I would ask you to open your Bibles this morning, please, to 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles, chapter 27. Do you think of the Bible as history or a history book? Now, it's not only that, obviously. But it is that. And that's so with the New Testament. You've got the Gospels. The book of Acts, well, these are historical accounts of the Lord Jesus and the early church. But then also you've got in the epistles, references to events in history because these were written to real people in history. And certainly when we think of the Old Testament, well, How much history does it give us? It's the record of actual events in the past. I mean, think of those genealogies like you have in Genesis or the first nine chapters of First Chronicles. So and so begat so and so, et cetera. You're familiar with that. Well, these are real names of real people. Not something fictional, a novel that somebody's written, but actual people who lived and who died. And it's fair to say that most of the Old Testament is history. Accounts of events, places, and people in the past. We can say that, mind you, even of the Old Testament prophets addressing Israel, Judah, other nations about both local and world events. And then you've got the first 17 books of the Old Testament and these are certainly history all the way up to the book of Job and quite honestly we can even include Job because there's much there. It's a historical record of this one man especially and his sufferings, etc. Well, you've got the world from its beginning. the history of nations and kingdoms and especially of Abraham and his descendants. So the Bible is history. But it's not just an account of the past for the sake of well let's keep some kind of a record here for posterity as to what's going on. No, what Paul wrote in 2nd Timothy 3 about all scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction, and righteousness. Well, that is so with the entirety of the Bible. It's God's Word and it's given to us for good. Mind you, even in that 2nd Timothy context, he says it's able to make you wise for salvation through the faith that is in Jesus Christ. And Paul's there referring even to the Old Testament. And certainly not just for our eternal salvation, but for salvation in the here and now. The book, this Bible, is for our good. And we see this confirmed even in clear statements about the use of Bible history in like Revelation, sorry, Romans 15 and verse 5. Whatever things were written before were written for our learning that we, through the patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. Or similarly, the Apostle Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 11, and having dealt with history as given us in the Old Testament says now all these things happened to them, that people in the Old Testament, as examples and they were written for our admonition. It's history, but wait a minute, it's history that God has given for us, for our good. Now it's been said even of secular history that's been observed that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat its errors or something to that effect. Well God has given us so much history in his word, not simply to keep us from repeating the mistakes, the errors of others, but to do us positive good, to teach us, to test us, to correct us, and even to benefit us from doing that which is right. Well, with all that in mind, We're actually giving attention then to a couple of chapters here in the Inspired Historical Record, in particular in 2 Chronicles. Kids, you know what chronicles? What's a chronicle? You know what a chronicle is? Well, basically it just means it's a written account of historical events. And in chapters 27 and 28, We have the historical record of two kings of Judah of the southern kingdom in particular and our focus has been on these as it was last Lord's Day with Jotham and Ahaz. Now the record of their reigns, both of them, Jotham and Ahaz, reigned around 16 years each, so 32 years. And surely a lot can happen in 32 years. Think back to, say, 1988. If my math is correct, I think that would be about 32 years ago. And so all this happened since that time in our own world. We've had six presidents. We've had several wars. You had great events, tragic events like 9-11. Moral decay has gone at a quick pace in our culture since that time. Diseases, not just COVID-19, but others as well. A few children have been born, I think, since that time. And bless God, there have been many conversions since that time. The point is, much surely happened in Judah during the reign of these two kings, 32 years. But we're given simply a brief summary of what happened with special focus on the nature of the reigns of these two kings. And indeed, looking at the moral character of these men and the nation as a whole. Now previously, that is last Lord's Day, we noted that Jotham and Ahaz, though father and son, were very, very, very different. They were different in their lives. They were certainly different in their reigns as king. Jotham, we saw, was a good king and a godly man, and the nation enjoyed much good under him. Notice, if you would, chapter 27 in verse one, Second Chronicles 27.1, Jotham was 25 years old when he became king and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Yerusha, the daughter of Zadok. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Uzziah had done, although he did not enter the temple of the Lord. You remember how Uzziah had done that out of pride and presumption. Well, his son did better than the dad. Uzziah did good, but his son goes beyond him. Well, here we have in this verse, verse two, a statement about his rationale, how, what he did. