Ahaz’s Evil Reign in Judah
October 18, 2021
Commentary
Upon Jotham’s death, his son Ahaz became the king and ruled for 16 years. He was a shocking contrast to his father and ranked with Judah’s wicked kings. He even went so far as to sacrifice his own son as a burnt offering to an idol. This practice was associated with the worship of Moleck, the national god of the Ammonites.
Israel and Syria governed by Rezin and Pekah who had formed a coalition to the north invaded Judah (2 Chron. 28:5-l5). The casualties inflicted upon Judah were heavy with l20,000 killed in one day and 200,000 carried away captive. This was indeed Judah’s darkest hour. Thoroughly frightened Ahaz appealed to Assyria for help. To pay for this assistance, gold was taken from the temple.
Ahaz traveled to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser III. While there he saw an altar he liked very much. He sent Uriah the high priest in Jerusalem a sketch of this altar with instructions for him to build one just like it. When Ahaz returned home he had the bronze altar in the temple moved aside to give a prominent place to the new altar. He then commanded that all regular offerings be made on the new altar. This emphasized two things:
(l) It stood in a prominent place as a symbol of allegiance to Assyria.
(2) It was used as a substitute for worship.
Application
I need to keep in mind that everything I have belongs to the Lord and I’m his caretaker.
Isaiah 14:1– 11 (NET)
1 The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel as his special people and restore them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family of Jacob. 2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Israel will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the Lord’s land. They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. 3 When the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety and from the hard labor that you were made to perform, 4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: “Look how the oppressor has met his end! Hostility has ceased!
5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers.
6 It furiously struck down nations with unceasing blows. It angrily ruled over nations, oppressing them without restraint.
7 The whole earth rests and is quiet; they break into song.
8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, ‘Since you fell asleep, no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’
9 Sheol below is stirred up about you, ready to meet you when you arrive. It rouses the spirits of the dead for you, all the former leaders of the earth; it makes all the former kings of the nations rise from their thrones.
10 All of them respond to you, saying: ‘You too have become weak like us! You have become just like us!
11 Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you.