2 Kings 16: Eclectic Power Addiction | ☧ to Assyria's Vassal

Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, Illinois, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 2 Kings 16.

“I am your servant and your son. Come up and rescue me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel.” When Judah makes a deal with the devil, they sign up for everybody’s gods. In 2 Kings 16 we see how Judah becomes even worse than Israel, effectively signing the North’s death warrant as Ahaz sacrifices his own son—to become Assyria’s son, instead of God’s son.

There is no separating the religious and the political, the spiritual and the economic. But even if we have sacrificed family and faith for career and success, God still offers forgiveness, just as He did for Judah. Grace comes from Jesus Christ, not merely “King of the Jews,” but “King of kings.”