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord. And then coming down to verse six, we've yet another statement that speaks of his moral character saying much the same. 27, six, so Jotham became mighty because he prepared his ways before the Lord, his God. statement about his moral character, especially as one who lived with a mindfulness of God, very aware of God, and that's why he lived as he walked in the fear of the Lord. And between these two statements, verse 2, verse 6, then we have this about the good enjoyed by that people. He lived in God's sight. He walks in the fear of the Lord. And then you've got this account, well, to quote Albert Barnes, he carries forward his father's plan of fortifying the city and of enlarging and beautifying his kingdom. a good king, a good reign, granting stability to Judah, triumphs were enjoyed, indeed it was a time of national prosperity and that especially because he was a good and godly king and God had blessed him. So I quoted last week the old commentator Thomas Scott, he says, most if not all the pious kings of Judah have some evil thing laid to their charge, something bad. Ah, look at this king, he's good, but here's like Uzziah, daddy of Jotham. But then Scott and others observe, but Jotham has not. There's no evil thing laid to his charge. But if that's so, nothing bad to say about him. Well, there's nothing good to say about his son, King Ahaz, coming to chapter 28. Just notice how we're told right away in verse two, for he, that is Ahaz, walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and made molded images for the Baals. What's striking about this statement is that Baal worship had been basically wiped out. in both the northern and southern kingdoms. Jehu, son of Nimshi, he was responsible for wiping it out in the northern kingdom, but even earlier in the book of Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, we find that in Judah it was also wiped out. And so basically this guy, he comes not only going the ways of the kings of the north, Jeroboam son of Nebat and his sin, something to that effect perhaps, but also he's revived Baal worship. And then in the next verse, he burned incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom and burned his children in the fire according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had carried out before the children of Israel." Not just causing his kids to pass through the fire, but they, more than one, burned alive as a burnt offering as it were to Moloch, the god of the Ammonites. And instead of keeping idolatry in any kind of check, the very next verse goes on to talk about how he himself not just turned the people loose, but he led the way and he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places on the hills and under every green tree. He went beyond what the people had been doing, as we're told in 2 Kings 15. This guy, all over the place, zealous for this. He's promoting it. His wickedness was manifold and it grew worse and worse with the passing of time, with the result that God then sent real judgments upon them. You've got attacks from other nations, a number of other nations, even weaker nations coming and attacking them and doing them ill. You've got the record of the people being carried captive here in chapter 28. Some were carried to Damascus, but still more, quite a number, was taken to Samaria in Israel. But rather than repent, Ahaz, then he sent treasure from God's house and other treasure to Assyria's king for him to come and help them. I won't turn to God. Instead, I'll take the treasures from the temple and I'll pay that to this ungodly king and maybe he will come and rescue me. But notice how this ended up. Verse 20 of 2 Chronicles 28. Also Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, came to him and distressed him and did not assist him. So here, he's going to look to this guy, sending treasures from the house of the Lord. No. Now then, this guy also joins the chorus of those haranguing and attacking and doing ill. And all of this because of the wickedness of King Ahaz, even as the previous verse 19 states. For the Lord brought Judah low because of Ahaz, king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the Lord. And therefore, you've got even this king that he looked to for help, send him money, he'll come and help me. No, even he then distresses this king and the nation. So now it's time to repent, right? No. Instead, verse 22, now in the time of his distress, King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the Lord. This is that Ahaz. known for his wickedness and he still wouldn't repent, he just kept going. Even though judgments from God upon him and that people, yet he kept going on. In fact, he gets quite against Jehovah worship as if he's attacking Jehovah himself. Notice verse 24, So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem and in every single city of Judah. He made high places to burn incense to other gods and provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers. In fact, he even had an altar made and set it just beside the temple. It was like that of the king of Syria. And he put that there, and here, we're going to worship here, not at that which Jehovah has commanded. Well, in that previous study, I just drew three quick lessons about the