Some have said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. When it comes to the church and the world, however, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. That’s what Ahaz attempted to do while king of Judah, and it didn’t end well.
Ahaz’s father, Jotham, was a good king. Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, was an even greater king. The kingdom of Judah reached a new low with the reign of Ahaz. Scripture records, “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God” (2 Kings 16:2 NIV). We are accustomed to reading similar statements about kings in Israel. But this is the only time we read such a statement to describe a Judean king.
Ahaz was influenced by the kings of Israel (1 Kings 16:3). He didn’t want to be like his father, or like his great-grandfather David. No, Ahaz wanted to be like the evil leaders of Israel. First, he sacrificed his children in fire to a heathen god (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chr. 28:3). He also worshiped in the high places and on the hills and under every tree tree. The only god Ahaz didn’t worship was Jehovah!
Syria’s king and Israel’s king attacked Judah. Ahaz appeals the Assyrian king for help. Ahaz took the silver and gold found in the Temple as a bribe to have the Assyrian king come and help him. While Ahaz was in Damascus to meet with the Assyrian king he noticed a beautiful pagan altar (2 Kings 16:10). Ahaz sketched a rendering of the altar and had it sent to Urijah, the priest in Judah. He wanted to have an altar just like it in Judah. Unfortunately, Urijah complied and had the pagan altar built.
The writer of Second Chronicles notes that God’s judgement was upon Ahaz for his compromise, and the pagan gods he worshiped were his downfall (2 Chr. 28:22-24). At his death he was buried somewhere other than with the godly kings of Judah (2 Chr. 28:27).
There is a high cost when the church attempts to be like the world. Ahaz wanted to be like the evil kings of Israel, but they ended up wanting to kill him. He wanted to worship like the people in Damascus, who did in fact attack the Judean king. No matter how much the church may want to fashion itself after the world, it will not be accepted. The apostle John wrote to not love the world, or the things of the world (1 Jn. 2:15-17).