Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates

The Price to Pay For Forsaking God

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Civil Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2016-12-18

Synopsis: John Weaver expounds 2 Chronicles 28 to show that King Ahaz's idolatry and rebellion brought severe judgment on Judah—military defeat, political shame, diplomatic failure, and economic ruin. He applies this to modern America, warning that forsaking God leads to national decline regardless of political leadership, and calls for personal repentance and faithfulness.

[John Weaver] We're going to read the entire chapter. 2 Chronicles 28. There are 27 verses there. The title of the message is, A Price to Pay for Forsaking God. Notice 2 Chronicles 28 and verse 1. Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign. He reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. But he did not that which is right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father. For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Balaam. Moreover, he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire after the abominations of a heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

[John Weaver] Wherefore, the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria, and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. And Zechariah, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Manassehiah, the king's son in Asrechem, the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. And the children of Israel carried away, captive of their brethren, two hundred thousand women, sons and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out before the host that came to Samaria and said unto Behold, because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage that reacheth up

[John Weaver] to heaven. And now you purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you? But are there not with you, even with you, sins against the Lord your God?

[John Weaver] Now hear me therefore, deliver the captives again which you have taken captive of your brethren, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you. Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johannan, Verachiah the son of Meshelamoth, Jehissachiah the son of Shalom, and Amasah the son of Hedli, stood up against them that came from the war, and said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither. For whereas we have offended against the Lord already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass. For our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation.

[John Weaver] And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat, and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of the palm trees, to their brethren. Then they returned to Samaria. At that time did King Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him, for again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shaco with the villages thereof, and Timna with the villages thereof, Gimzo also with the villages thereof, and they dwelt there. For the LORD thought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD. And Tiglath the poliser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

[John Weaver] For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and out of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria, but he helped him not. And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord, this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus which smote him, and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them that they may help me.

[John Weaver] But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord. And he made to him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoke to anger the Lord God of his fathers. Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, first and last, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem. But they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel.

[John Weaver] And Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead." So in light of the new year that is approaching us, here's the question. Where are we and where will we go as a nation? Shall we continue down the path of destruction? or will we return to our Christian foundations? There has been a glimmer of hope since Trump was elected. However, he continues to fill his cabinet with the very ones that have been leading us down the wrong path for decades. A few good choices have elicited a small glimmer of hope, but overall it looks like it's going to be the same as always.

[John Weaver] Each of us should understand by now that salvation is not in politics. Salvation is not in politicians. And there is no man that is a Savior except the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to give you just a couple of articles in light of what I'm going to be teaching from 2 Chronicles chapter 28. The first one was written by Susan Duckloss of the All News Pipeline. And the title of her article is this, we are facing the most important battle of all at the most dangerous moment in history. The article goes on to show what we're up against and cautions against optimism in the magic fix of Trump's victory over Clinton. And here's what she says, and I'm just quoting one paragraph.

[John Weaver] We at ANP are noting a lot of optimism from investors with stock soaring, to economic confidence reaching new highs, to small business owners, to household spending, and even prepping has hit a multi-year low. All the articles I am reading are crediting the election of Donald Trump as reason for all this optimism. But as much as I hate to rain on everyone's parade, Now is the most dangerous time in history. Not a time to assume just because one man was elected all the wrongs will be made right. The failing economy will automatically just magically fix itself.

[John Weaver] And then Jeremiah Johnson also went on and he wrote this. Listen carefully. This is very perceptive. The globalists need the illusion of the two-party system to enable a reprieve in the minds of the people with the rise of a Bush or a Trump. But the reprieve is merely an illusion. If these Marxist traitors forced their agenda on the people all at once, there would have been a revolution in its inception. They alternate.

[John Weaver] destroy the society and the culture to the maximum under a Democrat administration, and then scale back a bit under a Republican administration, while still nipping away at the edges with an act here or a piece of legislation there. Isn't that amazing?

[John Weaver] Now with that understanding, we must also consider that there are many today in our country that are absolutely opposed, not just simply to Christianity, And not just simply the Constitution, but they're basically opposed to truth. And they're dead set on overthrowing all of the recent changes. If you have not read the piece that Mike Adams wrote, Mike Adams is known as the Help Ranger, the title of his article was, The Next American Revolution Begins January the 20th. listen carefully this is just a portion of it the anti-american communist-leaning website disruptj20.org that means disrupt january the twentieth which is the inauguration day is openly organizing a popular uprising against the legitimate new administration of the united states of america January the 20th, 2017, Inauguration Day, is being targeted as a day for

[John Weaver] people to block, obstruct, disrupt, and do whatever they can to prevent the onslaught that is going to happen with Donald Trump," said alt-left organizer Michael Moore. The DisruptJ20 website calls on all people of good conscience to join in disrupting the ceremonies. A disrupt Jay Tweet, relishing in the kind of delusional paranoia that now typifies the mentally ill left in America, says the effort is being waged to confront white supremacy and other forms of oppression. Disrupt J-20 is a thinly veiled call for a communist uprising and the overthrow of the Trump administration. The Disrupt J-20 effort is in reality a communist uprising and a coup attempt being disguised as a peaceful protest. Yet even the website describes the effort in military terms. characterizing it as a bold mobilization against the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20th, 2017. Here's what the website says.

[John Weaver] If you can't make it to Washington, D.C. on January 20th, the organization encourages you to join the communist uprising wherever you might live. If you can't make it to Washington, D.C. on January 20th, Take to the streets wherever you are, says the site, which is clearly inciting mob violence everywhere across America. Which, of course, is totally against the law, but nothing is being done. So the question is, will the American people sit idly by and allow the Communists to overthrow the Constitution, Christianity, and the states? And you also have to ask yourself this question. Will it really, genuinely take another revolution to really awaken the American people? And the truth of the matter is we have really and truly already forsaken God. But if this thing comes down the way the left really wants it to come down, that means we're going to be driven further from God and further from His law. The title of the message is, there is a price to pay in forsaking God. America, like Israel of old, has forsaken our God.

[John Weaver] We left the Mayflower Compact. We've left the Constitution. We've mocked and ridiculed the Word of God. We've turned our backs upon the founding fathers of this country and the principles for which they have stayed and stood. We've also rebelled against Biblical Christianity. And anything and everything that resembles a covenant, especially a covenant in relationship to God and His Christ, we have broken and have done so willingly and readily.

[John Weaver] So, it's like Hosea said concerning Israel in Hosea 8 and verse 7, they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." So, as you're going to be able to tell from the life and the reign of King Ahaz, and I might add the politician Ahaz, if Trump turns out to be another demagogue and we sit back and allow further deterioration, then you might as well batten down the hatches For our whirlwind is going to come in power and strength. Now, the sins of King Ahaz are outlined specifically in 2 Kings chapter 16. When you get to 2 Chronicles chapter 28, it does not necessarily rehash all of those sins in detail. But what 2 Chronicles 28 does is it details the punishment of Ahaz for his sins. So the depiction in 2 Chronicles chapter 28 is one of holy indignation against Ahaz and the punishment that God inflicts upon him and upon his people because they have forsaken God and His covenant. Now it is true that Ahaz was humiliated and that he suffered.

[John Weaver] But the sad truth is that his people suffered far more than he did. Matthew Henry, in making a comment on 2 Chronicles 28, said this, listen carefully, the people suffered by these judgments. Their blood was shed, their country wasted, their families ruined, For when they had a good king, though they did corruptly, yet then his goodness sheltered them. But now that they had a bad one, all the defense has departed from them, and an inundation of judgments broken upon them.

[John Weaver] Those that knew not their happiness in the foregoing reign were taught to value it by the miseries of this reign." Now, when you consider King Ahaz, and the opportunity that he had before him, and what he did with that opportunity, it is absolutely astounding. You may not understand what was bequeathed to King Ahas. Everything that was bequeathed unto him, he squandered and he wasted. So you're going to have to ask, will Trump turn out to be another Ahas or a Jeroboam? Trump does now have the opportunity to drain the swamp and overthrow the money changers.

[John Weaver] But will he do so? Let me tell you about 2 Chronicles chapter 28. King Ahaz was the son of King Jotham. And he was also the grandson of Uzziah. Uzziah and Jotham as a whole were godly kings, and they built their reigns upon God and obedience to His covenant and obedience to His law. If you look in 2 Chronicles chapter 28, I'm sorry, not 28, but 27 and verse 6, you'll find out a statement here concerning Ahaz's father, Jotham. Look at it. 2 Chronicles 27 verse 6, So Jotham became mighty. Why? Because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God. This was the father of Ahaz. His grandfather was Uzziah. Uzziah lived for 52 years. Jotham reigned. Well, Uzziah reigned for 52 years. Jotham reigned for 16 years. And Ahaz reigned for 16 years. So in 16 years, Ahaz overthrew and destroyed everything that his father and his grandfather had built in 68 years. Ahaz had an excellent example to follow, but he turned out to be an idolater, a tyrant, and an imbecile.

[John Weaver] And you're going to say, an imbecile? Yes. So if you follow with me, you can bring and draw your own conclusion as to whether or not he was an imbecile. First of all, I want you to note that Ahaz followed a perverted religion. You'll find that in the first four verses. Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem, but he did not that which is right in the sight of the Lord like David his father.

[John Weaver] For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Balaam. Moreover, he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree." So we start out with a negative in verse 1 where the Bible tells us that he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord like David his father.

[John Weaver] So let me just spell it out for you. He was a transgressor. He was disobedient. He was rebellious. He was sinful. He violated not only the covenant, but the commandments of God as well.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. All men are religious in nature. Every man serves some God. It may not be the one true of the living God, it may be the God of money, the God of prosperity, the God of pleasure, the God of self, but all the worship of God. And when someone turns from the one true of the living God, it does not mean that they cease to be religious. It just means that they've turned to another God.

[John Weaver] So you begin with a negative, and now you come to a positive in verse 2. For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Balaam. So Ahaz was positively an idolater. It is important to understand that the test that God lays out as to whether or not we are faithful to God is in relationship to His law. So when an individual refuses to obey God's law, it means he's refusing to obey God. When he turns from God's law, he's turning from God himself. In 2 Kings 17, verses 7 and 8, let me just quote it. The Bible says there, For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them forth up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods. Now let me stop. So the Bible says in 2 Kings 17 verse 7 that the children of Israel feared other gods. Well, how do we know that they feared other gods?

[John Weaver] What was the evidence? Not just that God said so, that would certainly be sufficient. But verse 8 gives you the evidence when he said,"...and walked in the statutes, or in the laws of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel, and the kings of Israel which they had made." So God says, here's the evidence that they were idolaters. They rejected My law, and they walked in the laws of the heathen, and in the laws of the kings of Israel. So when you look at Ahaz, the God of Israel meant nothing to him. He rejected God, and he rejected God's law.

[John Weaver] However, notice he did worship Baal, and he did worship Moloch. He worshipped all of these false gods. In fact, if you will look in verse 3, Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel."

