UNROLL
Dawn on a road coming down from the hills toward the Jordan valley: far below, the green palm groves of Jericho beside its spring, the pale glint of the Dead Sea to the south and the hills of Moab beyond; a tiny line of donkeys and walking people far off on the road; a calm, pale, empty sky above.

The Book of

2 Chronicles 28

Judah’s worst king yet shuts the temple doors. But in Samaria an enemy army clothes its captives and sends them home.

27 verses≈ 6 min4 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1SolomonWisdom asked at Gibeon
  2. 2–5The templeBuilt on Mount Moriah
  3. 6–7DedicationIf My people humble themselves
  4. 8–9Solomon's gloryThe queen of Sheba
  5. 10–16DivisionRehoboam to Asa
  6. 17–20JehoshaphatThe battle is God's
  7. 21–24Dark yearsJehoram to Joash
  8. 25–28Proud kingsAmaziah to AhazChapter 28
  9. 29–32HezekiahDoors opened, Passover kept
  10. 33–35Manasseh to JosiahMercy and the Book found
  11. 36Exile and returnMay he go up

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

Judah

Ahaz of Judah · 16 years

  1. Twenty, and sixteen years

    Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years.

  2. not like David

    Unlike David his father

    And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD.

  3. Israel’s ways, and images of the Baals

    Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals.

Tap to go deeper: meaning, history and related Scripture

Moreover, Ahaz burned incense in the Valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

Aram Defeats Judah

To DamascusSamariaJerichoJerusalem

Stylised map · locations approximate

On the map

From Samaria to Jericho

Aram carried its captives off to Damascus, and Israel took its captives north to Samaria. There the prophet Oded met the army, and the men of Samaria brought the captives back down to Jericho, the City of Palms, and handed them over to their own people.

So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force.

For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the son of the king, Azrikam the governor of the palace, and Elkanah the second to the king.

Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their kinsmen—women, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a great deal of plunder and brought it to Samaria.

Midday on the road below Samaria's gate: the prophet Oded, gray-bearded, stands alone in the middle of the road with one arm raised, facing the returning army of Israel, whose front ranks have halted before him; far behind them, the long line of captives and laden donkeys.

But a prophet of the LORD named Oded was there, and he went out to meet the army that returned to Samaria. “Look,” he said to them, “because of His wrath against Judah, the LORD, the God of your fathers, has delivered them into your hand. But you have slaughtered them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. And now you intend to reduce to slavery the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you not also guilty before the LORD your God? Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives you took from your kinsmen, for the fierce anger of the LORD is upon you.”

0:33

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Then some of the leaders of the Ephraimites—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood in opposition to those arriving from the war.

Leaders of Ephraim

“You must not bring the captives here,” they said, “for you are proposing to bring guilt upon us from the LORD and to add to our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is great, and fierce anger is upon Israel.”

So the armed men left the captives and the plunder before the leaders and all the assembly.

Reflect

Are you not also guilty?

The men of Samaria had won, and they had their reasons. A prophet asked one question, “But are you not also guilty before the LORD your God?”, and they let their captives go, clothed and fed. Who do you have the upper hand over right now? What would it look like to clothe and feed them instead? Write it down.

The Idolatry of Ahaz

At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king of Assyria. The Edomites had again come and attacked Judah and carried away captives.

The Philistines had also raided the cities of the foothills and the Negev of Judah, capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages. For the LORD humbled Judah because Ahaz king of Israel had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.

Morning in the paved court of Solomon's temple: royal servants carry gold bowls, silver basins and wooden chests out and load them into baskets on donkeys while a steward counts them; a priest watches, grieved; behind them the plain, flat-roofed stone house and its two bronze pillars.

Then Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to Ahaz but afflicted him rather than strengthening him. Although Ahaz had taken a portion from the house of the LORD, from the royal palace, and from the princes and had presented it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

Where Ahaz looked for help

sent for helpsacrificedAramcaptives toDamascusIsraelPekah’s blowin one dayEdomraids andcaptivesPhilistinestowns of thefoothillsAhazthe LORD humbled JudahAssyriaafflicted himGods ofDamascushis downfall

Whiteboard

Enemies pressed Judah from every side, and Ahaz turned to every helper but one. The Chronicler names the cause: the LORD humbled Judah. Assyria “afflicted him rather than strengthening him,” and the gods of Damascus were his downfall.

Question

Quick question

Ahaz took a portion from the house of the LORD, from the palace and from the princes, and presented it to the king of Assyria.

Ahaz paid the king of Assyria from the house of the LORD. What did it do for him?

In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.

2 Chronicles 28:22

Dusk in a small paved courtyard in Jerusalem: a small new horned altar of dark stone, foreign in style, sends up a thread of smoke; far back on a low stone bench, small carved figures stand indistinct in shadow; no people.

He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him, and he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But these gods were the downfall of Ahaz and of all Israel.

Then Ahaz gathered up the articles of the house of God, cut them into pieces, shut the doors of the house of the LORD, and set up altars of his own on every street corner in Jerusalem.

In every city of Judah he built high places to offer incense to other gods, and so he provoked the LORD, the God of his fathers.

Judah

Ahaz’s end

  1. Book of the Kings

    His acts and ways recorded

    As for the rest of the acts of Ahaz and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are indeed written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel.

  2. Not in the kings’ tombs

    And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel.

  3. son of Ahaz

    Hezekiah reigns

    And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.

Pray

In the time of distress

Ahaz turned away from the LORD when trouble came. Ask God that in your own distress you would turn toward Him, not away. Confess the helpers you run to before you run to Him. Thank Him for the mercy shown in Samaria, even to enemies, and that after the doors were shut, He gave Judah a king who would open them.

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2 Chronicles 28

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A verse to carry with you

In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.

2 Chronicles 28:22

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