false humility

Devotional

“Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” Isaiah 7:10-12

We have looked at Hezekiah talking heart to heart with God in his desperation. He asked God for a sign, as opposed to Ahaz’s response of self-made, pride-driven piety. In Colossians 2:18, 23, the Bible calls this out. It is “the pride that apes humility”: outwardly modest but inwardly “puffed up” and disconnected from Christ. Azah polished resistance hid behind religious words that can fool anyone but God.

There’s the question that haunts many believers: Is it wrong to ask God for confirmation? We’ve been taught to walk by faith, not by sight. We’ve heard sermons warning against putting God to the test. So when we find ourselves whispering, “Lord, if this is really you, show me”; we wonder if we’ve crossed a line. We see from our text this morning that asking for a sign is not inherently wrong. What matters is the heart behind the question. Actually, God spoke through the prophet and asked Azah to ask for a sign!

Apart from Hezekiah, the Bible gives us a gallery of believers who sought confirmation and received it without rebuke. Gideon famously asked God to confirm his calling not once but twice, laying out fleece and asking for dew in patterns that defied nature. God patiently answered both times (Judges 6:36–40). Even Mary, when told she would bear the Messiah, asked the angel Gabriel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” She received an explanation, not a rebuke (Luke 1:34–37). These weren’t people of weak faith; they were people who wanted to be certain they had heard God correctly before acting on what they believed he had said.

Of course, the Bible also shows us another kind of sign-seeking. The Pharisees repeatedly demanded that Jesus perform signs for them. They weren’t asking because they wanted to believe; they were testing him, looking for reasons to dismiss him (Matthew 12:38–39). Jesus called them “a wicked and adulterous generation” and refused their demand. Zechariah, the priest and father of John the Baptist, asked Gabriel for proof that his elderly wife would conceive. On the surface, his question sounds similar to Mary’s. But Gabriel struck him mute “because you did not believe my words” (Luke 1:18–20). His request revealed unbelief, not faith seeking understanding.

Ahaz refuses the offer of a sign, not out of ignorance, but because he distrusts God and prefers to rely on political alliances. Isaiah interprets this as a lack of faith and calls it a rejection of God’s authority.

In 2 Kings 16:7-9 and 2 Chronicles 28:16-21, Judah is threatened by Aram and Israel (the northern kingdom). Instead of trusting God to protect Judah, Ahaz appeals to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria, for military support. He even pays tribute, taking the silver and gold from the temple and the king’s palace to secure Assyrian aid.

Ahaz relies on human power rather than God. He committed acts that violate covenantal trust.
His alliance opens the door to further idolatry, as Assyrian influence brings foreign gods and practices into Judah. A heart that turns away from God’s reassurance and covenant, whereas Hezekiah’s response reflects dependence on God even in fear.

Ahaz’s idolatry is explicit in 2 Kings 16:10-18: He builds an altar modeled after an Assyrian altar. He even installs it in the temple, replacing or supplanting worship of Yahweh.
Ahaz sacrifices on it and even closes off parts of the temple’s worship that were devoted to God. Chronicles (2 Chr 28:1-4) also stresses that Ahaz “walked in the ways of the kings of Israel” and committed evil in the sight of the Lord. His reign sets Judah on a trajectory of compromise, syncretism, and moral failure.

The difference between Ahaz and Hezekiah was never the presence or absence of a question. It was what they did with the space between God’s word and their understanding. One polished his refusal into piety; the other turned his face to the wall and wept. The sundial of Ahaz still stands in our histories; but it is also where God still meets those desperate enough to ask.

The “space between God’s word and understanding” is that raw, uncertain moment when you’ve heard what he said but it hasn’t yet made sense in your circumstances. Ahaz filled that space with polished religious performance. Hezekiah filled it with honest tears. Both had the same history. Only one received the sign.