Ahaz-the Hypocrite

by J.C. RADCLIFFE | Category: Pithy Points From The Lives Of Judah's Kings | Jan 1932

"Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his father" (2 Chronicles 28. 1).

"And Jehovah spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of Jehovah thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt Jehovah" (Isaiah 7. 10-12).

Once again, in the person of Ahaz, an unworthy son of a worthy father, the house of Judah sank into the lowest depths; so much so that all the good and retrieval of the last two reigns were all for naught; but it would be wrong to take too gloomy or pessimistic views of the situation, for in but sixteen years time the kingdom of Judah again became more worthy of that great Name attaching to it. We must not now, however, anticipate the great and important reign of Hezekiah. We are confronted here with a question that is often asked-" Why is it that the children of godly parents so often turn out a disappointment and grief?" It is one of those questions to which the present writer has never heard a satisfactory answer. In the case before us now, as far as Holy Writ is concerned no blame is attached to Jotham his father. It is noticeable

that the mother's name is not mentioned in this case. Did she die when Ahaz was a babe, before the mother's training would have been of any use? Or was she of a kind most unsuitable to bring up children, or a person of little character, or what? These are mere conjectures for Scripture gives us no information as to the why and the wherefore. In all probability Ahaz came under the influence, when young, of certain of those who had no fear of God before them (see 2 Chronicles 27. 2). The children of God-fearing parents turning out a disappointment and sorrow is nothing new. Samuel's sons, for example, turned out very badly, and surely if any had a God-fearing father they had. It is suggestive, though perhaps it should not be stressed too much, that we read in Isaiah 1. 2, "Jehovah hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me."

Isaiah 7. 12 presents Ahaz to us in a very unfavourable light indeed, assuming an air of sanctimoniousness and yet determined to have his own way and worship the gods of the nations-a hypocrite pure and simple. The word "hypocrite" comes from the idea of an actor who plays his part "having two faces under one hat." From what we read in the Scriptures, hypocrisy is an especially abhorrent sin in the sight of God. He who knows the hearts of all to the very inner recesses spoke with no uncertain words to the scribes and Pharisees during His sojourn as a man among men, naming them "hypocrites" six or seven times in addressing them on one occasion (see Matthew 23.).

We find hypocrisy is one of those things which the Word of God enjoins to be put away (the verb here is in the Greek aorist, and implies "a putting away once for all "), before reference is made to being built a spiritual house for an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (see 1 Peter 2. 1-5). Hypocrisy manifests itself in various forms, oftentimes in the form of flattery for the purpose of winning approbation or favour. "A flattering , mouth worketh ruin." This is entirely different, however, from genuine heartfelt appreciation, as seen, for example, in Paul's letter to Philemon; the two things must not be confounded. Hypocrisy often takes the form of a hyper-spirituality; professing even a great knowledge of the Scriptures, even ready to correct the slightest misquotation therefrom, while all the time the heart is far away from what they teach. It is indeed wise to be cautious when we come across those who assume an amount of sanctimoniousness above their fellows. Frankness-ingenuousness, in the long run will have its reward. The "running with the hare and hunting with the hounds" sort of thing is detrimental to the well-being of God's people, as well as detestable in the sight of God, and is not that wisdom which is from above, pure, without hypocrisy.

The whole life of Ahaz as brought before us in 2 Chronicles

28. makes sad reading. Ahaz not only turned away from Jehovah, but definitely committed sacrilege in connection with God's house, and made an altar after the pattern he saw in Damascus (see 2 Kings 16. 10-15).

We are told that Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Jehovah and gave it to the king of Assyria.

"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 Jehovah; and he made him altars in every corner in Jerusalem" (2 Chronicles 28. 24).

We read in 1 Corinthians 3., "If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."

When Ahaz turned away from Jehovah he turned to the gods of Damascus, for 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" (2 Chronicles 28. 23).

How true what we read in Psalm 16. 4, "Their sorrows shall be multiplied that exchange Jehovah for another god."

If the truth of God and the God of truth are exchanged for anything else, then men leave themselves a ready prey to be led by the god of their choice whithersoever he listeth. We see evidences of this to-day everywhere we turn; even the sure and infallible Word of the Living God being abandoned for the superstitions that abound on every hand. "The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the Word of Jehovah: and what manner of wisdom is in them ?" (Jeremiah 8. 9). "For the time will come when

they will not endure the sound teaching; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables" (2 Timothy 4. 3,4, R.V.M.).

In a later day in the history of Judah, we have this sin of superstition more fully developed, for in Jeremiah 44. when Jeremiah had spoken unto them the word of Jehovah they said, "As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jehovah, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then we had plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine."

The progress of the reasonings of man in quest for God, is merely the progress of a man on a treadmill, doomed for ever to retrace his steps; or to use another figure, going round and round in a circle; accordingly, little wonder that we see today on every hand the old pagan ideas rehabilitated and glorified. In proportion as the Word of God and the God of the Word is left, we shall see an increase of superstition and idolatry. One thing seems certain, that man is so constituted that if he has not the true and living God, he must have some god (see Acts 17. 22 for the reason). The word in Psalm 16. is, "exchange Jehovah for another god." It appears evident that though there is that which is called "atheism" (a belief in no god) there is really no such thing in the world.

Apropos to the above, a friend told me a little time ago of a Roman Catholic girl who had been given a Bible to read; on being asked as to whether she had read it, she replied that she did not like to read it, for every time she read it something dreadful happened. To-day this sort of thing is being instilled into the impressionable mind of the young in certain quarters, and when once imbibed, it takes the power of God through the light of His Word to expel it.

J.C. RADCLIFFE | Jan 1932
Pithy Points From The Lives Of Judah's Kings