Editorial January 10, 1983 Issue

The Ahaz mistake

NATHAN A. TALBOT

He really wasn't a very memorable king—except for his mistakes. And there were plenty of them. Now and then, however, a biblical figure such as King Ahaz fills a useful niche. We learn from his errors.

One of the best lessons this man left us stems from his faulty reasoning. As ruler of Judah, he was having his troubles. He took a hard look at the Syrians and decided that their worship of many gods was a decisive aid to them. Then his reasoning went something like this: If I were to worship the Syrian gods as they do, those gods would help me too.

That kind of thinking, on the surface, can seem fairly logical. But below the surface there is never anything gained by turning away from one true God. Such an effort to gain becomes a loss— sometimes a devastating one. The Bible describes Ahaz's hoped-for gain: "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me." And then the result: "But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel."^{II Chron. 28:23.}

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