[John Weaver] Now, you will find the same thing Suleiman has in 2 Kings 16 verses 3 and 4. But note, if you would, he burnt his children in the fire.

[John Weaver] Now, I've told you in time past, actually, there were two ways to do that. One way was that they actually sacrificed the children. Okay? was a huge, hollow, solid brass statue with his arms like this. He was hollow because the priest would go in and build a roaring fire, which means the brass and all now is actually red hot, glowing. They would then take a baby and lay that baby in the palms of his hands, and since it was up like this, the baby would roll down the arms into the fire and be consumed.

[John Weaver] That was a sacrifice to Moloch. Moloch worship was a state religion. The other way that you offered your children to Moloch was The priest of Moloch would build a fire, they would take the baby in their hands, and they would just pass him over the fire, which would be called purification, or they were now dedicating that baby to the service of Moloch. So here, King Ahaz now takes his children and burns them in the fire. So the very first thing you find is that Ahaz was perverted in his religion. He followed a perverse religion. Christianity is a true religion. All others are perversions.

[John Weaver] If you will not follow God and His Word, then the truth is you will follow anything or anyone. We reject God and His Word at our peril. In 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 11 and 12, the Bible says this, and for this cause, God shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. So if you will not believe the truth, obviously you're going to believe a lie. And if you're not going to follow righteousness, then you're going to follow unrighteousness. So the rejection of God and His law basically carries in its own punishment. Men who reject God and His law believe a lie, and they're going to be damned.

[John Weaver] You have to understand that for a covenant people, there is always a judgment in time and history as well. Illustration. You remember when Elijah said, there's not going to be rain to do these years but lo according to my word. For three and a half years, God sent a drought upon Israel. And when Elijah came back into the country, and he faced Ahab, Ahab asked, art thou the troubler of Israel? To which, in 1 Kings 18 and verse 8, Elijah responded, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Balaam." In other words, you know who the trouble of Israel is? It's you. It's certainly not me. Idolatry troubles a nation. Idolatry angers God. Why? Because God is a jealous God. Do you remember that passage in Exodus 34, verse 14, where God says, For thou shalt worship no other god, for the Lord God, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. So one of God's names is Jealous.

[John Weaver] And that's why He said in Isaiah 42, verse 8, I am the Lord, and beside me there is no other. I will not give my glory to another, neither my praise to graven images. So that when a nation denies God and forsakes His law and turns from His righteous standards, there's going to be judgment. Because Deuteronomy 4 and verse 2 says, For our God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. And God judges a people when they forsake Him. There's always a price to pay in forsaking God.

[John Weaver] And the very first thing you find out about Ahaz And 2 Chronicles 28 was he followed a perverse religion. Secondly, I want you to note, and I'm not going to take time to read all of it, but I'm going to point it out. Ahaz was militarily defeated. You'll find that in verses 5 through 15. Look if you would in verse 5. Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria, And they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them up to Damascus. And he was also delivered in the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter."

[John Weaver] Before I go further, let me just make the statement, might does not make right. Military armaments, military preparation, military skill are absolutely worthless when one forsakes God and His law. Our true protection and our true defense is in God alone. One of my favorite passages is Proverbs 21 and verse 31. The Bible says the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. And then in Psalm 33 and verse 17, a horse is a vain thing for safety.

[John Weaver] Neither will he deliver any by his great strength. So you could paraphrase that and say a tank. By his great strength is not going to deliver anyone. It's vain to trust in your bombers and anything militarily. And everybody in this room probably could quote Psalm 127 and verse 1. Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain to build it. And except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

[John Weaver] So what you have in verses 5 through 15 is that his military is defeated. Do you understand that part and parcel of God's judgment upon not only a civil ruler but upon a nation is the fact that they are defeated militarily? And if you look back at verse 5, I need to cover this. Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. God purposely, deliberately handed him over to the king of Syria and the king of Israel.

[John Weaver] Now first let me try to answer this question. Because if you look in verse 5 it says, Wherefore the Lord his God. How could the Lord be called his God When we just pointed out that he was an idolater and he rejected God. Well, the answer is this. First of all, God was his God by right. in the sense that God still had dominion over him. He was a creature, and God has absolute control over every one of His creatures.

[John Weaver] Secondly, the nation was still in a covenant relationship with God, and He was the King of that nation, and so therefore God is rightly referred to as His God. Moreover, Ahaz, probably, Confessed God to be his God, although in a hypocritical manner. It's just like when Jeroboam built those two golden calves. They profess to worship God, but only worship him through the calves. So that's why it's referred to here as the Lord is God. But secondly, I want to point out that here are two military defeats. One by Rezin, who is the king of Syria, and one by Pekka, who is the king of Israel. When you get to 2 Kings 16 and verse 6, it names these two kings. Rezan, king of Syria, recovered Elath from Ahaz during this particular war. And Pekah, the king of Israel, defeated him dramatically as well. Now, look in verse 6 to show you the defeat. For Pekah, the son of Amalia, who was king of Israel, slew in Judah 120,000 in one day, which were all valiant men."

[John Weaver] Now, you know, it does not surprise us when we hear 120,000 people were killed by dropping an atomic bomb on them, or by a carpet bomb in the city. That doesn't surprise us. But when you think about 120,000 men who were killed with a sword, and with archery, and with spears, you're talking about something that's up close and personal. 120,000 in one day. What was it all the time that we were in Vietnam? 58,000?

[John Weaver] Now 120,000 in one day. Why? Well, go back to verse 6. Look at it. For Pekah, the son of Amalia, slew in Judah 120,000 in one day, which were all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. Wow. I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 24. And verse 20, I want you to see that there is a price to pay for forsaking God. Here's what Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, said to the king and to his princes. 2 Chronicles 24, verse 20, And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, the priest, which stood above the people and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point something out. I'm saying that Ahaz was perverse in his religion, and Ahaz, secondly, was defeated militarily. You can hear people all the time speaking about Russia and China, and how powerful they are and how many people they are, and everybody is afraid Russia is going to attack us or China is going to attack us. When you forsake God, it does not take a great nation.

[John Weaver] Little Cuba could wipe us off the face of the map. I want to show you. Look in verses 17 and 18. 2 Chronicles 28 verse 17. For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah and carried away captives. Verse 18. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, nor the south of Judah, and taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Sharko, and the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, and Gimzo also with the villages thereof, and they dwelt there. So, little tiny Edom. And the Philistines.

[John Weaver] They've been defeated many, many times. Now just simply walk in, and conquer and do whatever they want to do. Individuals, families, churches, men in general, nations cannot prosper when they forsake God and God's law. His judgment rests against them in every way, including military defeat. I want you to turn back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 12. Let me show you several verses. 2 Chronicles chapter 12, look if you would please at verse 5. 2 Chronicles 12 and verse 5, Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah that were gathered together to Jerusalem, because of Shyshach, who happened to be the king of Egypt. And said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, you have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shyshach. Wow! We forsake God, God forsakes us, turns us over to some country that will militarily defeat us. Look in 2 Chronicles chapter 21 and verse 10. 2 Chronicles 21 and verse 10. Show you how helpless Judah was. So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day.

[John Weaver] The same time also did Libna revolt from under his hand. Why? Because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers. You know, that's interesting, isn't it? Revolutions and rebellions often arise because we have forsaken God. Look in 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. This should tell you exactly what I'm talking about when I said it doesn't take a great country when we forsake God. 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, And the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand. Why? Because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.

[John Weaver] So they executed judgment against Joash. So the Syrians came with a very small company, but God delivered a very great host into their hands. Do you know what happened in 2 Chronicles 28? Here's what happened. Ahaz lost his son. He lost his counselors and he lost 200,000 people in one day, not counting the 120,000 men that were killed. These 200,000 were captured and taken captive to Samaria.

[John Weaver] So stop and think about this. 320,000 people.

[John Weaver] 120,000 dead and 200,000 captured. Here's my point. It is impossible to stand militarily when you forsake God. I don't care your technology. I don't care what armaments you have. Once you forsake God, you are going to be defeated militarily. The third thing about Ahaz that is revealed here as part of his punishment is this, Ahaz was politically shamed. Look if you would, 2 Chronicles chapter 28 and verse 16. At the same time did King Ahaz send the kings of Syria to help him. Why?

[John Weaver] We just read verses 17 and 18. That's because the Edomites were coming in and smiting them, and the Philistines were walking all over him. Ahaz had no control over his own kingdom. He could not function. He could not even stop the smallest kingdoms from attacking him and simply taking what they wanted. He was powerless. He was impotent. He was incompetent. And no one feared him, and no one respected him, much like our modern day Obama.

[John Weaver] And I told you this, I still think it's absolutely hilarious. Some time ago, Obama kind of halfway threatened Putin. And Putin's response was this. Should I be afraid of such a skinny man? I wrestle bears. So, I mean, what kind of respect? That's Ahas. That's Ahas. I mean, no one respected him. I mean, and here, he's sending off for help. Why does he want help? Because all these little countries are coming in and just walking all over him. It's amazing.

[John Weaver] It was God that brought Judah low for their rebellion against Him. Look at verse 19. I'm going to come back to verse 19. For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz, king of Israel. For he made Judah naked and transgressed sore against the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, if you want a real understanding, all you have to do is read Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28. Those two passages are the blessings and the curses. And in those passages, God promises nations and people. If we obey, He will make us the head. If we disobey, He will make us the tail. And so Ahaz and Judah were disobeying and God is making them the tail. And the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29 in verse 9, Keep therefore the words of this covenant and do them that you may prosper in all that you do. So if we want to prosper, we obey God. If we do not want to prosper, we disobey God. There is a price to pay in forsaking God. It's just that simple. 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 22 says this, And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them, therefore hath he brought this evil upon them.

[John Weaver] So obviously, Ahaz not only followed a perverted religion, he was militarily defeated, he was also politically shamed. I want to point something else out.

[John Weaver] Fourthly, he was a failure in foreign diplomacy. Look in verse 20 and 21. And Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, came unto him and distressed him, but strengthened him not. For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and out of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria, but he helped him not." Now his alliance with the king of Assyria came to absolutely nothing.

[John Weaver] He wanted help, but all he got was trouble and heartache. God had forbidden alliances with the heathen. God had commanded we are to make no covenants with them." Deuteronomy chapter 7, Exodus chapter 34. The Assyrians were known for their ruthlessness as well as their wickedness. And Ahaz believed that he could use them and that they would help him, but all it did was cost him, and it cost him his kingdom as well.

[John Weaver] So Tiglath-Pileser came, but he helped him not. Let me show you something. Look, if you would please, at verse 21. For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and out of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria. But he helped him not. Interestingly, the very first place from which Ahaz stole was the house of the LORD.

[John Weaver] A government that is unafraid to steal from God will have no compunction against stealing from their people. Think about it like this. Malachi 3.8 asks this question. Will a man rob God? And God answers, yea, you have robbed me. But you say, wherein have we robbed you? And then God answers, in tithes and in offerings. Now, if God considers it theft, if God considers it robbery to not give him his tithes in his offerings, how much more is it theft and robbery to take that which has already been given to God and dedicated to Him and steal that. And if you want to exaggerate that a little bit more, how much worse is it to take that which has already been given to him and dedicated him to steal it and to give it to an ungodly king?

