2 CHRONICLES 28 (NOTES OF A READING)
2 CHRONICLES 28 (NOTES OF A READING)
CAC Ahaz was a very favoured man, but does not seem to have profited by the favour shown him. He lived in a time of much precious ministry. I was thinking of Isaiah, Hosea and Micah; they were all serving just at this time, and all speaking of the ministry of divine grace and restoring power, something like the present time. Ahaz lived in one of the most favoured times there had ever been, and the prophet Isaiah had been sent expressly to him assuring him of divine favour and protection. It was a time when God was beginning to unfold in a remarkable way the blessing of His people, and particularly of a remnant, but Ahaz was not interested.
Ques Would you say God was holding his son, Hezekiah, in reserve?
CAC What the father missed the son gave. I think it is important God had presented to Ahaz the thought that “The remnant shall return” (Isaiah 10: 21); and Ahaz had the opportunity of being part of the remnant that should return, but he was not interested and he missed it. But his son was very observant of God’s ways with his father and his indifference to it all, and he profited and became really the remnant. This man Ahaz was the very man to whom God gave the light of ‘Emmanuel’, the virgin’s son, most extraordinary light, and yet it was all lost upon him. It is a question whether our eyes are open to the light in our day or to whether we are indifferent. We need to have our spirits imbued with this attitude of the Lord who was moving in grace in spite of everything,
so that the prophetic ministry goes on even to Laodicea. God has not given up the christian profession, but goes on with it, appealing to it in grace. The mercy to the captives brought about by God in such a remarkable way ought to have touched and reached him that these two hundred thousand should be brought back, clothed, fed and anointed. It was just the attitude of God towards His people at the moment.
Ques Should we look for this recovery around us?
CAC It would be nice if we could give a little expression to that. You see in the mind of God the remnant is really bound up with Christ. Isaiah 7 should be carefully read in this connection. Ahaz was indifferent when he had the privilege of asking a sign. “I will not ask, and will not tempt Jehovah”, he says. And God says, ‘If you will not ask, I will give you one Myself’. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and shall bring forth a son, and call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7: 14) — God’s great sign of restoration even for Israel. The proper effect of considering this chapter would be seen in Hezekiah for he grows up under the discipline that all this was to him. How dreadful for him to grow up with all this wickedness going on, how dreadful for the remnant, it must have broken their hearts. Jehovah sent His servant to Ahaz saying, ‘Do not be afraid of these men; they will not hurt you’. It did not break his heart for he preferred to go his own way without God, so God had to leave him in the hands of these two kings for discipline.
Rem It is remarkable it says “Jehovah his God” (verse 5).
CAC The Lord has not given up christendom yet, and we ought to be in the spirit of this towards all christendom. He is going to spue Laodicea out of His mouth, but He has not done it yet. What there is in the Lord is available for Laodicea; no one could say they were excluded. Ahaz was not excluded, he was included in the message for Israel. We need to be kept from this indifference. There should be enquiry as to whether there are any prophets. Had they enquired they would have been told. Yes! there is Isaiah, and Hosea, and Micah, and they are all speaking now; we had better pay attention to what they are saying. “Lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left”, Hezekiah said (Isaiah 37: 4); showing that there were some. It is very like today: it was not a complete desert, there was a rose in it. Every christian on the face of the earth ought to be interested in J. N. Darby’s ministry. If they were seeking they would not be long in hearing there is a wonderful ministry of Christ and the assembly on the earth. When things are put in writing and print they become public property.
Rem Some may not know of it.
CAC I do not think that the Lord would leave any really interested heart out of the secret.
Rem The truth draws to itself, it has been said, like a magnet.
CAC The people refused the waters of Shiloah that flow softly, no doubt referring to the ministry of Isaiah. In the beautiful waters flowing softly God was speaking of Christ and all that He would bring in for His children — His testimony. I think the Lord allows some kind of distress to come on His people universally which is intended to wake up their interest in Isaiah. It was God taking pains to show that His thought was recovery and restoration; so that we find a prophet even in Samaria, showing that Jehovah had not given up the ten tribes. There were Elijah and Elisha, showing that if God’s people had given Him up, He had not given them up. In fact the prophetic word took more effect in Samaria than in Jerusalem. It seems to bring out the extraordinary favour on God’s part to a people who certainly did not deserve any favour at all.
Ques Do you think in the favour of God He would preserve the thought of this prophet, maintaining thereby a living link with the people?
CAC I think it always has been so through church history, though we do not know much about it. There has always been a maintenance of witness to God’s thoughts. The question of food is raised by the prophet, of eating butter and honey, until the child should know how to refuse the evil and choose the good (Isaiah 7: 16); that is, the richest food is available and it gives discerning power, so that we discern between what is evil and what is good. This was brought before Ahaz, he ought to have weighed it well. Am I feeding on the best food available? Honey suggests what is of a rich and nourishing character. Isaiah speaks of a man nourishing a young cow and two sheep, which would be very profitable, showing if we nourish what is of God, it will nourish us (Isaiah 7: 21). Do we appreciate this food? He does not say he would know to refuse evil by knowing all about evil, but having the good he would refuse the evil.
Ques Verse 9 would be God’s restraining hand over His people?
CAC Even if God brings severe chastisement over His people, He will not allow it to go to an excessive point. The blessed God feels for His people, even when suffering what they deserve, and He takes trouble to set up a testimony of grace. As in Job’s case there is often a danger of things going beyond, and God’s heart is touched for His people. So here He brings in His prophet. God is severely chastising the nations at the present time, and He is closely watching it, not to let it go beyond bounds, because His thought is not destruction but restoration; all has in view the return of a remnant. He is going to have a remnant, a “holy seed”, even if the stump is cut down (Isaiah 6: 13), and I think it comes out typically in Isaiah and his household (Isaiah 7: 3); I think it represents the remnant.
Rem There was a book called ‘The calling and grace of the remnant’ by J.B.S. (Volume 2 pages 493 ff ).
CAC Oh! it ought to be read by everybody once a year!
It is interesting that God was using this sorrowful discipline for the teaching of Hezekiah, so that he comes out as a product. All that is sorrowful coming before us is all part of our education, the failure of christians being the most sorrowful perhaps of all, but then it is all formative. These things are to be great before our hearts, and to be brought before others so that the power of attraction should work. These men entered into the spirit of the dispensation. It was not God’s thought that His people should be bondmen and bondwomen; His thought was liberty, and that they should be sent back in a royal way, in a generous way: clothed, fed, anointed and the feeble of them carried on asses. It is a wonderful spectacle and brings out what was in God’s mind for all the people, the prophetic word. It is interesting that they are sent first to the city of palm trees. It was certainly a great triumph of divine grace, these poor captives sent back in such a royal style to their brethren. It was a powerful testimony to Ahaz and to all Israel of what was in the mind of God, and so today there is a testimony that goes forth to all. It did Ahaz no good and he died, as we might say, in disgrace, the sad end of a man who was so indifferent to the extraordinary grace shown him by God. It is much like Laodicea which is neither cold nor hot but marked by indifference.