Ahaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, “I am your servant and vassal. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.” – 2 Kings 16:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 28, 2013): 2 Kings 16

In 1948, the Chicago Tribune printed what might have been its most famous front page. It was the night of the United States Federal election and the headline simply read “Dewey Wins.” The announcement was that Thomas Dewey would become the 34^th President of the United States (an honor that the history books have reserved for another politician – Dwight Eisenhower.) Polls had shown that Dewey was in the lead – in fact the early returns showed Dewey coming in with 50% of the vote while the incumbent Harry S. Truman would receive only 44% of the vote. And with that information in its pocket, the Chicago Tribune printed the headline. If you look at a list of American Presidents, the name Thomas Dewey is missing. Despite the front page coverage, Dewey never did end up winning the ultimate political prize.  

I am not very good at conceding. Often on election nights when the television news decides the issue, I am the one asking the question, how can you know who is going to win the election with that many uncounted ballots? I understand the math and how they have arrived at the decision – and I even understand how the Dewey prediction was flawed – but still I want to wait just a little longer. And I feel for the candidate that waits to concede well past the appropriate time, into those moments when the commentators start to question why the concession speech has not been given. (In truth, I love the occasional political candidate that simply decides not to concede – to let every vote be counted until that the final result is eventually revealed.

But Ahaz concedes. Even though the prophet had assured him that God would come through in the end, Ahaz decides not to trust God and move in a different direction. There are some indications that Ahaz not only conceded, but he committed an act of cowardice. It is quite possible that the King of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and the King of Aram came to Ahaz, the King of Judah, with the invitation (possibly a forceful one) that the three nations could bind their power together and make a stand against the Assyrian army which was threatening the known world during this period in history. And rather than say yes, and rather than listening to the prophets of God, Ahaz turns and runs to Assyria and concedes to them, paying them for the privilege of becoming their slaves.

If Ahaz had only had a little faith, this could have been an ancient ‘Dewey Wins’ moment. I am convinced that God actually likes the ‘Dewey wins’ moments. Because he is the God of the impossible, and he can cause to come to pass anything that he so desires.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 17