Judah’s Kings & Ahaz’s Corruption
(Prayer Walk thro 2 Chron 21-28)
Backgrounder: Raised by a godly
father and grandfather, Jehoram
marries the wicked daughter of
Ahab and Jezebel, embraces her
pagan deities & leads the nation
into idol worship once again…
In rapid succession, his son, wife
and grandson come to the throne
Then Joash and Amaziah both
become long-reigning Kings
with half-hearted commitments.
King Uzziah does mighty things
for Judah both militarily and
architecturally; but spiritually
his life resembles a roller coaster
and dies a leper’s death for his
half-hearted devotion to God.
By contrast, his grandson Ahaz
is wholehearted in his zeal for
false gods and pagan practices.
Dear Lord, thank U for the record
of the tragic story of Judah that
highlight the importance of being
wholehearted in obeying yr laws.
Help us to Worship & Serve You;
to Seek You & Be Humble and
to Turn Attention to You. Amen.
Lord, we’ll Worship & Serve You:
After Jehoida’s death, the leaders
of Judah persuaded King Joash
to abandon the Temple of the Lord
and they worshipped Asherah
poles & idols instead! Because of
this sin, divine anger fell on Judah.
Yet the Lord sent prophets to bring
them back to him but the people
would not listen. Then the Spirit
of God came to Zechariah. He
stood before the people and said:
Why do you disobey the Lord’s
commands and keep yourselves
fr prospering? You’ve abandoned
the Lord & now he has abandoned
you! Then the leaders plotted to
kill Zechariah (2 Chron 24:17-21).
Lord, help us not to let good
circumstances lure us into false
security; not to think having more
will enhance our love for U God.
Help us realise that You alone
deserves our ultimate allegiance.
And that Serving U is something
we must consciously choose. Amen
Lord, we’ll Seek You & Be Humble:
King Uzziah did what was
pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just
as his father Amaziah had done.
Uzziah sought God during the
days of Zechariah, who instructed
him in the fear of the Lord.
And as long as the king sought
the Lord, God gave him success..
But when he had become powerful,
he also became proud, which
led to his downfall. He sinned
against the Lord by entering the
sanctuary of the Lord’s temple
and personally burning incense
on the altar… But as he was
standing there with the priests
before the incense altar in the
Lord’s Temple, leprosy suddenly
broke out on his forehead (26:4-19)
Lord, help us to seek after You
knowing it will lead us to success.
And help us to be Watchful and
weary of becoming proud after
one becomes successful. Amen.
Lord, we’ll Turn Attention to You:
At that time King Ahaz of Judah
asked the king of Assyria for help.
The armies of Edom had again
invaded Judah & taken captives.
And the Philistines had raided
towns in the foothills of Judah…
The Lord was humbling Judah
because of King Ahaz of Judah,
for he had encouraged his people
to sin & had been utterly unfaithful
to the Lord. So when King of Syria
arrived, he attacked Ahaz instead
of helping him (2Chron 28:16-20)
Lord, we may not know exactly
why tragedies occur. But when
they do happen, help us O Lord
how You God may be attempting
to get our attention to correct us.
Help us to respond to troubles
as our teachers. For we know that
thro hardship, God disciplines his
children in love. And that rough
times give us a chance to grow.
So when facing difficulties, help
us O God, to turn to You. Amen.
Dear Lord, thanks for the stories of
Judah’s kings showing importance
of being Wholehearted to You.
Help us learn from the later days
of King Joash not to allow good
times lure us into false security.
Help us realise that You alone
deserves our ultimate allegiance;
and that Serving U is something
we must consciously choose.
Help us learn from the later days
of King Uzziah to Continue to
Seek after You, to Be Watchful
and weary of becoming proud
after one becomes successful.
Help us learn from the later days
of King Ahaz to Turn Attention to U
Help us to respond to troubles
as our teachers to correct us
so that we turn back to You. Above
all, Help us to Stay Connected to U
so that we’ll be Wholehearted to U.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.