parent-child relationship from This parent and child, King Jotham and King Ahaz, I just repeat them quickly. God has no grandchildren, but every generation must be evangelized, come to know the Lord. Second, another lesson from Jotham and Ahaz. is that parents are not ultimately responsible if they have a straying child. This was all on King Ahaz and he had a greater culpability because he had a godly parent. He grew up knowing the truth. He had a godly grandparent as well. He grew up with much light and therefore had a greater culpability before God for going in such a wicked way. And so with young people now raised in Christian homes, they have more light. greater culpability for rejecting that light. Are you rejecting the light? Are you rejecting the light? But then thirdly, we see in the history of Ahaz that God is not indifferent towards sin, not any sin, and especially sin against light. Look at the hard times experienced. I mean, the hard times experienced by Ahaz himself. He got the collapse of his kingdom. He sees his son and his chief officers murdered. And then the people grew to despise him. But he's not the only one who felt the bite of his sin and God's judgment upon his sin because it was experienced by that nation, Judah, as a whole. They go from prosperity under Jotham to turmoil and chaos and even many being carried captive, much suffering, much hardship and heartache. What contrast to what they enjoyed under good King Joseph? The prosperity when they were respected and triumphing over. And now here they are. They're being trampled on by these other nations, even weaker nations, and all the hurt and all the problems that it caused in that cultural context for them as individuals and families. Well, this is what happened at that time. Now that brings us to some more lessons to be drawn then from these two kings and especially from Ahaz. All of that calamity, all of that hardship that came on Judah after things had gone so well under two previous kings, Uzziah and Jotham. Did that just happen out of the blue? Yes, here we are, things are going well. Then suddenly, bam, what happened here? No, that's obviously not what happened. Rather, clearly, it was judgment upon King Ahaz for his sin. But it was not only judgment for Ahaz and his sin. These national problems came as judgment on that people, that whole people for their sin. Notice 27.2 again. Having talked about Jotham doing what was right in the sight of the Lord, verse two ends with, but still the people acted corruptly. under a good reign, with much good enjoyed, a godly king. But rather than responding in gratitude to God, rather than tracing their prosperity back to God's hand and God's goodness to them, The people still acted corruptly. That's interesting. But still, even after the good influence of this godly king, even after God's rich blessing, And it's an interesting word here. It's translated corruptly. It's sometimes translated to spoil something, something to decay. That is to say, their sin, they ruined a good thing. That's what sin tends to do, isn't it? It tends to spoil things. It tends to corrupt things. Well, that's what they were doing. We see in the account in 2 Kings chapter 15, that divine chastisements actually began at the time of Jotham's reign. Not because of Jotham's sin, clearly, we see that wasn't the case, but rather because of the people. We're told verse 37 of 2nd Kings 15, in those days the Lord began to send Rezan king of Assyria and Pekah the son of Ramaliah against Judah and that because the people were doing corruptly. In fact they were engaged as we see 1 Kings 15.35 the high places were not removed, sorry 2 Kings 15.35 the high places were not removed the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. Now maybe they were burning incense to Jehovah that's possible we find a case of that in 2 Chronicles 33 but maybe not. Maybe it was the beginning of that idolatrous worship. It was certainly contrary to God's word. And once there's a departure from what God has commanded, well, where is man's will apt to lead, right? Or he rejected God's will, okay, then what's left? Well, whatever comes out of your own notions and depravity. therefore God even in that time while King Jotham was still alive began to send these kings of Syria and of Israel against Judah by way of a chastisement and still the people did corruptly. Now this all happened during the days of Isaiah. It's difficult to say how much in Isaiah addresses specifically the days of King Jotham. We do know that the days of King Ahaz were addressed, for instance, in Isaiah chapter 7 and so forth. So Isaiah did talk of evil and judgment and so forth in the days of Ahaz, but we don't know anything he really said during the days of, for sure, of Uzziah and Jotham. Some say the first chapters of Isaiah were even during the days of King Uzziah. The point is, though, this. is clear. that even when there was an external conformity, they were bringing their offerings and burning incense and all those kind of things, yet it was more of a formalism. They drew near with their lips, but their hearts were far from God, we're told in chapter 29. Well, even there in chapter one, God's, in Isaiah chapter one, God's saying, you're wearying me. What are you doing? Trampling my courts. You bring your offerings and all your new moons, and here you come with your sacrament. I'm weary of these things don't bring them anymore because basically though they're engaged in religion yet they're also