“He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.”
~ 2 Kings 16:3
Hi James and Ellen,
Sin brought darkness to planet Earth and a dark side to every guy, gal and kid who has been and will be born on planet Earth. The dark side in your life – unless the sanctifying work of God – as God the Spirit, is muting the incessant naggings from your dark side to . . ., will have you sooner or later succumb to its relentless badgering to do what it wants you to do. Your dark side will do what it can to convince you that it is okay for you to do what it is craving to do. Your dark side may have a lust for power that could prove to be insatiable. Your dark side may have a greed for money that could prove to be unappeasable. Your dark side may have a desire for self-gratification that could prove to be uncontrollable. The dark side of a ravenous need for power has led to despots, autocrats and dictators. The dark side of a voracious appetite for money has led to cut-throats, swindlers and thieves. The dark side of an uncontrollable hungering for self-indulgence has led to drug users, drunkards and debauchers. If your dark side is not being constrained by God – as God the Spirit, it will be constantly funneling your compromising, illicit and/or illegal actions to a moment when your dark side – which had not been visible to your dad and/or ma, teacher, friend and/or . . ., will suddenly find itself in the middle of center stage where it is easily seen – which is exactly what your dark side wants to see happen to you. Your dark side is where Satan will get a toehold into your life to try to destroy you. Guys, gals and kids who have made a decision of faith by believing what took place when Jesus suffered and died on a cross for them – that the blood that Jesus shed while nailed and hung to the cross covered as a ransom payment their dark side, are still just as susceptible to Satan’s wiles as guys, gals and kids who have not accepted Jesus dying for them. The difference is that Christ-follower guys, gals and kids have God – as God the Son, interceding for them in heaven against Satan’s assaults.
A Colorado Springs pastor last week had his dark side of evil thoughts and immoral actions become public knowledge. This guy started a Christ-follower fellowship that purportedly has a weekly attendance of 14,000 or so guys, gals and kids. He was elected the President of the association of evangelical churches in the United States that total millions of members. This guy confessed to his dark side having haunted him all of his life. This guy had environs where God – as God the Spirit, could easily have been able to mollify Satan’s attempts to manipulate his dark side to get him to do what he did but . . . this guy is now paying for the ignominy of his actions. This guy is now experiencing humiliating shame. This guy may have thought that no one would ever find out that his dark side had let Satan manipulate him into a position of enormous power and prestige as the pastor of a monster mega-church, be elected the President of his peers and have a vocation that had to have garnered him a lot more than an adequate income. This guy was not content with how God – as God the Father, was unfolding his life in such awesome ways; this guy had Satan convince him – through his dark side, that he would never be content unless he acquiesced to his dark side’s corrupt immoral physical appetite. Because this pastor personally does know God – as God the Father and what Jesus – as God the Son, did for him, there is hope that he will be through gentle, loving counsel from fellow Christ-follower guys be restored as a contrite, functioning member in the body of Christ – using his dark side failures as a way to help others who are in constant battle with their dark side’s corrupt immoral tastes.
Ahaz had a dark side. Ahaz – in 735 B.C., became king over the guy and gals who were living in the land area of Judah. Ahaz spent 20 years being a king. Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king. Ahaz’s story as a king is found in 2 Kings 16. Verse 3 says, “He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.” Ahaz was not confident that God would take care of him; Ahaz thought that he needed the help of an emerging enemy nation of guys and the help of inanimate manmade gods that were handmade from chunks of rock, pieces of wood, clumps of clay and molten metal. When Rezin – Aram’s king, and Pekah – Israel’s king, got together to besiege the city of Jerusalem – which is where Ahaz’s palace was located, Ahaz sent messengers with gold and silver that he had taken out of God’s temple that was located in the city of Jerusalem to Tiglath-Pileser – Assyria’s king, to pay him to help him get out of the mess that he was in by beating up on the Aramean and Israelite people groups armies – which Tiglath-Pileser would do with his army. Ahaz made an alliance with the enemy. When Ahaz traveled to the city of Damascus to meet up with Tiglath-Pileser, Ahaz saw an altar that he really liked. Ahaz had a guy make a sketch of the altar so that when he got back to his palace in the city of Jerusalem, he could have one built just like it and have it put in God’s temple that was located in the city of Jerusalem – like right next to the altar that was to be used to make sacrifices to God. Ahaz would use this other altar himself to make sacrifices to pagan gods thinking that he would get guidance from them. For a guy, gal or kid to let Satan take over the dark side of his or her life will invariably result in aberrant actions that will bring excruciating pain and sadness to . . .
2 Kings 16 (769)