2 Chronicles 28 Observations

2 Chronicles 28:1 Here goes evil again. Could fear have caused him to turn away from righteousness? Judah’s enemies were encroaching upon them.  

2 Chronicles 28:3-4 This looks like Ahaz did way more WORK than he could have by simply embracing and being obedient to do YAHUAH’s LAW which is not burdensome (well… burdensome to the flesh for sure, not our inward man).

But his delight is in the law of YAHUAH; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. Psalms 1:2

For I delight in the law of Elohim after the inward man: Romans 7:22

Ahaz’s HARD WORKS of Paganism and Sorcery

2 Chronicles 28:2 WORK
Making and churning out molten image after molten image. I mean… How many idols did he need to feel that he appeased the gods? What was the mysterious “magical” number of idols needed to have peace of mind?

2 Chronicles 28:3 MORE WORK
He burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnon.

2 Chronicles 28:3 MORE WORK
Apparently, Ahaz didn’t hit that “magical” number of molten images and burning of incense to feel saved and eternally secure in his and Judah’s mind. Therefore, he grabbed his children and burned them to Baalam. Kings in the Bible had a lot of children. How many of his seed did he have to sacrifice to reach that feeling of being “saved?”

2 Chronicles 28:4 MORE WORK
Apparently burning incense in low valleys was not enough. He had to do even more WORK. He had to go UP to high places and hills to burn even more incense. This still was not enough WORK for Ahaz to feel “saved.” So, he had more WORK to do.

2 Chronicles 28:4 MORE WORK
Apparently, high places and hills were the wrong color of the Creator’s creation (Rom. 1:25). To do his dutiful WORK, Ahaz also burned incense under EVERGREEN trees (I mean every green tree). Burning incense under one green tree did not hit the mystical magical number that idolatry required. He had to do a lot of WORK to burn incense under many evergreen trees (I mean every green trees).

I wrote facetiously about Ahaz here to show three points.

1. Ahaz obviously disregarded YAH’s commandments which created a void that his imagination eagerly filled with the WORKS of idolatry. When we turn our backs on YAH’s Law, His commandments, every human being will inevitably begin to make up their own commandments also known in the Bible as the “works of the Law.” This is not the righteous works of YAHUAH Elohim’s Law, but the filthy-rags works of manmade laws and traditions.
2. There is only one popular worldwide religion (that I know of) that has an increasingly diminishing understanding of the importance of works in religious practice. Although terribly wrong in the works that they do, those operating outside of covenant and even in direct and deliberate opposition to YAHUAH, the Creator, even they understand the role that work plays. Granted they and their children and children’s children and so on will pay for their lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6) and/or sorceries (Ex. 20:5). That is, unless they repent and TURN from them (Ez. 18). Abba is the just judge.

   But they nevertheless understand that there is absolutely no worship of any chosen deity without WORK involved. This worldwide move of a no-work based religion does not understand the foundational relationship between WORK and RIGHTEOUSNESS.

   I can not find anywhere in Scripture that says that WORK is a dirty word. Abba, Himself, commanded Adam to work the garden. Please understand that I’m not proclaiming that the manmade works of the Law that were attached to YAH’s Law are acceptable to YAH. These are the works of the Law that YAHUSHA rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for. Here is an example of how YAHUSHA (and thus the Father) feels about these manmade works of the Law.

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of Elohim, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of Elohim, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of Elohim of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Mark 7:5-13

Additionally, can we honestly say that the Apostle Paul endorsed a no-works-based religion without WORK, thereby  contradicting all the Old Testament and the words and actions of the Messiah, himself?

3. For us who worship YAHUAH (I respect that you call on Him by another name; please respect that I do as well. We’re all trying to find truth together)… For us who worship YAHUAH, He has taken all the guesswork out of what WORKS serve and please Him and what WORKS do not serve Him and displease Him. Unlike Ahaz, we don’t have to frantically go around guessing about how much WORK we feel we must do.

Ahaz worked to be delivered and also probably because the WORKS of unrighteousness are more palatable to the flesh than the flesh-denying works of righteousness. He was trying to get something in return from the gods that he WORKED so hard to please.

We, on the other hand, WORK the WORKS of righteousness simply because we are redeemed and justified. And as the redeemed House of Israel (natural and engrafted in by the blood of the redeeming Lamb) we do WORKS for two main reasons:

1. There is safety (salvation; aka deliverance according to the Hebrews in the Bible (Old and New Testament)) in righteousness. Doing the WORK of righteousness keeps us in the will of YAHUAH (See Deut. 28 and Rom. 6:23).
2. We do the WORK of righteousness because we are grateful to be counted among the redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to Elohim by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;  Revelation 5:9

We want to live to be pleasing to YAH. Idolatry in the form that Ahaz practiced or in ANY FORM—even culturally or politically correct—IS NOT PLEASING TO YAHUAH our Elohim. Yet, We do not do the WORKS righteousness to earn anything from the Father. We cannot and do not WORK to earn redemption and justification.

In conclusion, I want to look at the WORKS of Ahaz in another way. Let’s compare a few WORKS of righteousness to Ahaz’s busyness of burdensome idolatry in 2 Chronicles 28:

Which is easier, or more importantly pleasing to Abba—the WORKS of Ahaz that we see in 2 Chronicles 28 or simply ceasing from work and resting on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week on the Biblical (not Gregorian) calendar? The Sabbath that was established in Genesis 2, well before being given in Exodus 20.

Which is easier, or more importantly pleasing to Abba—chopping down evergreen trees—there I go again—every green tree, and bowing to burn incense to them or simply showing up for Abba’s appointed times (appointments with Him) that He established in Genesis 1:14 (given well before Leviticus 23)?

Which is easier, or more importantly pleasing to Abba—doing the WORK of growing the fruit of the Ruach or indulging in the filthy WORKS of the flesh?

But the fruit of the Ruach is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Messiah’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Ruach, let us also walk in the Ruach. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Ephesians 5:9

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of Elohim. Galatians 5:19-21

Which is easier, or more importantly pleasing to Abba—knowingly (I say knowingly for a reason) putting forbidden “foods” such as pork (look at that word backwards—krop—reminds me of another word that has the vowel, “a”) in His temple and risking the repercussions of doing so (He is merciful) or partaking of the many more clean foods in comparison to the number of unclean foods that Abba has given us?

I choose to pursue the WORKS of righteousness rather than the idolatrous WORKS of Ahaz that we see here in 2 Chronicles 28.

2 Chronicles 29 Observations

2 Chronicles 30 Observations

Disclaimer

Also, please, please comment below if you see ANYTHING that is contrary to Scripture that I have presented in these Scripture Observations. I want Truth and when I see that I have made a mistake, I want to correct that. No chips on my shoulders here.

I also ask one thing, though. Please, please present your thoughts in the context of two or three Scripture references, not just one (see Deuteronomy 17:6; Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1). One verse (especially one verse out of context) will not be received as evidence. I am just not one to interpret Scripture or accept other’s interpretation of Scripture apart from the written Word of YAH found in the whole counsel of His written Word.

I try my best to limit the use of the precursor words of “I think” or “I believe” without Scripture to back up my “I thinks” and “I believes.” Not only on this site, but be on the lookout anywhere else for excessive “I think” and “I believe” statements presented as Truth, with no Scriptural evidence to back up the statements.

The written Word of YAHUAH is the standard, the vanguard against deception which as you know is quite rampant these days.