hypocrites and they're going along in their own wickedness well that might well be what we're told here in 2nd Chronicles 27 at least the beginnings of that were already taking place under good King Jotham the people were acting corruptly and then when Jotham's off the scene when King Ahaz comes. Well, we find more and greater sin, even such as was encouraged by King Ahaz. And therefore, under that king, you've got this moral decline in the nation, and it came rather quickly. The guy only reigned 16 years. But it's perhaps the people given over to their sin at that time when restraint of King Jotham's removed, and now here they go. And therefore, too, these judgments on their sin came corruptly. They fell far and they fell fast. And even as the hard times did not deter King Ahaz and bring him to repentance, it seems it didn't stop the people either. At least, here they are. They're still going on in their sins. And all of this even though there were prophets in the land who were denouncing sin and at the same time holding forth mercy. Right? You've got Isaiah. who's not only in Jehovah's name, speaking Jehovah's word, denouncing sin, but is also saying, come, let us reason together, though your sins are scarlet, they should be white as snow, or red like a, they should be as wool. You can be forgiven. You're engaged in this corrupt so-called religion of yours that's worthless. Stop it, but repent and be forgiven. So you've got both judgment and sin denounced, and mercy set forth, and yet they're going on. Well, not just in Isaiah. The prophet Micah was also a prophet to the southern kingdom, contemporary. He also, the days of Jotham and Ahaz, and he also is doing the same, denouncing sin, warning, holding forth mercy. And then in addition to these two prophets, you've also got in the northern kingdom, you've got Hosea, And you've got Amos, and though they were to the northern kingdom, yet you find both Hosea and also Amos, and they're talking about the sins of Judah and warning about judgment to come on Judah. So you've got all of this light, if you were, all of these warnings sent from God. And yet the people wouldn't hear. They wouldn't hear God's word by way of offers of mercy. They wouldn't even hear by way of warnings for judgment to come. We also know that there were certain false prophets among them. I cannot but wonder, we're not told that, but I cannot but wonder, were they rather instead say, no, we'll listen to these guys, we like what they say. They let us kind of get away with whatever we want, not unlike certain, in the name of Christianity, preachers today, they make me feel good and say what I want to hear and I can carry on in my sin and feel very comfortable and good and got my religion, you know, and then we like these guys. Well, I don't know. It happens. Well, by way of lessons from this, firstly this, we're reminded that God sends temporal judgments on nations. That's exactly what he did on Judah. It was a judgment. It was not that final, eternal judgment, but on that nation as a whole, it was a temporal, a judgment in the here and now. That's what we've read here with the tax and so forth. But it wasn't just here. You got the Northern Kingdom, and they also were experiencing their own temporal judgments. But of course, it's not just them. This is true of the nations of the world. Crises on a regional or national scale, sometimes it's by way of natural disasters like floods or drought, earthquake, famine. or attacks from enemy nations, or being harassed by smaller groups in the nation being affected. A removal of peace, economic woes, certainly a famine of the word of God as was referred to there in Amos chapter eight, and in fact in Romans chapter one. people being given over to degrading sin and a reprobate mind. That is a judgment. Remember Romans 1.18, the wrath of God is being revealed against all ungodliness and righteousness of men. And here, because of their wickedness, God gives them up and gives them over sexual promiscuity, homosexuality and perversion, and finally a reprobate mind that just doesn't think right. Well, that is a temporal judgment. And what we see here in 2 Chronicles 27 and 28, especially 28, has this in common with Romans chapter one, is the people are being given over to their sin. The people were still acting corruptly, even under the reign of good and godly King Jotham. And then chapter 28, well, you've got a king that's going to turn you loose, and boy, they were turned loose. and they begin to give free reign. It's a judgment. In fact, in Psalm 69, it's an imprecatory prayer. Add iniquity to their iniquity. Just give them over then to their vileness and their iniquity. As if God's saying, if it's wickedness that you want, then here's the judgment, you'll be given over to it to eat the bitter fruit of your own ways as we see Proverbs 1 and 31 about this is what happens with the wicked. Eating the bitter fruit, being full of their own fancies and that comes as a form of judgment. And that goes with another temporal judgment that we see here in 2 Chronicles 28. God at times gives bad or evil rulers to a nation. They did corruptly still under a good ruler. They're going their own way. They've got their external religion, but their evil hearts carrying on. And therefore, as a judgment from God, they are given this wicked King Ahaz. and then things go from bad to worse and that quickly. In fact, it does seem that ultimately even the wickedness in the land went beyond what the people