2 Kings 16-18
PassageUnlike his predecessors, king Ahaz did not do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and he followed the kings of Israel from the north. He even used the treasures of the temple, God’s treasures, to pay off the king of Assyria to fend off Israel for him. This likely exposed the northern kingdom to the Assyrian army who was the super power of their time, and led to the fall of the northern kingdom.
His son Hezekiah however, returns his people back to God. In 18:5 it mentions, “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him.”
Both of these kings and the king of Israel, Hoshea, faced overwhelming opposition, but handled it differently. Hoshea and Ahaz tried to manage it with their own influence and tried to alter what God had planned, without success. Hezekiah trusted in God and let God handle it, which led to an amazing miracle.
Today, as followers of Christ. we face many different oppositions from the world. We have a choice to make. Do we try to influence God and attempt to get out of what God has planned for us, or do we place our trust in Him who has the power to guide us through, and lean on His strength, knowing that although it may be tough now, the glory on the other side will be worth it.