PRIDE & UNBELIEF

King Ahaz. –

Ahaz a King in ancient Judah – an evil, wicked and unrighteous King. He is faced with trouble and a potential attack from Israel, and from Syria.

Ahaz and the people are troubled and their hearts are moved.

God sends a prophet to charge Ahaz to put his trust in God. God decrees that the attack shall not come to pass, that it’ll not stand.

Applying logic – Ahaz, an innately wicked man was not suddenly going to heed to the voice of a prophet telling him to trust God: a God he had no reverential fear for.

Mind you, he wasn’t an unbeliever, so he was used to getting words from the prophets of God. This probably seemed like just another word.

The Lord encourages Ahaz through Isaiah a prophet, and tells him to ask for a sign! Ahaz in all his human wisdom, says that he will not because he does not want to test the Lord.

On surface, this appears super spiritual and correct. You know, Jesus even said do not tempt the Lord your God, in the New Testament.

Although, the catch is – the heart conditions were different! The Lord had given Ahaz an instruction: “ask for a sign!” In his false humility he said no. He probably hoped to appear righteous and meek whilst hiding his utter disbelief in the sovereignty of God.

Perhaps, Ahaz did not want to ask because he felt that he might be obliged to trust the Lord.

This is one thing a man full of pride will not do. He wasn’t ready to let go of position, he wanted to be the glory of Judah, the sole problem solver, the only true king of Judah.

In his quest to prove his Kingship by going against the council of God, He sabotaged his reign as King. Ahaz had placed his trust in another king, the king of Assyria. In the end Assyria defeated Judah.

God still fulfilled his promise to Judah about not giving them over to the hands of Israel and Syria, but Ahaz’s decision to take all the glory of rescuing Judah excluded him from the blessing of a King (God) to another king (Ahaz). He excluded himself from the blessing of a Father to a Son.

From all this, Ahaz was basically saying to God that, it was beyond his power to believe God. That he had made himself a god, such that believing God threatens his throne in Judah.

Let us check or hearts and see where unbelief remains.

Repent and turn. ❤️