[John Weaver] And that's exactly what he did. He stole it and gave it to the king of Assyria. He stole it from the house of God. He stole it from the princes. A government that steals from God and His people will face the judgment of God, because such actions are denial of God and His sovereignty and His right, and there is a price to pay for forsaking God. No man, no nation will ever prosper that continually violates the law of God.

[John Weaver] Fifthly, I want to point this out, and then I'm going to tie it together, hopefully. Ahaz was economically destroyed. Look if you would in verse 22. And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord. This is that King Ahaz, for he sacrificed on the gods of Damascus, which smote him. And he said, Because the gods of the kings of Assyria helped them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.

[John Weaver] But they were the ruin of him and all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord. And he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and to provoke the anger of the Lord God of his fathers and of course in the last two verses he dies now please remember what God said to Joshua and the people in Joshua 1 verse 7

[John Weaver] he said only be thou strong and very courageous that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant hath commanded you, turn not from it to the right hand, or from the left, that thou mayest prosper, whithersoever thou goest." If we want to prosper, it's through obedience. David encouraged Solomon In 1 Kings 2 and verse 3, by saying this,"...and keep the charge of the Lord by God to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, whethersoever thou turnest thyself."

[John Weaver] So what did Ahazab do? Instead of obeying God and obeying God's law, He turned from God in His distress. Now, look at that. Verse 22, And in the time of His distress, did He trespass yet more against the Lord? I mean, here's a man that's in trouble. His kingdom is in trouble. His family is in trouble. Everything about him is in trouble. Instead of stopping and thinking, why am I in trouble? Could it be that I've forsaken God? Could it be that I'm not obeying God? Instead of reasoning, he turns more and more to idolatry. He takes the vessels of the house of God and cuts them in pieces.

[John Weaver] And of course, he gives them to Tiglath the policer. What else he did? Look at verse 24. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the Lord. That is, he closed down the temple. Nobody could get in. And by the way, the temple was closed until his son, Hezekiah, took control and later on there was a great revival under Hezekiah and the doors were open and all the trash was cleaned out of the temple. But he actually closed it down. And notice what else he did. In verse 25, In every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the Lord his God. His economic distress drove him to steal even more from the house of God. It is impossible to prosper when you're dishonoring God. It is impossible to prosper when you're doing that which is contrary to God and His Word.

[John Weaver] And by the way, this imbecilic king, when he closed down the house of God, reserved a room in it, though, for the king of Assyria to stay in. You're talking about an imbecile. He was indeed an imbecile.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to verse 19. I want you to look at this verse and think about what happened. What happened then? What is happening now? Look at verse 19. For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just stop right there. This verse sums up everything about Ahaz and his kingdom. It is true the people were wicked. But Ahaz was extremely wicked and God brought Judah low because of Ahaz. What did Ahaz do? Watch. For he made Judah naked. and transgressed sore against the Lord. So God brought Judah low because of her sin and rebellion, yet the leading cause of her demise was King Ahaz. And the phrase is that King Ahaz made Judah naked and transgressed sore against the Lord. So God then brought Judah low because of her sin and rebellion, but the leading cause was King Ahaz. He made Judah naked. That phrase is important. When one is stripped naked publicly, it is a time of shame, humiliation, contempt, helplessness, and danger. Ahaz made Judah naked. As his sin debased the people, so it also exposed the people. It made them naked to their shame, for it exposed them to contempt as a man is unclothed. It made them naked to their danger, for it exposed them to assaults as a man is unarmed."

[John Weaver] Why could the people not fight against the Edomites or the Philistines? Because they were made naked. They were ashamed. They were helpless. Wow! You remember, it was Aaron who made the people of Israel naked to their shame as well. When he made the golden calf there in Exodus 32 and verse 35, the Bible said, And when Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies.

[John Weaver] So sin then strips men. It disturbs and degrades and destroys. And it does not matter if it's done by an individual or a president or a king or a government, it still does exactly the same thing. What is happening in our country is that we're being made naked. We're being humiliated. And once they try to take our weapons, unarmed, helpless, Two passages. I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 29 verse 8.

[John Weaver] This ought to really explain what I've been trying to say. 2 Chronicles 29 verse 8. Look at it. Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem. And he, that is the Lord, had delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as you see with your eyes. God delivered them to the trouble they were in. Now, if you look in 2 Chronicles 34 and verse 25. 2 Chronicles 34 and verse 25. Here's what God says. Here's why the judgment was coming.

[John Weaver] Because they have forsaken Me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched." Do you understand that God is on the throne? He is absolutely sovereign, yet man is responsible. And when our leaders lead us into idolatry, and we follow willingly, we will be judged along with our leaders.

[John Weaver] So basically it comes to this. If you understand the Bible and if you understand history, it all boils down to one simple thing. We must either repent or perish. So the question is, where are we going? What road are we going to take? Unless we turn back to God, No matter who's in the White House, it's still going downhill. And if everybody else in this country does what is wrong and wicked, you ought to determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right and biblical and holy and godly. You won't have to stand, but no one else will stand. And you'll have to do what's right, but no one else will do what's right. Because we will not only be a witness against the enemies of God, we will be a witness to the people of God for that which is right and holy. Let's pray.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace and your mercy. We do pray that you would teach us and build us up in most holy faith. Give us grace that we might serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear and courage to stand and do that which is right. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

The Price to Pay For Forsaking God

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	11617542251
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-12-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 17
Source Timed Segments	72

Formatted Transcript

Opening

We're going to read the entire chapter, 2 Chronicles 28. There are 27 verses there. The title of the message is, "A Price to Pay for Forsaking God." Notice 2 Chronicles 28 and verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 28:1-4

"Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree."

"Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up

unto heaven. And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God? Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you. Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation.

And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria. At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there. For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD. And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.

For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not. And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers. Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead."

Introduction: The Question for the Nation

Weaver asks whether America will continue down a path of destruction or return to Christian foundations, expressing skepticism about political salvation.

So in light of the new year that is approaching us, here's the question: Where are we and where will we go as a nation? Shall we continue down the path of destruction, or will we return to our Christian foundations? There has been a glimmer of hope since Trump was elected. However, he continues to fill his cabinet with the very ones that have been leading us down the wrong path for decades. A few good choices have elicited a small glimmer of hope, but overall it looks like it's going to be the same as always. Each of us should understand by now that salvation is not in politics. Salvation is not in politicians. And there is no man that is a Savior except the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to give you just a couple of articles in light of what I'm going to be teaching from 2 Chronicles chapter 28. The first one was written by Susan Duclos of the All News Pipeline. And the title of her article is this: "We Are Facing the Most Important Battle of All at the Most Dangerous Moment in History." The article goes on to show what we're up against and cautions against optimism in the magic fix of Trump's victory over Clinton. And here's what she says, and I'm just quoting one paragraph.

The Sins of King Ahaz

Ahaz followed a perverted religion, walking in the ways of Israel's kings, making molten images, and burning his children in the fire.

For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree." So we start out with a negative in verse 1 where the Bible tells us that he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD like David his father. So let me just spell it out for you. He was a transgressor. He was disobedient. He was rebellious. He was sinful. He violated not only the covenant, but the commandments of God as well.

Now, let me point something out. All men are religious in nature. Every man serves some god. It may not be the one true and living God, it may be the god of money, the god of prosperity, the god of pleasure, the god of self, but all worship a god. And when someone turns from the one true and living God, it does not mean that they cease to be religious. It just means that they've turned to another god.

So you begin with a negative, and now you come to a positive in verse 2. "For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim." So Ahaz was positively an idolater. It is important to understand that the test that God lays out as to whether or not we are faithful to God is in relationship to His law. So when an individual refuses to obey God's law, it means he's refusing to obey God. When he turns from God's law, he's turning from God himself. In 2 Kings 17, verses 7 and 8, let me just quote it. The Bible says there, "For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods." Now let me stop. So the Bible says in 2 Kings 17 verse 7 that the children of Israel feared other gods. Well, how do we know that they feared other gods?

What was the evidence? Not just that God said so, that would certainly be sufficient. But verse 8 gives you the evidence when he said, "...and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made." So God says, here's the evidence that they were idolaters. They rejected My law, and they walked in the laws of the heathen, and in the laws of the kings of Israel. So when you look at Ahaz, the God of Israel meant nothing to him. He rejected God, and he rejected God's law. However, notice he did worship Baal, and he did worship Molech. He worshipped all of these false gods. In fact, if you will look in verse 3, "Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel."

Now, you will find the same thing said of him in 2 Kings 16 verses 3 and 4. But note, if you would, he burnt his children in the fire. Now, I've told you in time past, actually, there were two ways to do that. One way was that they actually sacrificed the children. Okay? There was a huge, hollow, solid brass statue with his arms like this. He was hollow because the priest would go in and build a roaring fire, which means the brass and all now is actually red hot, glowing. They would then take a baby and lay that baby in the palms of his hands, and since it was up like this, the baby would roll down the arms into the fire and be consumed.

That was a sacrifice to Molech. Molech worship was a state religion. The other way that you offered your children to Molech was the priest of Molech would build a fire, they would take the baby in their hands, and they would just pass him over the fire, which would be called purification, or they were now dedicating that baby to the service of Molech. So here, King Ahaz now takes his children and burns them in the fire. So the very first thing you find is that Ahaz was perverted in his religion. He followed a perverse religion. Christianity is a true religion. All others are perversions.

Military Defeat as Judgment

Because Ahaz forsook God, the Lord delivered Judah into the hands of Syria and Israel, resulting in massive slaughter and captivity.

Before I go further, let me just make the statement, might does not make right. Military armaments, military preparation, military skill are absolutely worthless when one forsakes God and His law. Our true protection and our true defense is in God alone. One of my favorite passages is Proverbs 21 and verse 31. The Bible says

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 21:31

"The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD."

And then in Psalm 33 and verse 17, "An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength." So you could paraphrase that and say a tank by his great strength is not going to deliver anyone. It's vain to trust in your bombers and anything militarily. And everybody in this room probably could quote Psalm 127 and verse 1. "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

So what you have in verses 5 through 15 is that his military is defeated. Do you understand that part and parcel of God's judgment upon not only a civil ruler but upon a nation is the fact that they are defeated militarily? And if you look back at verse 5, I need to cover this. "Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria." God purposely, deliberately handed him over to the king of Syria and the king of Israel.