wanted. As if, whoa, whoa, we hadn't thought about this now. That Ahaz, oh, he did far worse. And that's why we find in his burial he's despised by the people. He's not buried now in the tombs of the kings. He's buried somewhere else. We're not going to honor him. And that's why we have that wording. This is that Ahaz. Why even the people held him in disdain for his infamy. They wanted their sin, right? We want to do what we want to do. They were quite happy. Well, God then, as a judgment, removed the restraints of a good king and gave them a promoter of evil. But then things went beyond what many of those sinners wanted. We want our sin, but wow, we didn't want it to get like this now. We didn't have this in mind. And then this led to those painful times in their nation. All of this came on them as a judgment from God. Not simply on Ahaz, but on the nation. And Ahaz himself was a means of a temporal judgment. God giving wicked rulers. Similar to that, even in the book of Isaiah, chapter 3, verse 12, It speaks of God giving inept and foolish rulers as a judgment. It speaks of the children oppressing them and the women ruling over them. And it is the idea of those who didn't know what they were doing. Rulers with no fear of the Lord before their eyes. They leave God out of their thoughts. And remember what we've seen from Proverbs 1.7, that the fear of the Lord, that right regard for God is the beginning of knowledge. And then Proverbs 9.10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And you remember what we mean by the beginning. It's like ABCs is the beginning of reading. You can't read until you learn the ABCs. Well, without that right regard for God, that knowledge of God, which is the fear of the Lord, a personal recognition, and knowing God as a reality, there's no beginning, there's no ABCs of knowledge, there's no ABCs of wisdom. And so therefore, they're going to reign entirely based on whatever somebody else is telling them that dictates of their culture or that dictates of their own depravity. And then not only that, but so often it's that case of wise in their own eyes, right? And remember what Proverbs says about that. You see a guy who's wise, he's smart, he's got it together. Wise in his own eyes. You remember what Proverbs says? Kids, you remember what Proverbs says? There's more hope for a fool than for that guy. Well, that's the kind of inept rulers that are set upon a people. Foolish and therefore doing harm, bringing harm. too foolish to lead the people in a right way. In fact, often it says, Psalm 94 verse 20, the throne of iniquity which devises evil by law. They'll pass laws to make sin legitimate, legal. And this, with all the painful consequences from such rulers, is here seen as a form of judgment. God, as it were, pouring out wrath by way of temporal judgments, the wrath of God now being revealed against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, and that especially for the rejection of light. And that's exactly what we see in Romans 1.18. no moral sense. They not only do wrong, but they actually approve of those who practice the wrong. Isn't this all very contemporary, what we're seeing today versus what we find here under the reign of Ahaz? You look at the folly of those who should be ruling us righteously. Rulers that are not restraining sin they're promoting it and even pass laws to promote it. Now maybe many don't want things to go that bad, right? If you could rewind the time, look back maybe to the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, when we want our sin and we want to, but then okay, fast forward to 2020 and well, hold on, hold on, we didn't think that bad. We didn't think that kind of We just wanted our sin, and yet, see what happened there in Israel, in Judah. From bad to worse, and worse than what they could have imagined, even by way of sin. When the moral restraints are removed, what stops evil? Where is evil apt to stop? And for us, where does it go from here? especially since we are a nation deserving divine judgment. And we are under that judgment, again, Romans chapter one. Perhaps I should come back to that in the not too distant future to look at that again. But the three stages of judgment, first by way of immorality, sexual promiscuity, then by way of sexual perversion, until finally there's this mind that's devoid of any kind of common moral sense, a debased mind. We're there. That's stage three. We're there. What comes next? Well, when we see things like this going on in the world, people given to evil, inept or evil rulers, brethren, it's important that we remember why. Why it's so. And therefore, remember that God's not absent. God's not unmindful. God's still in control and God is at work. And he's dealing in judgment. Temporal chastisements and judgments upon nations. And I say that especially now with regard to the upcoming election. I'm not trying to be political. I'm not saying who to vote for, etc. But I will say, in light of the fact that in our democratic republic we have a say in those who rule over us and actual factors in God's sovereign plan and purpose, but what reason it is for us to pray. To pray even as Habakkuk chapter three and verse two, Lord, in wrath, remember mercy. In wrath. Yes, we're under judgment as a nation, but remember mercy, Lord. how right to pray, like 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 2, for kings and those in authority, that we might lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and