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THE CONDUCT OF AHAZ IN HIS DISTRESS
IT is a common sentiment with men in health, that they will repent and turn to God in a time of sickness: they imagine that trouble will of course dispose their minds for the exercises of religion, and that they may therefore safely postpone all serious attention to their eternal interests, till that hour shall arrive. But there is no necessary connexion between affliction and true piety: “the sorrow of the world worketh death;” and consequently must rather be adverse to, than productive of, “godly sorrow, which alone worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of [Note: 2Co_7:10.].” If indeed trouble be accompanied with the grace of God, it then operates like the ploughing up of fallow ground for the reception of the seed: but of itself it only hardens the heart against God, and calls forth into activity the most malignant passions of the soul. This cannot be more strikingly illustrated than in the conduct of Ahaz; in speaking of which we shall notice,
I. The evil imputed to him—
This was doubtless exceeding great. Ahaz having provoked God by his great and multiplied iniquities, was given up by God into the hands of the Edomites first, and then of the Philistines, as the just punishment of his sins. The Assyrians too, whom he had hired as his allies, eventually, “instead of strengthening him, helped forward his distress [Note: ver. 16–20.].”
And what was the effect of these troubles on his mind? Did he humble himself before his God, and implore mercy at his hands? No; but renounced his God altogether, setting up the gods of Syria in opposition to him, and shutting up the doors of his temple, and destroying the vessels that had been consecrated to his service, and building altars in every corner of Jerusalem, and, in every city of Judah, making high places, to burn incense unto other gods [Note: ver. 23–25.].
We must confess that such impiety far exceeds what is commonly found in the world at this day; but in lower degrees it is found to obtain amongst us also. All of us have a measure of trouble inflicted on us by God on account of sin; and in a variety of ways have we misimproved the divine chastisements. The very evil imputed to Ahaz of trespassing yet more in his distress, may be committed by us in our troubles,
1. By indifference—
[Nothing is more common than to overlook the hand of God in our trials, ascribing them either to chance, or to second causes only, and regarding them as merely the usual events of life. In such a state of mind we meet them with a kind of stoical apathy, making the best of existing circumstances, and trying, by the expedients of pleasure, business, company, or occupation of some kind, to divert our thoughts, and alleviate our pains [Note: Isa_22:12-13.]. This is, as the Scripture expresses it, to “despise the chastening of the Lord [Note: Pro_3:11.].” And how offensive must such conduct be! When he speaks, and we will not hear [Note: Job_33:14.]; when HIS hand is lifted up, and we will not see it [Note: Isa_26:11.]; what is this but, in effect, to say, “The Lord doth neither good nor evil [Note: Zep_1:12.]!” This indifference is well described by the prophet, in relation to Israel of old: “It (God’s anger) hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew it not; and it burned him, yet he kid it not to heart [Note: Isa_42:25.].” But, however such conduct may be countenanced by an ungodly world, it will surely be visited with God’s heavy displeasure [Note: Psa_28:5.].]
2. By obstinacy—
[Some, whilst they are not altogether unconscious from whence their afflictions proceed, are yet determined to go on in their own way: “they refuse to receive correction, and make their faces harder than a rock, and refuse to return to God [Note: Jer_5:3. Isa_57:17.].” Thus it was with the Jews of old; “The people turneth not unto him that smiteth him; neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts [Note: Isa_9:13.]. And on this ground it was that the prophet uttered that heavy complaint against them; “Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers! Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more [Note: Isa_1:4-5.].” Happy would it be if this rebellious spirit had been confined to them: but it is no less prevalent amongst us: there are many for whose reformation successive strokes have proved ineffectual; and who are yet as far from God as if no such means had ever been used to bring them to repentance: yea, like Pharaoh, they seem only to have been hardened by the plagues inflicted on them. The Lord grant that they may see their error, ere they be given over to judicial blindness and final impenitence!]
3. By murmuring—
[How often do we hear people complaining of their lot, as if their sufferings were intolerable and undeserved! However clearly God marks their sin in their punishment, they reflect not on themselves as the sinful causes of their misery, but on him as the severe and unprovoked author of them [Note: Exod. 16:35, 41. Eze_18:25; Eze_18:29.]. Thus Isaiah, foretelling the effect of God’s chastisements on the Jews, says, “They shall pass through the land hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their God and their king [Note: Isa_8:21.].” And what shall we say of such a disposition? what shall we say of him who by “his own foolishness perverteth his way, and then in heart fretteth against the Lord [Note: Pro_19:3.]?” This we must say, that he manifests the very dispositions of hell itself: for of the unhappy spirits that are there confined, we are told, that “they gnaw their tongues for pain, and blaspheme the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they repent not of their deeds [Note: Rev_16:9-11.].”]