Now first let me try to answer this question. Because if you look in verse 5 it says, "Wherefore the LORD his God." How could the LORD be called his God when we just pointed out that he was an idolater and he rejected God? Well, the answer is this. First of all, God was his God by right, in the sense that God still had dominion over him. He was a creature, and God has absolute control over every one of His creatures. Secondly, the nation was still in a covenant relationship with God, and He was the King of that nation, and so therefore God is rightly referred to as his God. Moreover, Ahaz, probably, confessed God to be his God, although in a hypocritical manner. It's just like when Jeroboam built those two golden calves. They profess to worship God, but only worship him through the calves. So that's why it's referred to here as the LORD his God. But secondly, I want to point out that here are two military defeats. One by Rezin, who is the king of Syria, and one by Pekah, who is the king of Israel. When you get to 2 Kings 16 and verse 6, it names these two kings. Rezin, king of Syria, recovered Elath from Ahaz during this particular war. And Pekah, the king of Israel, defeated him dramatically as well. Now, look in verse 6 to show you the defeat. "For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men."

Now, you know, it does not surprise us when we hear 120,000 people were killed by dropping an atomic bomb on them, or by a carpet bomb in the city. That doesn't surprise us. But when you think about 120,000 men who were killed with a sword, and with archery, and with spears, you're talking about something that's up close and personal. 120,000 in one day. What was it all the time that we were in Vietnam? 58,000?

Now 120,000 in one day. Why? Well, go back to verse 6. Look at it. "For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers." Wow. I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 20, I want you to see that there is a price to pay for forsaking God. Here's what Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, said to the king and to his princes. 2 Chronicles 24, verse 20, "And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you."

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 24:20

Now, let me point something out. I'm saying that Ahaz was perverse in his religion, and Ahaz, secondly, was defeated militarily. You can hear people all the time speaking about Russia and China, and how powerful they are and how many people they are, and everybody is afraid Russia is going to attack us or China is going to attack us. When you forsake God, it does not take a great nation. Little Cuba could wipe us off the face of the map. I want to show you. Look in verses 17 and 18. 2 Chronicles 28 verse 17. "For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives." Verse 18. "The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there." So, little tiny Edom. And the Philistines.

They've been defeated many, many times. Now just simply walk in, and conquer and do whatever they want to do. Individuals, families, churches, men in general, nations cannot prosper when they forsake God and God's law. His judgment rests against them in every way, including military defeat. I want you to turn back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 12. Let me show you several verses. 2 Chronicles chapter 12, look if you would please at verse 5. 2 Chronicles 12 and verse 5,

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 12:5

"Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak."

Wow! We forsake God, God forsakes us, turns us over to some country that will militarily defeat us. Look in 2 Chronicles chapter 21 and verse 10. 2 Chronicles 21 and verse 10. Show you how helpless Judah was. "So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:10

The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his hand; because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers."

You know, that's interesting, isn't it? Revolutions and rebellions often arise because we have forsaken God. Look in 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. This should tell you exactly what I'm talking about when I said it doesn't take a great country when we forsake God. 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. "For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

So they executed judgment against Joash." So the Syrians came with a very small company, but God delivered a very great host into their hands. Do you know what happened in 2 Chronicles 28? Here's what happened. Ahaz lost his son. He lost his counselors and he lost 200,000 people in one day, not counting the 120,000 men that were killed. These 200,000 were captured and taken captive to Samaria.

So stop and think about this. 320,000 people.

120,000 dead and 200,000 captured. Here's my point. It is impossible to stand militarily when you forsake God. I don't care your technology. I don't care what armaments you have. Once you forsake God, you are going to be defeated militarily. The third thing about Ahaz that is revealed here as part of his punishment is this, Ahaz was politically shamed. Look if you would, 2 Chronicles chapter 28 and verse 16. "At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him." Why?

Political Shame and Impotence

Ahaz became powerless, unable to stop even small nations like Edom and Philistia from invading, because God brought Judah low.

We just read verses 17 and 18. That's because the Edomites were coming in and smiting them, and the Philistines were walking all over him. Ahaz had no control over his own kingdom. He could not function. He could not even stop the smallest kingdoms from attacking him and simply taking what they wanted. He was powerless. He was impotent. He was incompetent. And no one feared him, and no one respected him, much like our modern day Obama.

And I told you this, I still think it's absolutely hilarious. Some time ago, Obama kind of halfway threatened Putin. And Putin's response was this. "Should I be afraid of such a skinny man? I wrestle bears." So, I mean, what kind of respect? That's Ahaz. That's Ahaz. I mean, no one respected him. I mean, and here, he's sending off for help. Why does he want help? Because all these little countries are coming in and just walking all over him. It's amazing.

It was God that brought Judah low for their rebellion against Him. Look at verse 19. I'm going to come back to verse 19. "For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD."

Now, if you want a real understanding, all you have to do is read Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28. Those two passages are the blessings and the curses. And in those passages, God promises nations and people. If we obey, He will make us the head. If we disobey, He will make us the tail. And so Ahaz and Judah were disobeying and God is making them the tail. And the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29 and verse 9,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 29:9

"Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do."

So if we want to prosper, we obey God. If we do not want to prosper, we disobey God. There is a price to pay in forsaking God. It's just that simple. 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 22 says this, "And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them."

Failure in Foreign Diplomacy

Ahaz sought help from Assyria, even robbing the temple to pay tribute, but Tilgath-pilneser distressed him and helped him not.

He wanted help, but all he got was trouble and heartache. God had forbidden alliances with the heathen. God had commanded we are to make no covenants with them. Deuteronomy chapter 7, Exodus chapter 34. The Assyrians were known for their ruthlessness as well as their wickedness. And Ahaz believed that he could use them and that they would help him, but all it did was cost him, and it cost him his kingdom as well.

So Tilgath-pilneser came, but he helped him not. Let me show you something. Look, if you would please, at verse 21. "For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not." Interestingly, the very first place from which Ahaz stole was the house of the LORD. A government that is unafraid to steal from God will have no compunction against stealing from their people. Think about it like this. Malachi 3:8 asks this question. "Will a man rob God?" And God answers, "yea, ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?" And then God answers, "In tithes and offerings." Now, if God considers it theft, if God considers it robbery to not give him his tithes and his offerings, how much more is it theft and robbery to take that which has already been given to God and dedicated to Him and steal that. And if you want to exaggerate that a little bit more, how much worse is it to take that which has already been given to him and dedicated to him, to steal it and to give it to an ungodly king?

And that's exactly what he did. He stole it and gave it to the king of Assyria. He stole it from the house of God. He stole it from the princes. A government that steals from God and His people will face the judgment of God, because such actions are denial of God and His sovereignty and His right, and there is a price to pay for forsaking God. No man, no nation will ever prosper that continually violates the law of God.

Economic Destruction and Further Apostasy

In his distress, Ahaz trespassed more, cut up temple vessels, shut the temple doors, and built altars to other gods, provoking the Lord.

Fifthly, I want to point this out, and then I'm going to tie it together, hopefully. Ahaz was economically destroyed. Look if you would in verse 22. "And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.

But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers." And of course in the last two verses he dies. Now please remember what God said to Joshua and the people in Joshua 1 verse 7. He said, "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest." If we want to prosper, it's through obedience. David encouraged Solomon in 1 Kings 2 and verse 3, by saying this, "And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself."

So what did Ahaz do? Instead of obeying God and obeying God's law, he turned from God in his distress. Now, look at that. Verse 22, "And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD?" I mean, here's a man that's in trouble. His kingdom is in trouble. His family is in trouble. Everything about him is in trouble. Instead of stopping and thinking, why am I in trouble? Could it be that I've forsaken God? Could it be that I'm not obeying God? Instead of reasoning, he turns more and more to idolatry. He takes the vessels of the house of God and cuts them in pieces.

And of course, he gives them to Tilgath-pilneser. What else did he do? Look at verse 24. "And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD." That is, he closed down the temple. Nobody could get in. And by the way, the temple was closed until his son, Hezekiah, took control and later on there was a great revival under Hezekiah and the doors were open and all the trash was cleaned out of the temple. But he actually closed it down. And notice what else he did. In verse 25, "And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers." His economic distress drove him to steal even more from the house of God. It is impossible to prosper when you're dishonoring God. It is impossible to prosper when you're doing that which is contrary to God and His Word.

The Root Cause: Ahaz Made Judah Naked

God brought Judah low because Ahaz made the nation naked—exposed to shame, contempt, and danger—through his grievous sin.

Now, let me just stop right there. This verse sums up everything about Ahaz and his kingdom. It is true the people were wicked. But Ahaz was extremely wicked and God brought Judah low because of Ahaz. What did Ahaz do? Watch. "For he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD." So God brought Judah low because of her sin and rebellion, yet the leading cause of her demise was King Ahaz. And the phrase is that King Ahaz made Judah naked and transgressed sore against the LORD. So God then brought Judah low because of her sin and rebellion, but the leading cause was King Ahaz. He made Judah naked. That phrase is important. When one is stripped naked publicly, it is a time of shame, humiliation, contempt, helplessness, and danger. Ahaz made Judah naked. As his sin debased the people, so it also exposed the people. It made them naked to their shame, for it exposed them to contempt as a man is unclothed. It made them naked to their danger, for it exposed them to assaults as a man is unarmed.

Why could the people not fight against the Edomites or the Philistines? Because they were made naked. They were ashamed. They were helpless. Wow! You remember, it was Aaron who made the people of Israel naked to their shame as well. When he made the golden calf there in Exodus 32 and verse 25, the Bible said, "And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)"

Application: Repent or Perish

Weaver concludes that America must repent and turn back to God; individuals must determine to do right regardless of national trends.

So basically it comes to this. If you understand the Bible and if you understand history, it all boils down to one simple thing. We must either repent or perish. So the question is, where are we going? What road are we going to take? Unless we turn back to God, no matter who's in the White House, it's still going downhill. And if everybody else in this country does what is wrong and wicked, you ought to determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right and biblical and holy and godly. You won't have to stand, but no one else will stand. And you'll have to do what's right, but no one else will do what's right. Because we will not only be a witness against the enemies of God, we will be a witness to the people of God for that which is right and holy. Let's pray.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace and your mercy. We do pray that you would teach us and build us up in most holy faith. Give us grace that we might serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear and courage to stand and do that which is right. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Forsaking God brings national judgment

Summary: When a nation and its leaders abandon God and His law, God brings military defeat, political shame, and economic ruin as judgment.

Evidence: Weaver repeatedly cites 2 Chronicles 28 to show that Judah's defeats and humiliations were directly because they had forsaken the Lord (e.g., verse 6).

Idolatry as spiritual adultery

Summary: Turning from the true God to false gods is a perversion of religion that provokes God's jealousy and leads to delusion and damnation.

Evidence: Weaver explains that Ahaz worshipped Baal and Molech, and that all men are religious; rejecting God means believing a lie (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).

The futility of political salvation

Summary: Salvation is not in politics or politicians; only Jesus Christ is Savior. Optimism in Trump's election is cautioned against.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Each of us should understand by now that salvation is not in politics. Salvation is not in politicians. And there is no man that is a Savior except the Lord Jesus Christ.'

Leaders can make a nation naked

Summary: Wicked rulers expose their people to shame, contempt, and danger, stripping them of moral and military defense.

Evidence: Weaver explains that Ahaz 'made Judah naked'—a phrase denoting public shame, helplessness, and vulnerability to enemies.

