Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done” (2 Chronicles 28:1).
The lowest natural point on dry land on the Earth is the Dead Sea shore. It sits about 1,400 feet below sea level on the borders of Jordan and Israel. The lowest road in the world surrounds it, on which you can drive around this dead body of water. The main tributary into the Dead Sea is the Jordan River. Because it is a landlocked body of water, nothing flows out of this lake.
The Dead Sea is most famous for its high salinity (ten times saltier than the Mediterranean Sea). The high concentration of salt in the water will make you float. But while you are bobbing in the lake, don’t bother looking for wildlife. Because of its extreme saline content, no life can survive in the Dead Sea—hence the name.
The reign of Ahaz is comparable to the Dead Sea. His evil rule was one of the lowest points in the history of King David’s ancestral line. Loyal followers of the Lord were growing fewer and fewer. The prophet Isaiah rightly stated, “Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah” (Isaiah 1:9).
When invading armies threatened to run over Judah, Ahaz trembled in fear. At this time Isaiah appealed to the king to turn to the Lord for help. Unfortunately, Ahaz turned to a foreign king for support. After Ahaz locked the doors of the temple and deserted the courts of God, he sealed his own doom.
The Bible says of his reign, “The Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord” (2 Chronicles 28:19, emphasis added). But God had not abandoned His faithful followers.
“Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith, on Heaven’s table land, a higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
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