reverence. and 1 Timothy 2.4 especially in light of the fact that God would have all kinds of sinners to be saved. Lord, please in wrath remember mercy and give us wise and righteous rulers at least with common grace that we might have the context for that quiet and peaceful life and indeed for godless reverence in the going forth of the gospel to the salvation of many. Well that's the first lesson I just want to point out. God does bring temporal judgments on nations, not only Judah and Israel, but to even now the United States and others. So that nation experienced judgment increasingly by way of the pain and ruin, but now in connection with the second lesson, what about God's people though? What about God's people there in Judah in these days? I mean, surely the whole nation wasn't acting corruptly in 2 Chronicles 27.2. Well, what of those who weren't? Well, you know, Isaiah, he spoke of the remnant, showing us that God has always had his people. But we can also say that even God's true people, those who weren't acting corruptly, going the way of Ahaz or even the others in Judah, they too felt the bite of this judgment. Later, far after this, when the Jews were carried to Babylon, was it only the wicked Jews that were carried to Babylon? No, no. You've got Daniel, you've got Ezekiel, you've got others, you've got God's people. And what of those who were carried captive here in 2 Chronicles 28? Especially those, a sizable number, being taken up to Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom. Was it only those who were most wicked? No, it's the women and the children. And certainly as to other difficulties that were experienced under the reign of Ahaz, these difficulties were experienced by all. Economic woes, evil abounding, the idolatry being I mean at the very least what a grief that was to God's true people as they see what's going on in their nation. But then there were other matters, no doubt crime on the increase and the like, violent people, hateful people. Think of the Romans one judgment that our nation is now experiencing. Believers are not trouble free in all of this. I mean, we're grieved by abounding evil. We see the depraved mind, the lack of common grace, et cetera, in our leaders, but also in others. And our lives are impacted. Crimes being committed doesn't mean that believers will be exempt. Not against them. The decline in common grace, people hateful, hating one another, maybe being harassed. spoken against, or job losses taking an economic hit? You know, with the riots in the various cities, I don't doubt, but what, you've had the Lord's people who have lost employment or even lost businesses. Churches being shut or attacked. You know, Peter wrote much about suffering for Christ's sake. And he says, blessed are you. You're suffering for righteousness, you're blessed. And therefore, he goes on to say, they think it's strange that you don't run with them anymore. The things you're different from, they don't understand that, they don't like it. And therefore, don't be surprised that you're on the receiving end of their malice and hatred and the like. But it's better to suffer for doing what's right, Peter says, than for what's evil. You think of the martyrs of the 1st century, or 2nd and 3rd century, or on the way up through church history, the 16th, 17th, and still. In fact, I pointed out recently, it could be that Isaiah himself is referred to over in Hebrews 11.37 about being sawn asunder. The Talmud says that was Isaiah that was so treated. Believers could be exempt from any difficulties and troubles during times of temporal judgment if God so willed it. For instance, when God was pouring out plagues on Egypt, at least in some of those plagues, God's people were exempted. They were not touched by those plagues, right? And so if God so willed it, it could be that his people wouldn't be impacted. And therefore, if believers do feel the bite of God's judgments on a nations, it's not because God couldn't protect them. And in fact, we know from scripture that God tempers temporal judgments, especially for the sake of his people. You've got that well-known statement in Matthew 24, verse 22, where the Lord Jesus said, if those days weren't shortened, who would survive it? But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. God tempers the judgment for the sake of his own. I wonder, was it because of his people that mercy was shown when they were carried captive to the northern kingdom? There was this one prophet named Oded that says, no, no, no, no, no. You're already under the wrath of God. And now what's going to come? You were doing worse than Judah. And what's going to come to you? You take them captive. You better send them back home. Well, it was God who raised up that prophet. That's a paraphrase, by the way. It was God who raised up that prophet. But they listened and they took the people back. Let's clothe them. Let's get them back. They're getting back in their own territory at the very least. I wonder, was it for the sake of his people that God did that? Showing them mercy? God tempering that divine providential judgment on that nation? And it's also true that God protects his own, even when they're feeling the bite of divine judgments. God willing, perhaps next Lord's Day we'll look at this man Baruch in Jeremiah chapter 45. He was very much feeling what was going to be happening in his nation, and yet God says, I will give you your life as a prize in all places wherever you go. You will be protected ultimately. Doesn't mean he won't feel the bite of it, the problems that come out of God's judgment on the land, but he will still be protected. Well, that's how it is even now. That God tempering things, just think how much worse our nation could be if we got what we deserved. God is still tempering things. When we're seeing darkness, when we're seeing these Temporal judgments, earthly judgments all around. Brother, we must see these as a call to us, as the Lord's people, to be faithful. Don't be conformed to this age. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You see the evil that's out there? And you see the judgment that comes? It should be all the more repulsive in our eyes, and we should be warned, I don't want to in any way be party to that. but rather, as we're told, among whom you shine as lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Darkness all around. More than that, Jesus says, you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. You, you alone, that's the force of it. You, his people. You're the salt that arrests decay and putrefying meat. You're the light that shines into darkness and dispels it. That's us. Therefore, when we see judgments all around, we'll see it as a call to be faithful, to be what we are by God's grace, to let your light so shine they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. And be comforted, be encouraged, and know that God's in control no matter. And God is for us and keeps giving his people grace. In fact, God communicated this to those in Judah, even during the time, that time, through the prophets Isaiah and Micah. Not sure exactly when Isaiah 40, comfort, comfort my people, could have been sounded during that day. But the point is, even throughout the whole of Isaiah, you find God showing that he's for his people, that he's protecting them, even in such judgments and calls them to trust him. You've got this Assyrian king coming, you trust in me. But more than that, I find this interesting. Isaiah and Micah, not only speaking to the people of that day about what they were experiencing, calling for repentance, denouncing sin, even holding forth mercy. But both of these prophets spoke of Christ. Unto us a son is born, unto us a child is given, the government on his shoulders, no end to his peace. Isaiah chapter nine or Isaiah chapter 53, though that might've come later in the ministry of Isaiah, I'm not sure. What about Micah? Micah chapter five, verse two. God's ruler's gonna be born in Bethlehem, right? I find this interesting. that they're both speaking of Christ. And at least we can say dogmatically in the book of Isaiah that he was speaking of Christ during the reign of evil King Ahaz. Chapter seven, his name, Immanuel, a virgin bearing a child and his Immanuel, God with us. You know who's addressed in Isaiah chapter seven? Verse one of chapter seven, King Ahaz. King Ahaz, even he being pointed to there's a coming Messiah. And so with the others in Judah during the rain, God with his people, coming to save his people and to rule forever in David's greater son, teaching the people of that day and teaching us that God's great plan, that God's great purpose is still on track, keep looking ahead to Christ. Confident in the success of that great purpose of grace, that the kingdom does indeed come. And is that hymn that we sang earlier, number 109, though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. Confident and therefore comforted. I mean, we know Romans 8, 28 and 29, right? For our goods, make us more like Christ. Psalm 138, even the Old Testament, I know he's going to perfect that which pertains to me. That which concerns me, he's gonna bring it to completion. And in fact, by these divine judgments that come on this world of various sorts, what does this do but wean us from the world, right? Teach us, no, our hope is not here. It's in heaven and it's in Christ. He weans us from the world and uses his people in the world, salt and light. So brethren, when we see these temporal judgments coming on our nation, coming on the earth, see it for what it is. It's a call for us to be faithful. And it's a call for us to trust God, even as we see Isaiah sounding that note again and again. Trusting indeed that God is in control and that he is for us. Therefore shine his lights in the midst of the darkness around you. Give yourself to being the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Another lesson from the reign of Ahaz and the evil that he perpetrated and the judgment that came. Know that God can turn things around very quickly. Ahaz was evil and Judah was in a bad way. But what happened next? Well, come again to chapter 28, the last verse. So Ahaz rested with his fathers and they buried him in the city in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah, his son, reigned in his place. Familiar with King Hezekiah? He was 25 years old when he began to reign. That means he was born during the reign of good King Jotham, his granddaddy. about nine years old when his evil daddy took the throne. I wonder, you remember things from when you were nine years old, can't you? Maybe even influence of your grandparents when you were nine years old? I wonder, did that play a part in the thinking of Hezekiah? It probably did. You can ask him when you see him. But in any event, notice verse two of chapter 29. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done. In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. Then he brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them in the east square. And he said to them, Hear me, Levites, now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the Lord your God, the Lord God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. And he goes on to say, it's because of what Ahaz has done that judgment has come upon us, that it's time to repent, it's time to turn. And so it is that we find this great revival happening under the reign of godly King Uzziah. Listen to the words of verses 20 and 21 of chapter 31. Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God in every work that he began in the service of the house of God and the law and the commandment to seek his God. He did it with all his heart, so he prospered. And notice the words of verse 36 in chapter 29. that Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced that God had prepared the people since the events took place so suddenly. It couldn't have been imagined surely under the reign of that evil Ahaz that God was about to turn things around. I would venture to say that those days of divine judgment may well have led up to, have set the stage in the people. Yeah, that Ahaz, we're done with him. We see that guy ready for a change. Their bellies were full of their sin and the judgment from their sin. God in mercy brought that change and he did it very quickly. And can't God do this now? Even suddenly? Can't he? And isn't it right to pray? Even as Isaiah 64, Lord, rend the heavens and come down. Or even as 1 Timothy 2, praying for kings and those who rule over us, that we might have that quiet and peaceful life and all godliness and reverence and God desiring to save all kinds of sinners. Well, pray, brethren. with real desire, Lord, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as is in heaven. And isn't he able to exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think? Look at history. Look at history. Standing, seeing this Messiah hanging on that cross. Would you expect that 50 days later, 53 days later, I suppose it is, 53 days later, that there's going to be this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and one man preaching and 3,000 converted at that time? And then you know what happened from there? These men who turned the world upside down will come here. Brethren, then pray. God can do it again, suddenly. But know this, if God doesn't send revival, it's not because he can't, right? His plan is on track. Therefore, trust him, keep doing right, shining his lights in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, having much to do with him who said, without me you can do nothing, you abide in me, I in you, you bear much fruit. Keep looking to Christ and keep looking for Christ, even living in light of that coming day. Come what may. Might God help us. Might God help us. If you're here without Christ, Can you not see what's happening in our nation? I mean, that Romans one, can we look around? Even the unconverted surely can see this progression or regression, that which has transpired in recent decades, and now here we are, reprobate my mind devoid of moral sanity. Do you understand why? It's because men have suppressed the truth about God and unrighteousness, that the wrath of God is being revealed. They didn't want God, therefore God's given them over to their folly. Do you understand? that the wrath that God is now pouring out on our nation is very limited, my friend. It's very limited compared to what we deserve. And do you understand that God's wrath is not simply deserved by our nation, but by individual sinners. And indeed, those who are without Christ, the wrath of God abides on them. We're all born dead in trespasses and sins, and by nature, children of God's wrath. It was to religious people that Jesus asked the question, how will you escape? How will you escape hell? The condemnation is to come. But what we now see by way of judgments on our nation, our nation, that actually includes mercy. As Jesus said, when they were talking about some who were killed, the Tower of Siloam fell on them, offering sacrament, you think they were worse than us? No, but lest you repent, you will likewise perish. It comes as a call. God is just and God is serious about punishing sin. It's seen in God's wrath now, it will be seen in God's wrath forever. It's seen in Christ crucified, who bore the wrath of God in the place of sinners. How will you escape the condemnation of hell? There's only one answer, Jesus Christ, him crucified. Go to Christ, be joined to Christ, believe on the Lord Jesus, flee from the wrath to come. Where are you gonna flee? Only one place, it's Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus, you will be saved. Let God grant mercy. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you for your mercies, even in the midst of your wrath being demonstrated and poured out on our people, on our nation. We thank you that you have your people, and even the judgments that you've sent on our own country are tempered out of your love for your own, but they also come to do good to the ungodly, to awaken them. We ask that it would be so. And we ask that you would use us, Lord, as light shining in the midst of darkness, that we would deliberately let our light so shine, that they would see our good works and glorify you, Lord, that by life and by lip that we might point people to you and grant we would abide in Christ and know Christ abiding in us, that we should bear much fruit. It's in his name we pray. Amen.