Prosperity is tied to obedience to God's law

Summary: Biblical prosperity comes through keeping God's commandments; disobedience leads to being made the tail and not the head.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 29:9 and Joshua 1:7 to show that obedience leads to prosperity, while Ahaz's disobedience brought ruin.

Personal responsibility in a corrupt nation

Summary: Even if the nation continues downhill, individuals must determine to do what is right, biblical, holy, and godly.

Evidence: Weaver exhorts, 'If everybody else in this country does what is wrong and wicked, you ought to determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right and biblical and holy and godly.'

Key Arguments

Ahaz's perverted religion led to national disaster

Summary: Ahaz rejected God's law and embraced idolatry, which directly caused God to deliver Judah into the hands of enemies.

Evidence: Weaver traces the sequence from Ahaz's idolatry (verses 1-4) to the military defeats (verses 5-6), emphasizing 'because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.'

Military might is useless without God

Summary: No amount of armaments or technology can protect a nation that has forsaken God; safety is of the Lord alone.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Proverbs 21:31 and Psalm 33:17, and points out that little Edom and Philistia defeated Judah because God had forsaken them.

Ahaz's foreign alliances failed because he trusted in man

Summary: Ahaz's appeal to Assyria, even robbing the temple to pay tribute, brought distress instead of help, illustrating the folly of trusting heathen nations.

Evidence: Weaver notes that Tilgath-pilneser 'distressed him, but strengthened him not' and that Ahaz stole from the house of the Lord to pay him.

Economic distress drove Ahaz to further sin

Summary: Instead of repenting in his distress, Ahaz trespassed more, shut the temple, and built altars to other gods, worsening his judgment.

Evidence: Weaver highlights verse 22: 'And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD,' and describes his destruction of temple vessels.

God's judgment is certain for covenant-breaking nations

Summary: Just as God judged Judah for forsaking Him, so America faces judgment for abandoning its Christian foundations and God's law.

Evidence: Weaver parallels America's rejection of the Mayflower Compact, Constitution, and biblical Christianity with Israel's apostasy, citing Hosea 8:7.

Repentance is the only escape from judgment

Summary: The only way to avoid the whirlwind of judgment is to repent and turn back to God, regardless of who is in political office.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'We must either repent or perish,' and urges personal determination to do right.

Scripture References

2 Chronicles 28:1-4

Context: Ahaz's idolatry and perverted religion, including burning his children in the fire.

2 Chronicles 28:5-8

Context: God delivered Ahaz into the hands of Syria and Israel; 120,000 valiant men slain because they forsook God.

2 Chronicles 28:9-15

Context: The prophet Oded's rebuke and the return of captives by the leaders of Ephraim.

2 Chronicles 28:16-21

Context: Ahaz's appeal to Assyria, his robbery of the temple, and Tilgath-pilneser's failure to help.

2 Chronicles 28:22-25

Context: Ahaz's further trespass, shutting the temple, and building altars to other gods.

2 Chronicles 27:6

Context: Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord, contrasting with Ahaz.

2 Kings 17:7-8

Context: Evidence of idolatry: Israel feared other gods and walked in the statutes of the heathen.

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Context: God sends strong delusion to those who reject the truth, that they might be damned.

1 Kings 18:18

Context: Elijah tells Ahab that Israel's trouble came from forsaking God's commandments and following Baalim.

Exodus 34:14

Context: God's name is Jealous; He is a jealous God who will not share His glory with idols.

Isaiah 42:8

Context: God will not give His glory to another or His praise to graven images.

Deuteronomy 4:24

Context: The Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Proverbs 21:31

Context: The horse is prepared for battle, but safety is of the Lord.

Psalm 33:17

Context: A horse is a vain thing for safety; neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

Psalm 127:1

Context: Except the Lord build the house and keep the city, human efforts are in vain.

2 Chronicles 24:20

Context: Zechariah warns that because they forsook the Lord, He has forsaken them.

2 Chronicles 12:5

Context: God says, 'Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.'

2 Chronicles 21:10

Context: Edom and Libnah revolted because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers.

2 Chronicles 24:24

Context: A small company of Syrians defeated a great host because they had forsaken the Lord.

Deuteronomy 29:9

Context: Keep the words of this covenant and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

Historical References

King Ahaz of Judah

Context: The primary subject of 2 Chronicles 28; an idolatrous king whose reign brought judgment on Judah.

King Jotham (father of Ahaz)

Context: A godly king who prepared his ways before the Lord; his reign contrasted with Ahaz's wickedness.

King Uzziah (grandfather of Ahaz)

Context: Reigned 52 years; along with Jotham, built a godly legacy that Ahaz destroyed in 16 years.

Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel

Context: Defeated Ahaz, slaying 120,000 valiant men of Judah in one day.

Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria

Context: Ahaz sought his help, but he distressed Ahaz and strengthened him not.

Edomites and Philistines

Context: Small nations that invaded and defeated Judah because God had brought Judah low.

Matthew Henry's commentary on 2 Chronicles 28

Context: Weaver quotes Henry: the people suffered more than Ahaz; a good king's goodness sheltered them, but a bad king left them exposed.

Susan Duclos article: 'We Are Facing the Most Important Battle of All at the Most Dangerous Moment in History'

Context: Weaver cites this article to caution against optimism in Trump's election as a magic fix.

Jeremiah Johnson's commentary on the two-party system

Context: Weaver quotes Johnson's view that the globalists use the illusion of a two-party system to alternate between destroying society and scaling back slightly.

Mike Adams (Health Ranger) article on DisruptJ20

Context: Weaver describes the DisruptJ20 website as a call for communist uprising and coup attempt against Trump's inauguration.

Important Quotes

Each of us should understand by now that salvation is not in politics. Salvation is not in politicians. And there is no man that is a Savior except the Lord Jesus Christ.

Significance: Central thesis that political solutions cannot save; only Christ can.

For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

Significance: Key verse showing the direct cause of military defeat: forsaking God.

For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.

Significance: Summarizes the chapter: the king's sin exposed the nation to shame and danger.

And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.

Significance: Highlights Ahaz's foolish response to judgment—more sin instead of repentance.

We must either repent or perish.

Significance: The urgent application: the only escape from national judgment is repentance.

If everybody else in this country does what is wrong and wicked, you ought to determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right and biblical and holy and godly.

Significance: Call to personal faithfulness regardless of national trends.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

Significance: Emphasizes that military might is useless without God's protection.

I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

Significance: Elijah's rebuke of Ahab, showing that idolatry, not the prophet, troubles a nation.

Discussion Questions

In what ways does the life of King Ahaz serve as a warning to modern political leaders?

Context: Weaver draws parallels between Ahaz's failures and contemporary politics, suggesting that leaders who forsake God bring judgment on their nations.

How should Christians balance political engagement with the understanding that 'salvation is not in politics'?

Context: Weaver cautions against optimism in Trump's election while still acknowledging a 'glimmer of hope.'

What does it mean for a nation to be 'made naked' by its leaders, and how might this apply to America today?

Context: Weaver explains that Ahaz made Judah naked, exposing them to shame, contempt, and danger.

Why did Ahaz respond to distress with more sin instead of repentance, and what can we learn from this?

Context: Weaver highlights Ahaz's irrational escalation of idolatry and temple desecration when under pressure.

How does the principle 'except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it' apply to national defense and prosperity?

Context: Weaver uses Psalm 127:1 to argue that military and economic efforts are futile without God's blessing.

What are the dangers of trusting in foreign alliances or political solutions rather than in God?

Context: Ahaz's failed alliance with Assyria is presented as a case study in the folly of trusting heathen powers.

In what ways might the church today be 'shutting the doors of the house of the Lord' like Ahaz did?

Context: Weaver notes that Ahaz closed the temple and cut up its vessels; application to modern church decline is implied.

What does it look like for an individual Christian to 'determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right' when the nation is in moral decline?

Context: Weaver's concluding exhortation calls for personal resolve to live righteously regardless of national trends.

Applications

Repentance is the only escape from judgment

Summary: Individuals and nations must repent and turn back to God to avoid the whirlwind of judgment.

Evidence: Weaver concludes, 'We must either repent or perish,' and urges personal determination to do right.

Do not trust in political saviors

Summary: Christians should place their ultimate hope in Christ, not in any political leader or party.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Salvation is not in politics. Salvation is not in politicians.'

Personal faithfulness in a corrupt culture

Summary: Even if the nation continues downhill, believers must determine to do what is right, biblical, holy, and godly.

Evidence: Weaver exhorts, 'If everybody else in this country does what is wrong and wicked, you ought to determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right.'

Obedience to God's law brings prosperity

Summary: True prosperity—national and personal—comes through keeping God's commandments, not through human schemes.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 29:9 and Joshua 1:7 to show that obedience leads to prosperity.

Avoid alliances with the ungodly

Summary: Just as Ahaz's alliance with Assyria failed, believers should not yoke themselves with unbelievers in compromising partnerships.

Evidence: Weaver notes that God had forbidden covenants with the heathen (Deuteronomy 7, Exodus 34).

Do not rob God

Summary: Stealing from God—whether tithes or dedicated items—provokes His judgment; governments that do so will face consequences.

Evidence: Weaver references Malachi 3:8 and Ahaz's theft from the temple.

Respond to distress with repentance, not more sin

Summary: When under pressure, the godly response is to seek God, not to escalate rebellion like Ahaz did.

Evidence: Weaver highlights Ahaz's foolish response: 'in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD.'

Recognize that God is sovereign over nations

Summary: God raises up and brings down nations according to their obedience; we must fear Him and align with His will.

