Ahaz Ruled as King of Judah For 16 years
July 19, 2019
Commentary
Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled 16 years from Jerusalem (v. 1). He was nothing like his ancestor David as he disobeyed God and was as sinful as any of the kings of Israel (v. 2). He made idols of Baal and offered sacrifices in Hinnom Valley (v. 3). He even sacrificed his own sons and offered sacrifices at the local shrines and on every hill (v. 4). Ahaz and the people of Judah sinned and turned away from the Lord, so the Lord let their enemies defeat them (vv. 5-7). King Pekah of Israel later killed 120,000 of Judah’s bravest soldiers in one day. They also captured 200,000 women and children and took them back to Samaria, even though they were their own relatives (v. 8).
Obed, a prophet in Samaria, met Israel’s army on their way back from Judah and told them they should not have been so cruel (v. 9). He told them that if they made slaves of the people of Judah, instead of sending them back home, they would be as guilty as they were (vv. 10-11). At the same time four of Israel’s leaders agreed with Obed that the Israel troops were wrong, and the Lord was Angry, so the troops handed over the prisoners (vv. 12-14). The four leaders gave the prisoners some clothes and then returned to Samaria (v. 15).
Later the Edomites attacked Judah again and carried away prisoners (vv. 16-18). Ahaz sent a message to King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria for help, but God was punishing Judah (v. 19). Instead of helping, Tiglath Pileser made things worse (vv. 20-21). After all these terrible things happened to Ahaz, he sinned even worse than before (v. 22). He even tried to get the Syrian gods to help him (v. 23). This was the sin that finally led to Ahaz downfall and the destruction of Judah. He smashed the temple’s furnishings, set up altars to foreign gods and built shrines to worship them (vv. 24-25). Everything else Ahaz did is written in 1st and 2nd Kings (v. 26). He died, was buried and his son Hezekiah became king (v. 27).
Application
Our words can sometimes be very sharp and cruel. Lord put a guard on my tongue.
2 Chronicles 28:1– 27 (NET)
1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what pleased the Lord, in contrast to his ancestor David. 2 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 3 He offered sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and passed his sons through the fire, a horrible sin practiced by the nations whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
5 The Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria. The Syrians defeated him and deported many captives to Damascus. He was also handed over to the king of Israel, who thoroughly defeated him. 6 In one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. 7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 8 The Israelites seized from their brothers 200,000 wives, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a huge amount of plunder and took it back to Samaria.
9 Oded, a prophet of the Lord, was there. He went to meet the army as they arrived in Samaria and said to them: “Look, because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry with Judah he handed them over to you. You have killed them so mercilessly that God has taken notice. 10 And now you are planning to enslave the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!” 12 So some of the Ephraimite family leaders, Azariah son of Jehochanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jechizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai confronted those returning from the battle. 13 They said to them, “Don’t bring those captives here! Are you planning on making us even more sinful and guilty before the Lord? Our guilt is already great, and the Lord is very angry at Israel.” 14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 15 Men were assigned to take the prisoners and find clothes among the plunder for those who were naked. So they clothed them, supplied them with sandals, gave them food and drink, and provided them with oil to rub on their skin. They put the ones who couldn’t walk on donkeys. They brought them back to their brothers at Jericho, the city of date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria.
16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help. 17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the foothills and the Negev. They captured and settled in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its surrounding villages, Timnah and its surrounding villages, and Gimzo and its surrounding villages. 19 The Lord humiliated Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very unfaithful to the Lord. 20 King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support. 21 Ahaz gathered riches from the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and the officials and gave them to the king of Assyria, but that did not help.
22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him. He reasoned, “Since the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 24 Ahaz gathered the items in God’s temple and removed them. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and erected altars on every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors.
26 The rest of the events of Ahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 Ahaz passed away and was buried in the city of Jerusalem; they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king.