II Kings 28:22 In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. 24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers. 26 Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. And Hezekiah his son reigned in his place.
This chapter begins with a description of Ahaz's approach to worship: he chose to worship the Baals and to practice child sacrifice. Because of this, God allowed Syria to defeat him. Rather than call out to God in repentance, Ahaz tried calling on other pagan nations to help him. Rather than aid him, they defeated and plundered Judah even more. Rather than repent, he chose to totally abandon the worship of the worship of the Lord and add other idols to his menu. Once again, this earned him a place outside the cemetery of the kings and the list of good Kings in Jerusalem. How do you respond to discipline? Do you just go lower and farther away from God?
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