 1: history of the Kings of Judah. A has died and
Speaker 1: was buried beside his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son
Speaker 1: Hezekiah became king. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for
Speaker 1: your word, and we thank you for the privilege of
Speaker 1: being able to look at it today. And Lord, as
Speaker 1: we look at the life of King Ahs, we read
Speaker 1: here that a has displeased you greatly, and we could
Speaker 1: see him taking liberties with things that you had prescribed,
Speaker 1: things that you had said should be the case, particularly
Speaker 1: in the arrangement of the temple, and he did what
Speaker 1: he wanted to do. Instead, he sought to please a
Speaker 1: neighboring king instead of seeking to honor You with all
Speaker 1: aspects of his life. Lord, we know that each of us,
Speaker 1: to one degree or another, deal with the fear of man.
Speaker 1: We feel intimidated by others. We look for the approval
Speaker 1: of others instead of realizing that you are the primary
Speaker 1: audience that we ought to be concerned with. And Lord,
Speaker 1: we know that through faith in your son Jesus Christ,
Speaker 1: you give us a new mind. But we also know,
Speaker 1: Lord that it's very easy for us at times to
Speaker 1: adopt the mindset and the pattern of thinking of this
Speaker 1: world that really just leads to discouragement, depression, and despair.
Speaker 1: But Lord, in Jesus Christ, your son, we find hope.
Speaker 1: And we pray that we will live in that hope
Speaker 1: today and that we would continually give you praise for it.
Speaker 1: We love you, Lord, and we thank you for your
Speaker 1: presence with us today, and we commit this day to
Speaker 1: your care, Praying this all in Jesus' name. Amen.