"In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed a hundred and twenty thousand soldiers in Judah - because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers." II Chronicles 28:6, NIV

"The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away prisoners, while the Philistines had raided towns in the foothills and in the Negev of Judah. They captured and occupied... The LORD had humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had promoted wickedness in Judah and had been unfaithful to the LORD." II Chronicles 28:17-19, NIV 

 

Ahaz was a wicked ruler. He led the Israelites in Judah into sexual immorality and the killing of their own children. We might be tempted to believe that sin prompted by a king would be excused, but we would be wrong. In fact, the kings often brought in the idol worship to satisfy their people's depraved pleasures. From fornication to adultery to homosexuality, there was a false god whose worship allowed you to indulge in whatever sin suited you. To cap it all off, they "served" these false gods by killing their own unwanted children.

 

So God gave them over to their wicked kings and their wicked lusts for a season. He warned them again and again through His prophets, but despite these warnings and even temporary repentance, they always went back to the wickedness of the evil leaders that they preferred. In tomorrows reading, the culmination of the books of the era of the champions and the kings, we will see that this preference for evil eventually ended with their destruction.

 

Why even mention that, since it is something that occurred over 2,500 years in the past? It is because history repeats itself! Our own nation just passed laws allowing homosexuals to marry... most people just shrugged. Our own nation uses the money of the taxpayers to pay for babies to be torn apart alive in the womb and then to sell their parts to the highest bidder... most people just yawned and went back to their business.

 

Our nation has been filled with so many wicked leaders for so many years that we scarcely can recognize a righteous one. Oh, it's true that we occasionally will vote for someone who tells us that they are righteous, but it's really no big deal. We live in a politically correct era that is far more concerned with skin color and gender preferences than they are with righteousness... so we have been reduced to a sub par nation that hardly resembled the once great nation that set the standard for truth, justice and liberty as guided by the Christian principles set forth in the Bible that we once revered.

 

But we better start caring about righteousness again, for God only waits for so long before punishing evil nations that prefer evil leaders. As you near the completion of this 30 day challenge that reveals how God deals with evil nations and evil leaders, do you really believe that America will escape God's justice if we fail to change direction?

 

It's something to think about, I believe, before we cast our next vote. I honestly do not think that a nation could become more depraved than to permit the wholesale slaughter of children. Judah became that depraved - though the were God's chosen people, they became that depraved - so He destroyed them. What, we should all wonder, will He do about America?

 

"The LORD sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him. He sent them to destroy Judah in accordance with the word of the LORD proclaimed by His servants and prophets. Surely these things happened to Judah according to the LORD's command, in order to remove them from His persense because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, 

including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was not willing to forgive."

ii Kings 24:2-4, NIV

 

Today is the 29th day of the 30 day challenge to read through the books of the champions and the kings, with the reading for today being II Chronicles 23-29. You can see all of the 30 Day Challenges up to date by visiting our website at 30dayBiblechallnge.com . May God richly bless your efforts as you seek His holy will!