Don't Trade In the Truth

Based on 2 Kings 16-18

We live in a world where it's hard to find the facts. It's a challenge to get complete honesty from people at times, and many times people are willing to trade the Truth for a lie. It's not a time to let our guard down-you never know what might come in through the cracks! You may think you're letting in one thing, but you get get a lot more than you bargained for. This is what happened in Israel and in Judah, who ended up facing constant taunting from the Assyrians. Israel and Judah were taken advantage of and were even removed from their lands because they made the choice to remove God!

"And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord , and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath–pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof." 2 Kings 16:8‭-‬10.

King Ahaz of Judah did not do that which was right in the sight of The Lord. He tried to seek help from his enemies, the Assyrians, rather than relying on God. He thought appeasing his enemies would be the better choice! Not only did king Ahaz give the king of Assyria treasures from the house of God, he also built an altar unto the heathen god of the Assyrians! King Ahaz was basically willing to trade all his relationship with God, every once of absolute Truth, for the lies of this world...all in hopes that the Assyrians would treat them well...turns out, the Assyrians were still their enemies, and God was still God...it was Israel and Judah who changed in their hearts!

"Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them." 2 Kings 17:13‭-‬15.

Israel & Judah rejected a history, reputation and relationship with The Lord which had always proved itself to be much more promising than trusting in the enemy. A little leaven leaveneth the WHOLE lump! Letting in a little sin, a little darkness, does A LOT of damage! Listening to God doesn't seem so hard when we can see the unfortunate outcome on the other side...and so, Israel and Judah were removed...

"Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight."
2 Kings 17:18-20

God's people pretty much traded themselves in-because the Assyrians then moved in & repopulated Samaria! They traded places with their enemies. They traded the Truth for a lie! God ended up sending lions into the land where the enemies moved in, because that land was His land. This made the enemies want to learn God's ways so they would stop being judged by God! They did not want to know God personally, but they still wanted to drive out the judgment they were experiencing. That's exactly where the Israelites were at when they were in the land! They did not keep up their relationship with God, yet they wanted to dwell peacefully in the land...

"So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence." 2 Kings 17:32‭-‬33.

The Israelites became like their enemies. They became their own worst enemies! Thankfully, we have Hezekiah coming on the scene next as king of Israel, and he chooses to do that which is right & stand for The Lord, even amidst the strong persecution still coming from the Assyrians. Stand for Truth in this crumbling world today!!