Evidence: Weaver repeatedly emphasizes that God delivered Judah into enemies' hands because they forsook Him.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:41:04Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T03:25:44Z

Clean Transcript

The Price to Pay For Forsaking God

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

We're going to read the entire chapter, 2 Chronicles 28. There are 27 verses there. The title of the message is, "A Price to Pay for Forsaking God." Notice 2 Chronicles 28 and verse 1: "Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree."
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"Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up
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unto heaven. And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God?
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Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you. Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel. So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation.
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And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria. At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there. For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD. And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not.
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For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not. And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.
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But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers. Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead."
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So in light of the new year that is approaching us, here's the question: Where are we and where will we go as a nation? Shall we continue down the path of destruction, or will we return to our Christian foundations? There has been a glimmer of hope since Trump was elected. However, he continues to fill his cabinet with the very ones that have been leading us down the wrong path for decades. A few good choices have elicited a small glimmer of hope, but overall it looks like it's going to be the same as always.
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Each of us should understand by now that salvation is not in politics. Salvation is not in politicians. And there is no man that is a Savior except the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to give you just a couple of articles in light of what I'm going to be teaching from 2 Chronicles chapter 28. The first one was written by Susan Duclos of the All News Pipeline. And the title of her article is this: "We Are Facing the Most Important Battle of All at the Most Dangerous Moment in History." The article goes on to show what we're up against and cautions against optimism in the magic fix of Trump's victory over Clinton. And here's what she says, and I'm just quoting one paragraph.
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"We at ANP are noting a lot of optimism from investors with stock soaring, to economic confidence reaching new highs, to small business owners, to household spending, and even prepping has hit a multi-year low. All the articles I am reading are crediting the election of Donald Trump as reason for all this optimism. But as much as I hate to rain on everyone's parade, now is the most dangerous time in history. Not a time to assume just because one man was elected all the wrongs will be made right. The failing economy will automatically just magically fix itself."
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And then Jeremiah Johnson also went on and he wrote this. Listen carefully. This is very perceptive. "The globalists need the illusion of the two-party system to enable a reprieve in the minds of the people with the rise of a Bush or a Trump. But the reprieve is merely an illusion. If these Marxist traitors forced their agenda on the people all at once, there would have been a revolution in its inception. They alternate."
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"destroy the society and the culture to the maximum under a Democrat administration, and then scale back a bit under a Republican administration, while still nipping away at the edges with an act here or a piece of legislation there." Isn't that amazing?
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Now with that understanding, we must also consider that there are many today in our country that are absolutely opposed, not just simply to Christianity, and not just simply the Constitution, but they're basically opposed to truth. And they're dead set on overthrowing all of the recent changes. If you have not read the piece that Mike Adams wrote—Mike Adams is known as the Health Ranger—the title of his article was, "The Next American Revolution Begins January the 20th." Listen carefully, this is just a portion of it: "The anti-American communist-leaning website DisruptJ20.org—that means disrupt January the twentieth, which is the inauguration day—is openly organizing a popular uprising against the legitimate new administration of the United States of America. January the 20th, 2017, Inauguration Day, is being targeted as a day for
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people to block, obstruct, disrupt, and do whatever they can to prevent the onslaught that is going to happen with Donald Trump," said alt-left organizer Michael Moore. The DisruptJ20 website calls on all people of good conscience to join in disrupting the ceremonies. A DisruptJ20 tweet, relishing in the kind of delusional paranoia that now typifies the mentally ill left in America, says the effort is being waged to confront white supremacy and other forms of oppression. DisruptJ20 is a thinly veiled call for a communist uprising and the overthrow of the Trump administration. The DisruptJ20 effort is in reality a communist uprising and a coup attempt being disguised as a peaceful protest. Yet even the website describes the effort in military terms, characterizing it as a bold mobilization against the inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20th, 2017. Here's what the website says.
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"If you can't make it to Washington, D.C. on January 20th, the organization encourages you to join the communist uprising wherever you might live. If you can't make it to Washington, D.C. on January 20th, take to the streets wherever you are," says the site, which is clearly inciting mob violence everywhere across America. Which, of course, is totally against the law, but nothing is being done. So the question is, will the American people sit idly by and allow the Communists to overthrow the Constitution, Christianity, and the states? And you also have to ask yourself this question: Will it really, genuinely take another revolution to really awaken the American people? And the truth of the matter is we have really and truly already forsaken God. But if this thing comes down the way the left really wants it to come down, that means we're going to be driven further from God and further from His law. The title of the message is, there is a price to pay in forsaking God. America, like Israel of old, has forsaken our God.
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We left the Mayflower Compact. We've left the Constitution. We've mocked and ridiculed the Word of God. We've turned our backs upon the founding fathers of this country and the principles for which they have stayed and stood. We've also rebelled against Biblical Christianity. And anything and everything that resembles a covenant, especially a covenant in relationship to God and His Christ, we have broken and have done so willingly and readily.
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So, it's like Hosea said concerning Israel in Hosea 8 and verse 7, "they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind." So, as you're going to be able to tell from the life and the reign of King Ahaz, and I might add the politician Ahaz, if Trump turns out to be another demagogue and we sit back and allow further deterioration, then you might as well batten down the hatches. For our whirlwind is going to come in power and strength. Now, the sins of King Ahaz are outlined specifically in 2 Kings chapter 16. When you get to 2 Chronicles chapter 28, it does not necessarily rehash all of those sins in detail. But what 2 Chronicles 28 does is it details the punishment of Ahaz for his sins. So the depiction in 2 Chronicles chapter 28 is one of holy indignation against Ahaz and the punishment that God inflicts upon him and upon his people because they have forsaken God and His covenant. Now it is true that Ahaz was humiliated and that he suffered.
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But the sad truth is that his people suffered far more than he did. Matthew Henry, in making a comment on 2 Chronicles 28, said this, listen carefully, "The people suffered by these judgments. Their blood was shed, their country wasted, their families ruined. For when they had a good king, though they did corruptly, yet then his goodness sheltered them. But now that they had a bad one, all the defense has departed from them, and an inundation of judgments broken upon them.
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Those that knew not their happiness in the foregoing reign were taught to value it by the miseries of this reign." Now, when you consider King Ahaz, and the opportunity that he had before him, and what he did with that opportunity, it is absolutely astounding. You may not understand what was bequeathed to King Ahaz. Everything that was bequeathed unto him, he squandered and he wasted. So you're going to have to ask, will Trump turn out to be another Ahaz or a Jeroboam? Trump does now have the opportunity to drain the swamp and overthrow the money changers.
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But will he do so? Let me tell you about 2 Chronicles chapter 28. King Ahaz was the son of King Jotham. And he was also the grandson of Uzziah. Uzziah and Jotham as a whole were godly kings, and they built their reigns upon God and obedience to His covenant and obedience to His law. If you look in 2 Chronicles chapter 27 and verse 6, you'll find out a statement here concerning Ahaz's father, Jotham. Look at it. 2 Chronicles 27 verse 6, "So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God." This was the father of Ahaz. His grandfather was Uzziah. Uzziah reigned for 52 years. Jotham reigned for 16 years. And Ahaz reigned for 16 years. So in 16 years, Ahaz overthrew and destroyed everything that his father and his grandfather had built in 68 years. Ahaz had an excellent example to follow, but he turned out to be an idolater, a tyrant, and an imbecile.
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And you're going to say, an imbecile? Yes. So if you follow with me, you can bring and draw your own conclusion as to whether or not he was an imbecile. First of all, I want you to note that Ahaz followed a perverted religion. You'll find that in the first four verses. "Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father.
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For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree." So we start out with a negative in verse 1 where the Bible tells us that he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD like David his father.
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So let me just spell it out for you. He was a transgressor. He was disobedient. He was rebellious. He was sinful. He violated not only the covenant, but the commandments of God as well.
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Now, let me point something out. All men are religious in nature. Every man serves some god. It may not be the one true and living God, it may be the god of money, the god of prosperity, the god of pleasure, the god of self, but all worship a god. And when someone turns from the one true and living God, it does not mean that they cease to be religious. It just means that they've turned to another god.
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So you begin with a negative, and now you come to a positive in verse 2. "For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim." So Ahaz was positively an idolater. It is important to understand that the test that God lays out as to whether or not we are faithful to God is in relationship to His law. So when an individual refuses to obey God's law, it means he's refusing to obey God. When he turns from God's law, he's turning from God himself. In 2 Kings 17, verses 7 and 8, let me just quote it. The Bible says there, "For so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods." Now let me stop. So the Bible says in 2 Kings 17 verse 7 that the children of Israel feared other gods. Well, how do we know that they feared other gods?
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What was the evidence? Not just that God said so, that would certainly be sufficient. But verse 8 gives you the evidence when he said, "...and walked in the statutes of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made." So God says, here's the evidence that they were idolaters. They rejected My law, and they walked in the laws of the heathen, and in the laws of the kings of Israel. So when you look at Ahaz, the God of Israel meant nothing to him. He rejected God, and he rejected God's law.
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However, notice he did worship Baal, and he did worship Molech. He worshipped all of these false gods. In fact, if you will look in verse 3, "Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel."
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Now, you will find the same thing said of him in 2 Kings 16 verses 3 and 4. But note, if you would, he burnt his children in the fire.
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Now, I've told you in time past, actually, there were two ways to do that. One way was that they actually sacrificed the children. Okay? There was a huge, hollow, solid brass statue with his arms like this. He was hollow because the priest would go in and build a roaring fire, which means the brass and all now is actually red hot, glowing. They would then take a baby and lay that baby in the palms of his hands, and since it was up like this, the baby would roll down the arms into the fire and be consumed.
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That was a sacrifice to Molech. Molech worship was a state religion. The other way that you offered your children to Molech was the priest of Molech would build a fire, they would take the baby in their hands, and they would just pass him over the fire, which would be called purification, or they were now dedicating that baby to the service of Molech. So here, King Ahaz now takes his children and burns them in the fire. So the very first thing you find is that Ahaz was perverted in his religion. He followed a perverse religion. Christianity is a true religion. All others are perversions.
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If you will not follow God and His Word, then the truth is you will follow anything or anyone. We reject God and His Word at our peril. In 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 11 and 12, the Bible says this, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." So if you will not believe the truth, obviously you're going to believe a lie. And if you're not going to follow righteousness, then you're going to follow unrighteousness. So the rejection of God and His law basically carries in its own punishment. Men who reject God and His law believe a lie, and they're going to be damned.
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You have to understand that for a covenant people, there is always a judgment in time and history as well. Illustration. You remember when Elijah said, "there's not going to be rain these years but according to my word." For three and a half years, God sent a drought upon Israel. And when Elijah came back into the country, and he faced Ahab, Ahab asked, "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" To which, in 1 Kings 18 and verse 18, Elijah responded, "I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim." In other words, you know who the troubler of Israel is? It's you. It's certainly not me. Idolatry troubles a nation. Idolatry angers God. Why? Because God is a jealous God. Do you remember that passage in Exodus 34, verse 14, where God says, "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." So one of God's names is Jealous.
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And that's why He said in Isaiah 42, verse 8, "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." So that when a nation denies God and forsakes His law and turns from His righteous standards, there's going to be judgment. Because Deuteronomy 4 and verse 24 says, "For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." And God judges a people when they forsake Him. There's always a price to pay in forsaking God.
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And the very first thing you find out about Ahaz in 2 Chronicles 28 was he followed a perverse religion. Secondly, I want you to note, and I'm not going to take time to read all of it, but I'm going to point it out. Ahaz was militarily defeated. You'll find that in verses 5 through 15. Look if you would in verse 5. "Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter."
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Before I go further, let me just make the statement, might does not make right. Military armaments, military preparation, military skill are absolutely worthless when one forsakes God and His law. Our true protection and our true defense is in God alone. One of my favorite passages is Proverbs 21 and verse 31. The Bible says "The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD." And then in Psalm 33 and verse 17, "An horse is a vain thing for safety:
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neither shall he deliver any by his great strength." So you could paraphrase that and say a tank by his great strength is not going to deliver anyone. It's vain to trust in your bombers and anything militarily. And everybody in this room probably could quote Psalm 127 and verse 1. "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
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So what you have in verses 5 through 15 is that his military is defeated. Do you understand that part and parcel of God's judgment upon not only a civil ruler but upon a nation is the fact that they are defeated militarily? And if you look back at verse 5, I need to cover this. "Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria." God purposely, deliberately handed him over to the king of Syria and the king of Israel.
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Now first let me try to answer this question. Because if you look in verse 5 it says, "Wherefore the LORD his God." How could the LORD be called his God when we just pointed out that he was an idolater and he rejected God? Well, the answer is this. First of all, God was his God by right, in the sense that God still had dominion over him. He was a creature, and God has absolute control over every one of His creatures.
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Secondly, the nation was still in a covenant relationship with God, and He was the King of that nation, and so therefore God is rightly referred to as his God. Moreover, Ahaz, probably, confessed God to be his God, although in a hypocritical manner. It's just like when Jeroboam built those two golden calves. They profess to worship God, but only worship him through the calves. So that's why it's referred to here as the LORD his God. But secondly, I want to point out that here are two military defeats. One by Rezin, who is the king of Syria, and one by Pekah, who is the king of Israel. When you get to 2 Kings 16 and verse 6, it names these two kings. Rezin, king of Syria, recovered Elath from Ahaz during this particular war. And Pekah, the king of Israel, defeated him dramatically as well. Now, look in verse 6 to show you the defeat. "For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men."
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Now, you know, it does not surprise us when we hear 120,000 people were killed by dropping an atomic bomb on them, or by a carpet bomb in the city. That doesn't surprise us. But when you think about 120,000 men who were killed with a sword, and with archery, and with spears, you're talking about something that's up close and personal. 120,000 in one day. What was it all the time that we were in Vietnam? 58,000?
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Now 120,000 in one day. Why? Well, go back to verse 6. Look at it. "For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers." Wow. I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 20, I want you to see that there is a price to pay for forsaking God. Here's what Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, said to the king and to his princes. 2 Chronicles 24, verse 20, "And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you."
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Now, let me point something out. I'm saying that Ahaz was perverse in his religion, and Ahaz, secondly, was defeated militarily. You can hear people all the time speaking about Russia and China, and how powerful they are and how many people they are, and everybody is afraid Russia is going to attack us or China is going to attack us. When you forsake God, it does not take a great nation.
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Little Cuba could wipe us off the face of the map. I want to show you. Look in verses 17 and 18. 2 Chronicles 28 verse 17. "For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives." Verse 18. "The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there." So, little tiny Edom. And the Philistines.
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They've been defeated many, many times. Now just simply walk in, and conquer and do whatever they want to do. Individuals, families, churches, men in general, nations cannot prosper when they forsake God and God's law. His judgment rests against them in every way, including military defeat. I want you to turn back in your Bibles to 2 Chronicles chapter 12. Let me show you several verses. 2 Chronicles chapter 12, look if you would please at verse 5. 2 Chronicles 12 and verse 5, "Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak." Wow! We forsake God, God forsakes us, turns us over to some country that will militarily defeat us. Look in 2 Chronicles chapter 21 and verse 10. 2 Chronicles 21 and verse 10. Show you how helpless Judah was. "So the Edomites revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day.
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The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his hand; because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers." You know, that's interesting, isn't it? Revolutions and rebellions often arise because we have forsaken God. Look in 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. This should tell you exactly what I'm talking about when I said it doesn't take a great country when we forsake God. 2 Chronicles 24 and verse 24. "For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.
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So they executed judgment against Joash." So the Syrians came with a very small company, but God delivered a very great host into their hands. Do you know what happened in 2 Chronicles 28? Here's what happened. Ahaz lost his son. He lost his counselors and he lost 200,000 people in one day, not counting the 120,000 men that were killed. These 200,000 were captured and taken captive to Samaria.
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So stop and think about this. 320,000 people.
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120,000 dead and 200,000 captured. Here's my point. It is impossible to stand militarily when you forsake God. I don't care your technology. I don't care what armaments you have. Once you forsake God, you are going to be defeated militarily. The third thing about Ahaz that is revealed here as part of his punishment is this, Ahaz was politically shamed. Look if you would, 2 Chronicles chapter 28 and verse 16. "At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him." Why?
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We just read verses 17 and 18. That's because the Edomites were coming in and smiting them, and the Philistines were walking all over him. Ahaz had no control over his own kingdom. He could not function. He could not even stop the smallest kingdoms from attacking him and simply taking what they wanted. He was powerless. He was impotent. He was incompetent. And no one feared him, and no one respected him, much like our modern day Obama.
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And I told you this, I still think it's absolutely hilarious. Some time ago, Obama kind of halfway threatened Putin. And Putin's response was this. "Should I be afraid of such a skinny man? I wrestle bears." So, I mean, what kind of respect? That's Ahaz. That's Ahaz. I mean, no one respected him. I mean, and here, he's sending off for help. Why does he want help? Because all these little countries are coming in and just walking all over him. It's amazing.
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It was God that brought Judah low for their rebellion against Him. Look at verse 19. I'm going to come back to verse 19. "For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD."
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Now, if you want a real understanding, all you have to do is read Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28. Those two passages are the blessings and the curses. And in those passages, God promises nations and people. If we obey, He will make us the head. If we disobey, He will make us the tail. And so Ahaz and Judah were disobeying and God is making them the tail. And the Bible says in Deuteronomy 29 and verse 9, "Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do." So if we want to prosper, we obey God. If we do not want to prosper, we disobey God. There is a price to pay in forsaking God. It's just that simple. 2 Chronicles 7 and verse 22 says this, "And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them."
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So obviously, Ahaz not only followed a perverted religion, he was militarily defeated, he was also politically shamed. I want to point something else out.
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Fourthly, he was a failure in foreign diplomacy. Look in verse 20 and 21. "And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not. For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not." Now his alliance with the king of Assyria came to absolutely nothing.
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He wanted help, but all he got was trouble and heartache. God had forbidden alliances with the heathen. God had commanded we are to make no covenants with them. Deuteronomy chapter 7, Exodus chapter 34. The Assyrians were known for their ruthlessness as well as their wickedness. And Ahaz believed that he could use them and that they would help him, but all it did was cost him, and it cost him his kingdom as well.
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So Tilgath-pilneser came, but he helped him not. Let me show you something. Look, if you would please, at verse 21. "For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not." Interestingly, the very first place from which Ahaz stole was the house of the LORD.
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A government that is unafraid to steal from God will have no compunction against stealing from their people. Think about it like this. Malachi 3:8 asks this question. "Will a man rob God?" And God answers, "yea, ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?" And then God answers, "In tithes and offerings." Now, if God considers it theft, if God considers it robbery to not give him his tithes and his offerings, how much more is it theft and robbery to take that which has already been given to God and dedicated to Him and steal that. And if you want to exaggerate that a little bit more, how much worse is it to take that which has already been given to him and dedicated to him, to steal it and to give it to an ungodly king?
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And that's exactly what he did. He stole it and gave it to the king of Assyria. He stole it from the house of God. He stole it from the princes. A government that steals from God and His people will face the judgment of God, because such actions are denial of God and His sovereignty and His right, and there is a price to pay for forsaking God. No man, no nation will ever prosper that continually violates the law of God.
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Fifthly, I want to point this out, and then I'm going to tie it together, hopefully. Ahaz was economically destroyed. Look if you would in verse 22. "And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.
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But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers." And of course in the last two verses he dies. Now please remember what God said to Joshua and the people in Joshua 1 verse 7.
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He said, "Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest." If we want to prosper, it's through obedience. David encouraged Solomon in 1 Kings 2 and verse 3, by saying this, "And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself."
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So what did Ahaz do? Instead of obeying God and obeying God's law, he turned from God in his distress. Now, look at that. Verse 22, "And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD?" I mean, here's a man that's in trouble. His kingdom is in trouble. His family is in trouble. Everything about him is in trouble. Instead of stopping and thinking, why am I in trouble? Could it be that I've forsaken God? Could it be that I'm not obeying God? Instead of reasoning, he turns more and more to idolatry. He takes the vessels of the house of God and cuts them in pieces.
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And of course, he gives them to Tilgath-pilneser. What else did he do? Look at verse 24. "And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD." That is, he closed down the temple. Nobody could get in. And by the way, the temple was closed until his son, Hezekiah, took control and later on there was a great revival under Hezekiah and the doors were open and all the trash was cleaned out of the temple. But he actually closed it down. And notice what else he did. In verse 25, "And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers." His economic distress drove him to steal even more from the house of God. It is impossible to prosper when you're dishonoring God. It is impossible to prosper when you're doing that which is contrary to God and His Word.
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And by the way, this imbecilic king, when he closed down the house of God, reserved a room in it, though, for the king of Assyria to stay in. You're talking about an imbecile. He was indeed an imbecile.
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Now, I want you to go back to verse 19. I want you to look at this verse and think about what happened. What happened then? What is happening now? Look at verse 19. "For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel."
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Now, let me just stop right there. This verse sums up everything about Ahaz and his kingdom. It is true the people were wicked. But Ahaz was extremely wicked and God brought Judah low because of Ahaz. What did Ahaz do? Watch. "For he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD." So God brought Judah low because of her sin and rebellion, yet the leading cause of her demise was King Ahaz. And the phrase is that King Ahaz made Judah naked and transgressed sore against the LORD. So God then brought Judah low because of her sin and rebellion, but the leading cause was King Ahaz. He made Judah naked. That phrase is important. When one is stripped naked publicly, it is a time of shame, humiliation, contempt, helplessness, and danger. Ahaz made Judah naked. As his sin debased the people, so it also exposed the people. It made them naked to their shame, for it exposed them to contempt as a man is unclothed. It made them naked to their danger, for it exposed them to assaults as a man is unarmed.
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Why could the people not fight against the Edomites or the Philistines? Because they were made naked. They were ashamed. They were helpless. Wow! You remember, it was Aaron who made the people of Israel naked to their shame as well. When he made the golden calf there in Exodus 32 and verse 25, the Bible said, "And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)"
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So sin then strips men. It disturbs and degrades and destroys. And it does not matter if it's done by an individual or a president or a king or a government, it still does exactly the same thing. What is happening in our country is that we're being made naked. We're being humiliated. And once they try to take our weapons, unarmed, helpless. Two passages. I want you to look in 2 Chronicles 29 verse 8.
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This ought to really explain what I've been trying to say. 2 Chronicles 29 verse 8. Look at it. "Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes." God delivered them to the trouble they were in. Now, if you look in 2 Chronicles 34 and verse 25. 2 Chronicles 34 and verse 25. Here's what God says. Here's why the judgment was coming.
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"Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched." Do you understand that God is on the throne? He is absolutely sovereign, yet man is responsible. And when our leaders lead us into idolatry, and we follow willingly, we will be judged along with our leaders.
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So basically it comes to this. If you understand the Bible and if you understand history, it all boils down to one simple thing. We must either repent or perish. So the question is, where are we going? What road are we going to take? Unless we turn back to God, no matter who's in the White House, it's still going downhill. And if everybody else in this country does what is wrong and wicked, you ought to determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right and biblical and holy and godly. You won't have to stand, but no one else will stand. And you'll have to do what's right, but no one else will do what's right. Because we will not only be a witness against the enemies of God, we will be a witness to the people of God for that which is right and holy. Let's pray.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for your grace and your mercy. We do pray that you would teach us and build us up in most holy faith. Give us grace that we might serve thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear and courage to stand and do that which is right. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:41:04Z

