The Inconsistent Kings of Judah

2 Chronicles 28:1-4 "Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done. Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel. He cast metal images for the worship of Baal. He offered sacrifices in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, even sacrificing his own sons in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on the hills and under every green tree. "

Both his father Jotham and grandfather Uzziah did what was right in the Lords sight. My question is where did Ahaz pick up or learn or desire such detestable practices? It is a familiar refrain when reading Kings and Chronicles; a couple of good kings followed by a nasty one.

I guess my question is what attracted these bad kings to the idolatrous practices especially when they saw their fathers blessed for honoring the Lord?

I sure agree it's a heart issue. I was just wondering as a practical standpoint how it could happen. Surely the people would remember the good times under the good kings and the terrible times under the bad kings.

If they grew up in God-honoring households how did they learn about worshiping the Baals etc?

It is true that a child may not follow in his Christian parents footsteps but they generally don't go out and practice the black mass.

Good point.

I see it differently, just think about it, the wilderness journey, they had a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. I have often wondered how they could even begin to doubt God when all they had to do was look up by day and look up to see the pillar of fire by night. Man hard to not believe a stream of fire flowing from heaven to earth and than to doubt God? I think doubt? Really? but they did, they could never come to the understanding that God had their best interest at heart. The Kings were all given specific command s like wise, things like not to have multiple wives or multiply their horses, they were to stay dependant on God, honestly that is a really hard thing to do and a tough place to be for anyone let alone a earthly king. I think straying starts off by just 1 misstep at a time.

I just don't understand what was so attractive about worshipping Baal etc. what were they getting out of it?

Brother Frank wrote;
" Relationship with Jesus is such a personal one on one thing."
Amen! That's really the meat and marrow of it. We can def influence our children by our example but as its been said before- "no one can do for us what we must do for ourselves".

Interestingly it works the other way as well.... We find King Asa was not a keeper of the worldly practices/idolatry of his day or mother, and while he stumbled a few times the Lord nonetheless looked on his heart and mercifully pronounced Asa loyal and faithful tho it could be argued ortherwise in spite of his "heroic" gestures of taking down the idols from their high places and turning his people to the God of Abraham.

Honestly, I find that repentance and serving the Lord is a quite deliberate action that often,if not always, is obvious to the point of being overt- whereas turning to idolatry/worldliness seems to be a more subtle and while steep in its descent is often times gradual and therefore less noticeable to the participants.
I wonder if in the same way we imagine "how could they doubt when they had pillars of fire and clouds of mist" if we ourselves might be even more "guilty" as we have that which they sought so diligently. I mean with Christ in us, how could we ever really depart into unbelief??!! and yet most of us have known someone (if not ourselves) who at times have failed the grace of God and fallen into unbelief...
I've come to the conclusion (as oxymoronic as it sounds) that holiness is a messy business.

The lives of the kings of Israel is based on whom they choose to obey.

Job 34:22
There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

Job 34:23
For He need not further consider a man,
That he should go before God in judgment.

Job 34:24
He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.

Job 34:25
Therefore He knows their works;
He overthrows them in the night,
And they are crushed.

Job 34:26
He strikes them as wicked men
In the open sight of others,

Job 34:27
Because they turned back from Him,
And would not consider any of His ways,

Job 34:28
So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;
For He hears the cry of the afflicted.

Job 34:29
When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?
And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,
Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?””

Job 34:30
That the hypocrite should not reign,
Lest the people be ensnared.

I believe we really fail to understand the doctrines we profess. We fail to see that we often times, hold to the same beliefs as a deist. That is God created and then sits back and watches from the side lines. Yet what does the Scripture say above? How involved is He in all men's lives? How involved is He in the life of the king?

I don't like saying amen to this ,,but frank said it and that's really the main reason ,,,,makes you wonder what what liberal Christians and the secular world is worshiping ,,,think about what Baal imbodies today and in the past .....

Frank wrote:

"I just don't understand what was so attractive about worshipping Baal etc. what were they getting out of it?"

Mostly sex..."

Aha- I new that was a part of Baal worship but I guess I wasn't thinking of that in reference to the Kings of Judah.

Makes tons of sense.

When looking at our culture after great revivals seeing God bless the culture, it is so easy for people to turn away from someone who is blessing them. This is what I find insane about this culture

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_Cycle
Baal was the God of thunder and rain according to ugaritic texts
As being an agricultural climate it is crazy when Elijah commands the rain to stop this is in baals territory to provide that he is a false God

Ancient Canaanites #2
Biblical Archaeology
Dr. Johannes G. Vos
tinysa.com/sermon/42804213634

King James Bible
Exodus
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

There are so many scriptures that they should have nothing to do with the gods of the land if you understand anything about the Canaanite gods you would not want to have anything to do with them.

Johanna g vos gives some archaeological evidence stating the nature of those gods

What we find is that the memory of the previous generation did not last very long

We find the same in our generation with the welsh revival, Duncan cambells revival yet our culture went light speed into sin , we forget the blessings of God so quickly

After reading over the responses, the thing that comes to my mind is the importance of godly counsel- brothers and sisters that will call us out, not yoking us with the law but in the love of Christ and if need be patiently help to restore us to a proper mindset devoid of deception. Perhaps this is why the Kings and rulers have such a hard time with this as its less likely (in my mind) that they would get called out for their indiscretions.

Without this counsel deception is quite deceiving and all of us are subject to it, and while the Lord can and does deal with this directly Himself, He doesn't always seem to as the scriptures brother Jeff posted show that there are times when He hides His face and none can find Him.

Also it seems we all have a tendency to justify/rationalize our own "pet sins" wether it's lust, anger, lasciviousness, etc... I've noticed that this is often a "local" or cultural acceptance and while we're called to live separate from the world in this way often these simple ones are hardest to stand against. Insterestingly people often excuse their own tendencies in others but are quite sensitive/critical to ones they don't practice.