In the time of his trouble he transgressed yet more against Jehovah, this King Ahaz. And he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which had smitten him; and he said, Since the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. 2 Chronicles 28:22–23 JND
What we read is very sad. As Ahaz made his choices, to go his way and not to listen to the Lord, great difficulties had come upon him and the people. We would think that this would make him think and come back to the Lord, but no. He not only continued in his ways, but went entirely into the lie of idolatry.
Ahaz became like his idols: blind, deaf, and mute—blind to the ways of God, deaf to God’s Word, and mute with respect to giving any kind of praise to God. He thought he had a better vision of things, and that he heard good things from his counselors. When things turned bad, his mouth was mute towards God for repentance and asking help. Not only did he turn to idols, but he even made his son pass through the fire! He also closed the doors of the house of the Lord and made altars in every corner of Jerusalem. Yes, as the psalmist said concerning idol worshipers, “They … are like unto them—every one that confideth in them” (Ps. 115:8).
We become like what we occupy ourselves with, whether a person or an object. We are more influenced than we think by the things and the people with which we are continually engaged, even to which we render a form of worship as we invest ourselves so much in them. Well then, children of God, let us be fully occupied with the Lord Jesus. And why so? Because “we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Today, let us be occupied with the Lord Jesus, and let His blessed Person mark our being, so to be more like Him.