4. By despondency—
[As on the one hand we are apt to “despise the chastening of the Lord,” so, on the other hand, we are ready to “faint when we are rebuked of him [Note: Heb_12:5.].” We have no idea of chastisements proceeding from love; and, beholding nothing but wrath in them, we conclude, that it is in vain to call upon God, and that he will never be entreated of us. Thus even from despondency we derive arguments for continuance in sin: “There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go [Note: Jer_2:25.].” Of this God himself complains [Note: Jer_18:12-13.]; and well he may, since it is a limiting of his power, as though he were not able to deliver [Note: Isa_1:2.]; or a denial of his mercy, as though he had “forgotten to be gracious, and his mercy were clean gone for ever [Note: Psa_77:7-9.].” True it is, that despondency is often indulged under an idea that it is an expression of humility: but it is as offensive to God as any of the dispositions before specified, and tends, even more strongly than any of them, to bind our sins upon us.]
That we may be the more afraid of following the steps of Ahaz, let us consider,
II. The stigma fixed upon him—
There is an extraordinary force and emphasis in the expression, “This is that king Ahaz”—
[It is as though God intended to point him out to the whole world as a prodigy of folly and wickedness: this is that infatuated man, who presumes to “strive with his Maker, like the clay quarrelling with the potter [Note: Isa_45:9.],” or “briers and thorns setting themselves in battle array against the devouring fire [Note: Isa_27:4.].” This is that ungrateful man, who, when I have been chastening him with parental tenderness in order to prevent the necessity of executing my everlasting judgments upon him, has only multiplied his transgressions against me; breaking through every hedge which I made to restrain him, and throwing down every wall which I erected to impede his course [Note: Hos_2:6.]. This is that impious man, who, in the madness of his heart, has determined to banish me from the world, and to blot out the remembrance of me from the earth.]
As the expression is emphatical with respect to him, so it is most instructive with respect to us—
[It clearly shews us that “sin is a reproach to any people [Note: Pro_14:34.].” We may vindicate it, and applaud it; but we only “glory in our shame [Note: Php_3:19.];” for it makes a man as loathsome “as a sepulchre that is full of all uncleanness [Note: Mat_23:27.].” Sin is fitly characterized as “filthiness of the flesh and spirit [Note: 2Co_7:1.]:” and in that light it is viewed, not by God only, but by all who are taught of God. Examine the fore-mentioned sins, of indifference, of obstinacy, of murmuring, and despondency, and they will all be found odious in the extreme; so that a man under the dominion of them may well be pointed out as an object of universal abhorrence: “This is that king Ahaz [Note: Psa_52:7.].” It is possible indeed that an ungodly man may pass through life without any such stigma fixed upon him: but he will not escape it in the last day, when all the most secret sins shall be revealed: then will that declaration of Solomon be fully verified, “The wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame [Note: Pro_13:5.]:” however cautiously he may have veiled his wickedness from the eyes of men, or even obtained the applause of man for his pretended virtues, he will “awake to shame and everlasting contempt [Note: Dan_12:2.].”]
From this subject we may learn,
1. The great design of God in our troubles—
[God does not willingly afflict the children of men. He is a tender Parent, who seeks the welfare of his children, and “chastens them for their profit,” to humble them, and to prove them, and to make them “partakers of his holiness [Note: Isa_27:9. Heb_12:10.].” Hence it is said, “Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord [Note: Psa_94:10.].” Let us then contemplate our trials in this view. From whatever quarter they may come, let us acknowledge the hand of God in them; and bless his name, as well when he takes away, as when he gives [Note: Job_1:21.].]
2. Our duty under them—
[Every rod has a voice to us, which we should endeavour to understand [Note: Mic_6:9.]: and, if we cannot immediately discern its true import, we should go to God, and say, “Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me [Note: Job_10:2.].” And, when we have found out “the accursed thing that troubleth our camp [Note: Jos_7:11.],” then we should “humble ourselves under the mighty hand of our God [Note: Jam_4:10.],” and with meek submission say, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him [Note: Mic_7:9.].” We should even be thankful for the fire that purgeth away our dross, and not so much as wish to be delivered from it till we can come out of it purified as gold.]