“Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.” — 2 Chronicles 28:11

What is courage? The dictionary defines this quality as “the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.” When we picture a courageous individual, we might suppose that person is fearless. However, real courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to face a challenge despite fear. 

While there are many types of courage, perhaps the first that comes to mind is physical courage—bravery in the face of possible bodily harm or death. World War II Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss of Lynchburg, Virginia, displayed that type of courage. 

Doss was raised with a firm belief in the Bible and the Ten Commandments. He held particularly strong views against killing, but when the United States entered the war, Doss wanted to do his part for his country. With the classification “conscientious objector,” he served in the armed forces as a medic. His focus was saving lives, not taking them, so Doss sometimes described himself as a “conscientious cooperator.” 

When Doss’ non-combatant status became known during boot camp, he was a target of ridicule from some of the other soldiers. He was labeled a coward, verbally harassed, and had boots and other items thrown at him when he prayed at night. Still, Doss held on to his faith. And the day came when Doss’ fellow soldiers realized the character and courage of their Bible-believing medic. 

Doss was serving in Okinawa, Japan, when his unit was ordered to take a 400-foot-high cliff called the Maeda Escarpment. The enemy forces strenuously defended the ridge, mowing down man after man. At last, the fighting intensified to the point that the unit was ordered to retreat. Doss refused to do so while there were men on the bluff who were too wounded to retreat under their own power, and he would not leave them behind. Alone and under fire, Doss lowered one injured man at a time to safety, continually putting himself in mortal danger to aid his fallen comrades. He saved between fifty and one hundred men this way and later was presented with the Medal of Honor for his outstanding bravery and unflinching determination in the face of danger.¹ 

In our text today, a prophet named Oded also exhibited great courage. He demonstrated moral courage, doing what was right despite potential shame, opposition, or retaliation from others. Oded went to meet the returning armies of Israel, not to commend them for their triumph over Judah, but to rebuke them. He told the military leaders that the victory they were so proud of had not been won because God favored them, but because God was angry with Judah and had used Israel as His instrument of judgment. 

Oded went on to courageously charge the leaders with an abuse of power for slaughtering and enslaving their foes. In our focus verse, he pled with them to release the captives to avoid God’s wrath from falling upon them. Remarkably, the leaders of Israel responded to Oded’s message and recognized their wrongdoing. They cared for the captives they had taken in battle and sent them back to Judah. 

Are you facing situations in your life today where you could face consequences for standing for what is right? In a world where fear of ridicule or repercussions often seems to immobilize people, don’t be afraid to uphold the truth. People talk a great deal about courage today without really understanding what it means. Those who are applauded by the world for some “courageous” departure from what the Word of God teaches are not courageous at all. 

Taking a stand for God could well require stepping out of our comfort zones. We may need to uphold our values and beliefs in the face of ridicule or hostility. Doing so may even bring personal danger. However, we must remember that as Christians, we belong to a kingdom that is not of this world. We are not charged with conforming to or agreeing with the world. We are charged to overcome it! 

Courage comes in many forms, but it is a characteristic we are all capable of embodying. Remember, one of the most repeated admonitions in Scripture is “Be not afraid”! Choosing to stand courageously in every aspect of our lives will not always be easy but it will bring God’s approval and blessing.

^1. “Desmond Doss: The Real Story,” Desmond Doss Council, accessed January 2, 2024, https://www.desmonddoss.com/bio/bio-real.php.

BACKGROUND

The subject of chapter 28 is the reign of Ahaz, who began ruling over Judah at the age of twenty and wore the royal crown for sixteen years. Numerous Bible scholars consider Ahaz the worst king of Judah. Although many of the nation’s previous kings had failed to follow God in every detail, the first verse of this chapter states conclusively that Ahaz “did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” Verses 1-4 describe his idolatry, and verses 5-21 tell of God’s judgment. Further details of his wickedness are given in verses 22-25, and the chapter concludes with a record of his death (verses 26-27). 

Ahaz not only rejected the godly heritage of his ancestor David, but he also embraced the ungodly ways of the kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. One of the great crimes of the northern tribes had been their worship of Molech, which led to their overthrow by the Assyrians (see 2 Kings 17:17-18). Ahaz followed Israel’s example. A series of abominations to God are listed in verses 2-4: he made molten images to Baal, sacrificed his own children to Molech in the valley of Hinnom, and took part in immoral worship practices in the high places. 

God had pronounced a death sentence against all who worshipped Molech (see Leviticus 20:1-5), so because of the terrible wickedness that was pervasive in Judah, God sent judgment through the combined forces of Israel and Syria. According to verse 6, a great slaughter took place, and 120,000 men of Judah were killed in one day. In addition, the conquering armies took 200,000 women and children hostage and gathered “much spoil” (verse 8). 

Verses 9-15 describe the intervention of the prophet Oded, who reproved the military leaders of Israel as they were returning. He told them judgment had come upon Judah because God was angry with them, but that judgment would fall upon Israel as well if they took captives of their brethren. Four leaders of the people, who evidently had not been a part of the conquering army, supported Oded’s pronouncement. Remarkably, the military men “that came from the war” (verse 12) responded favorably, and the four men fed and clothed the captives from Judah and escorted them back to their own land. 

The forces of Israel and Syria had overthrown many of the cities of Judah, and Edomites and Philistines were making raids into the nation, so King Ahaz requested help from the king of Assyria (verses 16-19; see also 2 Kings 16:7). However, though Ahaz attempted to pay for Assyria’s help with gold from the Temple (verse 21), his plea was rejected. 

Verse 22 indicates that rather than repenting after experiencing God’s judgment, Ahaz “did trespass yet more against the Lord.” He even sacrificed to the gods of Syria because he assumed that since they had defeated Judah, they were more powerful. According to verse 24, in the process of introducing this new, God-defying worship, he destroyed the implements of worship that were in the Temple. The statement in this verse that he “shut up the doors” of the Temple means that he abandoned the true God and worshipped instead at idolatrous altars “in every corner of Jerusalem.” 

The wickedness of Ahaz was so great that when he died, he was not given a royal burial among the other kings of Judah, though he was buried in Jerusalem.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

III. The history of the kings of Judah
     L. The reign of Ahaz (28:1-27)
          1. The character of his reign (28:1-4)
          2. The judgment on Ahaz (28:5-21)
               a. From Syria and Israel (28:5-15)
                   (1) Israel’s subjugation of Judah (28:5-8)
                   (2) Israel’s return of the Judean captives (28:9-15)
               b. From Assyria (28:16-21)
          3. The further wickedness of Ahaz (28:22-25)
          4. The death of Ahaz (28:26-27)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. In verses 2-4, what wicked actions of Ahaz are listed?
2. Why do you think Ahaz failed in attempting to appease the king of Assyria? (verses 21-22)
3. If you are facing circumstances in your life that could require courage, what can you learn from the prophet Oded that might help you?

CONCLUSION

People of faith and conscience must be willing to stand up for what is right. The Lord will honor those whose actions reflect the tenants of His Word.