2 Kings 16-17: Idolatry and Exile

The Reign of Ahaz

Chapter 16 of 2 Kings tells the story of King Ahaz of Judah. Like many before him, Ahaz strayed from the ways of the Lord and led the people of Israel into further destruction. The fact that he sacrificed his son as a burnt offering in the manner of foreign nations says about all one needs to know about the man.

Living in Exile

Late in the reign of Ahaz, Assyrian forces captured the land of Samaria and took the Israelites captive and back to the land of Halah. God allowed His people to be exiled in captivity due to their unfaithfulness:

7 And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt...

 The people of Israel lived in utter rebellion of the God who had so faithfully loved them - they built idols, they worshiped the gods of other peoples, and were full of wickedness. God sent many prophets to warn the people of the consequences of such rebellion.

14 But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the LORD their God.

It seems so ridiculous to us that the people that were delivered from bondage can turn around and make images of other gods to worship. How blind are they? While we don't struggle with worshiping golden calves too much anymore, our idolatry can manifest itself in so many other subtle ways - money, status, acceptance, appearances, job titles and material possessions can all become idols in our hearts. God is no more tolerant of these modern idols than He is of the carved images that Israel created.

35 The LORD made a covenant with them and commanded them, "You shall not fear other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them, 36 but you shall fear the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.

What are we bowing down to in our everyday lives? Are we sacrificing and serving the vacuous idols of our world, or are we worshiping the Lord in all that we do?