The Price to Pay For Forsaking God

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver expounds 2 Chronicles 28 to show that King Ahaz's idolatry and rebellion brought severe judgment on Judah—military defeat, political shame, diplomatic failure, and economic ruin. He applies this to modern America, warning that forsaking God leads to national decline regardless of political leadership, and calls for personal repentance and faithfulness.

Opening

We're going to read the entire chapter, 2 Chronicles 28. There are 27 verses there. The title of the message is, "A Price to Pay for Forsaking God." Notice 2 Chronicles 28 and verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 28:1-4

"Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree."

Introduction: The Question for the Nation

Weaver asks whether America will continue down a path of destruction or return to Christian foundations, expressing skepticism about political salvation.

The Sins of King Ahaz

Ahaz followed a perverted religion, walking in the ways of Israel's kings, making molten images, and burning his children in the fire.

Military Defeat as Judgment

Because Ahaz forsook God, the Lord delivered Judah into the hands of Syria and Israel, resulting in massive slaughter and captivity.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 21:31

"The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD."

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 24:20

Now, let me point something out. I'm saying that Ahaz was perverse in his religion, and Ahaz, secondly, was defeated militarily. You can hear people all the time speaking about Russia and China, and how powerful they are and how many people they are, and everybody is afraid Russia is going to attack us or China is going to attack us. When you forsake God, it does not take a great nation. Little Cuba could wipe us off the face of the map. I want to show you. Look in verses 17 and 18. 2 Chronicles 28 verse 17. "For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives." Verse 18. "The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there." So, little tiny Edom. And the Philistines.

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 12:5

"Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak."

Scripture Reading — 2 Chronicles 21:10

The same time also did Libnah revolt from under his hand; because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers."

So stop and think about this. 320,000 people.

Political Shame and Impotence

Ahaz became powerless, unable to stop even small nations like Edom and Philistia from invading, because God brought Judah low.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 29:9

"Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do."

Failure in Foreign Diplomacy

Ahaz sought help from Assyria, even robbing the temple to pay tribute, but Tilgath-pilneser distressed him and helped him not.

Economic Destruction and Further Apostasy

In his distress, Ahaz trespassed more, cut up temple vessels, shut the temple doors, and built altars to other gods, provoking the Lord.

The Root Cause: Ahaz Made Judah Naked

God brought Judah low because Ahaz made the nation naked—exposed to shame, contempt, and danger—through his grievous sin.

Application: Repent or Perish

Weaver concludes that America must repent and turn back to God; individuals must determine to do right regardless of national trends.

The Price to Pay For Forsaking God

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	11617542251
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-12-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 17
Source Timed Segments	72

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question for the Nation: Weaver asks whether America will continue down a path of destruction or return to Christian foundations, expressing skepticism about political salvation.
The Sins of King Ahaz: Ahaz followed a perverted religion, walking in the ways of Israel's kings, making molten images, and burning his children in the fire.
Military Defeat as Judgment: Because Ahaz forsook God, the Lord delivered Judah into the hands of Syria and Israel, resulting in massive slaughter and captivity.
Political Shame and Impotence: Ahaz became powerless, unable to stop even small nations like Edom and Philistia from invading, because God brought Judah low.
Failure in Foreign Diplomacy: Ahaz sought help from Assyria, even robbing the temple to pay tribute, but Tilgath-pilneser distressed him and helped him not.
Economic Destruction and Further Apostasy: In his distress, Ahaz trespassed more, cut up temple vessels, shut the temple doors, and built altars to other gods, provoking the Lord.
The Root Cause: Ahaz Made Judah Naked: God brought Judah low because Ahaz made the nation naked—exposed to shame, contempt, and danger—through his grievous sin.
Application: Repent or Perish: Weaver concludes that America must repent and turn back to God; individuals must determine to do right regardless of national trends.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Ahaz's perverted religion led to national disaster

Ahaz rejected God's law and embraced idolatry, which directly caused God to deliver Judah into the hands of enemies.

Weaver traces the sequence from Ahaz's idolatry (verses 1-4) to the military defeats (verses 5-6), emphasizing 'because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.'

Military might is useless without God

No amount of armaments or technology can protect a nation that has forsaken God; safety is of the Lord alone.

Weaver quotes Proverbs 21:31 and Psalm 33:17, and points out that little Edom and Philistia defeated Judah because God had forsaken them.

Ahaz's foreign alliances failed because he trusted in man

Ahaz's appeal to Assyria, even robbing the temple to pay tribute, brought distress instead of help, illustrating the folly of trusting heathen nations.

Weaver notes that Tilgath-pilneser 'distressed him, but strengthened him not' and that Ahaz stole from the house of the Lord to pay him.

Economic distress drove Ahaz to further sin

Instead of repenting in his distress, Ahaz trespassed more, shut the temple, and built altars to other gods, worsening his judgment.

Weaver highlights verse 22: 'And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD,' and describes his destruction of temple vessels.

God's judgment is certain for covenant-breaking nations

Just as God judged Judah for forsaking Him, so America faces judgment for abandoning its Christian foundations and God's law.

Weaver parallels America's rejection of the Mayflower Compact, Constitution, and biblical Christianity with Israel's apostasy, citing Hosea 8:7.

Repentance is the only escape from judgment

The only way to avoid the whirlwind of judgment is to repent and turn back to God, regardless of who is in political office.

Weaver concludes, 'We must either repent or perish,' and urges personal determination to do right.

Scripture References

2 Chronicles 28:1-4: Ahaz's idolatry and perverted religion, including burning his children in the fire.
2 Chronicles 28:5-8: God delivered Ahaz into the hands of Syria and Israel; 120,000 valiant men slain because they forsook God.
2 Chronicles 28:9-15: The prophet Oded's rebuke and the return of captives by the leaders of Ephraim.
2 Chronicles 28:16-21: Ahaz's appeal to Assyria, his robbery of the temple, and Tilgath-pilneser's failure to help.
2 Chronicles 28:22-25: Ahaz's further trespass, shutting the temple, and building altars to other gods.
2 Chronicles 27:6: Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord, contrasting with Ahaz.
2 Kings 17:7-8: Evidence of idolatry: Israel feared other gods and walked in the statutes of the heathen.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12: God sends strong delusion to those who reject the truth, that they might be damned.
1 Kings 18:18: Elijah tells Ahab that Israel's trouble came from forsaking God's commandments and following Baalim.
Exodus 34:14: God's name is Jealous; He is a jealous God who will not share His glory with idols.
Isaiah 42:8: God will not give His glory to another or His praise to graven images.
Deuteronomy 4:24: The Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
Proverbs 21:31: The horse is prepared for battle, but safety is of the Lord.
Psalm 33:17: A horse is a vain thing for safety; neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
Psalm 127:1: Except the Lord build the house and keep the city, human efforts are in vain.
2 Chronicles 24:20: Zechariah warns that because they forsook the Lord, He has forsaken them.
2 Chronicles 12:5: God says, 'Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.'
2 Chronicles 21:10: Edom and Libnah revolted because Jehoram had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers.
2 Chronicles 24:24: A small company of Syrians defeated a great host because they had forsaken the Lord.
Deuteronomy 29:9: Keep the words of this covenant and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

Historical References

King Ahaz of Judah: The primary subject of 2 Chronicles 28; an idolatrous king whose reign brought judgment on Judah.
King Jotham (father of Ahaz): A godly king who prepared his ways before the Lord; his reign contrasted with Ahaz's wickedness.
King Uzziah (grandfather of Ahaz): Reigned 52 years; along with Jotham, built a godly legacy that Ahaz destroyed in 16 years.
Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel: Defeated Ahaz, slaying 120,000 valiant men of Judah in one day.
Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria: Ahaz sought his help, but he distressed Ahaz and strengthened him not.
Edomites and Philistines: Small nations that invaded and defeated Judah because God had brought Judah low.
Matthew Henry's commentary on 2 Chronicles 28: Weaver quotes Henry: the people suffered more than Ahaz; a good king's goodness sheltered them, but a bad king left them exposed.
Susan Duclos article: 'We Are Facing the Most Important Battle of All at the Most Dangerous Moment in History': Weaver cites this article to caution against optimism in Trump's election as a magic fix.
Jeremiah Johnson's commentary on the two-party system: Weaver quotes Johnson's view that the globalists use the illusion of a two-party system to alternate between destroying society and scaling back slightly.
Mike Adams (Health Ranger) article on DisruptJ20: Weaver describes the DisruptJ20 website as a call for communist uprising and coup attempt against Trump's inauguration.

Important Quotes

Each of us should understand by now that salvation is not in politics. Salvation is not in politicians. And there is no man that is a Savior except the Lord Jesus Christ.

Central thesis that political solutions cannot save; only Christ can.

For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

Key verse showing the direct cause of military defeat: forsaking God.

For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD.

Summarizes the chapter: the king's sin exposed the nation to shame and danger.

And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz.

Highlights Ahaz's foolish response to judgment—more sin instead of repentance.

We must either repent or perish.

The urgent application: the only escape from national judgment is repentance.

If everybody else in this country does what is wrong and wicked, you ought to determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right and biblical and holy and godly.

Call to personal faithfulness regardless of national trends.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

Emphasizes that military might is useless without God's protection.

I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

Elijah's rebuke of Ahab, showing that idolatry, not the prophet, troubles a nation.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways does the life of King Ahaz serve as a warning to modern political leaders?

[Context]

Weaver draws parallels between Ahaz's failures and contemporary politics, suggesting that leaders who forsake God bring judgment on their nations.

[Question]

How should Christians balance political engagement with the understanding that 'salvation is not in politics'?

[Context]

Weaver cautions against optimism in Trump's election while still acknowledging a 'glimmer of hope.'

[Question]

What does it mean for a nation to be 'made naked' by its leaders, and how might this apply to America today?

[Context]

Weaver explains that Ahaz made Judah naked, exposing them to shame, contempt, and danger.

[Question]

Why did Ahaz respond to distress with more sin instead of repentance, and what can we learn from this?

[Context]

Weaver highlights Ahaz's irrational escalation of idolatry and temple desecration when under pressure.

[Question]

How does the principle 'except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it' apply to national defense and prosperity?

[Context]

Weaver uses Psalm 127:1 to argue that military and economic efforts are futile without God's blessing.

[Question]

What are the dangers of trusting in foreign alliances or political solutions rather than in God?

[Context]

Ahaz's failed alliance with Assyria is presented as a case study in the folly of trusting heathen powers.

[Question]

In what ways might the church today be 'shutting the doors of the house of the Lord' like Ahaz did?

[Context]

Weaver notes that Ahaz closed the temple and cut up its vessels; application to modern church decline is implied.

[Question]

What does it look like for an individual Christian to 'determine in your heart that you're going to do what is right' when the nation is in moral decline?

[Context]

Weaver's concluding exhortation calls for personal resolve to live righteously regardless of national trends.

Applications

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