King Ahaz

Reference: Pages 163-173 of HOR bk 4.

Hallelujah. Welcome to our Tuesday evening Bible study. Today, we are doing a deep-dive into one of the more foolish kings of southern Judah. King Ahaz.

And what we’ll see in King Ahaz is a lesson in spiritual self-defence. Or rather, how not to defend yourself.

All of us here are constantly under siege. Not physically, but spiritually. The Bible warns us of the devil prowling about like a lion, ready to attack.

And what we’ll see is that the moment Ahaz comes onto the throne, the kingdom of Judah crumbles and cannot defend itself.

Regnal timeline

Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz: 743-739BC (5 years). Ahaz = 12 y.o.

Jotham, Ahaz: 739-735BC (5 years). Ahaz = 16 y.o.

Jotham, Ahaz: 735-731BC (5 years). Ahaz = 20 y.o. Missing historical record due to war with Assyrians. 17th year of Pekah. 4 years from 735-731BC were omitted because the entire kingdom was trampled underfoot by the Assyrians (2 Kgs. 15:29-16:20; 2 Chr. 28:5-21).

Ahaz: 731-729BC (3 years). Ahaz = 24 y.o.

Ahaz, Hezekiah: 729-715BC (15 years). Ahaz = 40 y.o.

First, Ahaz begins his reign as a vice-regent along with his grandfather Uzziah, and his father Jotham. That’s in 743BC, when he was 12 years old until 739BC.

From there, he and his father Jotham reign together for 5 years until 735BC.

But in 735BC, the kingdom of Judah gets attacked relentlessly by the Syrians, northern Israel, and the Assyrians (2 Kgs. 15:29-16:20; 2 Chr. 28:5-21).

2 Chronicles 28:5 ESV

Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force.

So Ahaz began his official coregency with Jotham in the 17th year of Pekah. But the country suffered such terrible loss for those 5 years that they were omitted from the historical record of Judah.

Then, according to historical record, Ahaz begins his sole regency in 731BC. That’s the year Pekah dies.

But only after about 3 years, Ahaz appoints his son Hezekiah to become coregent. So Ahaz only reigns alone for about 3 years.

Now, let’s get into his story.

Ahaz’s idolatry

Read: 2 Chr. 28:1-4

2 Chronicles 28:1–2 ESV

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as his father David had done, but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals,

2 Chronicles 28:3–4 ESV

and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

This happens right at the beginning of the omitted 5-year period. How does it begin? With idolatry. Ahaz immediately goes against the ways of his godly father Jotham.

While I was teaching this Bible study at our youth group, one of the youths asked me this question, and I’d like to share it with you. She said this.

Discuss: Jotham was a godly king, but not his son Ahaz. Hezekiah was a godly king, but not his son Manasseh. Why do these godly kings have ungodly princes? Or, put another way, why do godly parents sometimes have children who don’t follow in their footsteps?

What do you think?

Here’s my answer. The Bible says that in order to become an elder in the church, you need to manage your own household well and keep your children submissive.

1 Timothy 3:4 ESV

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,

This means that there’s a dignified way of keeping your children submissive, and there’s an undignified way. We have all probably experienced both ways, because no parent is perfect. King David was a kingdom man, but he obviously wasn’t a family man. We don’t know the truth about Ahaz’s father. All we know is what he did for the kingdom of Judah.

There are people who look good in public, but their families know their true undignified selves. There’s a quote that says, “We teach what we know, but we reproduce who we are.”

I pray that we will raise up godly children by being in Christ, and living out the gospel at church, at the workplace, and especially at home.

Ahaz is attacked from all angles

Next, let’s look at the devastating attack that happens just as Ahaz takes his position as coregent.

First, the Arameans & Northern Israel attack Jerusalem, but couldn’t conquer it (2 Kgs 16:5). Ahaz’ heart and the heart of the people shook, but God tells him not to fear (Isa. 7:1-2). God tells him to ask for a sign, but he refuses. So God gives a sign of a virgin birth (Is. 7:10-14).

Second, the Arameans attacked Elath in the south of Judah and occupied it (2 Chr. 28:5). Some translations like the Septuagint say “Edomites”, whereas the original text says Arameans (Hebrew lit: “Arammim”).

Third, Northern Israel attacks Judah from the north and kills 120,000 men in 1 day, and carry off 200,000 women and children to Samaria (2 Chr. 28:5-8). God’s prophet Oded told Israel to stop with the excessive violence (2 Chr. 28:10-13). Israel’s conscience is pricked and they brought the captives back with clothes and sandals, food and drink (2 Chr. 28:14-15).

Fourth, Edom, a vassal of Judah, attacks from the southeast and carries the people of Judah away as captives (2 Chr. 28:17).

Fifth, the Philistines invade the cities to the southwest of Judah and settle there (2 Chr. 28:18).

The Bible says that all these attacks happened because God was trying to stir up Ahaz to repent from idolatry. The prophet Oded comes to the northern Israel army, who were marching the Judean captives to become their slaves. And he says this.

2 Chronicles 28:9 ESV

But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven.

So God was disciplining Ahaz, not as an enemy, but as a father disciplines his son. And we too can expect lashings from God if we walk the path of Ahaz and fall into idolatry.

Hebrews 12:7–8 ESV

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

And so even the sufferings we face are part of God’s grace toward us. His hand strikes us, not out of spite, but out of love.

Ahaz seeks help from Assyria

Ahaz takes the things of the temple and gives it to Tiglath-pileser as a gift in exchange for protection by the Assyrians.

The Assyrians didn’t come to help Ahaz right away.

First, they attacked the Arameans who were returning from the invasion of Judah. They conquered Damascus their capital city and killed Rezin their king (2 Kgs. 16:7-9).

After that, Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacks Pekah of Israel. They capture all of northern Galilee and carries the people of Israel back to Assyria (2 Kgs. 15:29).

And after all of this, Tiglath-pilesar comes to Judah.

Imagine you’re king Ahaz. You’ve just bribed the Assyrian army to help your country fend off the attackers, and they’ve crushed your enemies. And now their army’s coming to you. If I were Ahaz, I would welcome them. I might think they’re here to help us rebuild.

But instead of helping Ahaz, Tiglath-pileser attacks him.

2 Chronicles 28:20–21 ESV

So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the Lord and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.

So the Assyrians didn’t come to help Judah, but used Judah’s request as a pretext/excuse to attack Damascus and Israel in order to expand Assyrian territory.

Discuss: Ahaz tried to fix his problem using a worldly method, but it made his situation even worse. He took the things of God and exchanged it for the help of man.

When we give our energy to something else to fix our problem, we take the things that belongs to God and giving it to the world.

What are these things? Faith, trust, time, energy, devotion. And instead of finding a solution, we end up even more afflicted than before.

It’s like drinking the salty oceanwater because you’re thirsty. Or if you’ve been to the deadsea, the first thing they tell you is to never rub your eyes, because the deadsea water is so salty it makes your eyes feel like they’re on fire. And what happens if you use your wet hands to rub the water out? You make it worse.

Ahaz sinned even more in times of distress

2 Chronicles 28:22 ESV

In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz.

Instead of repenting for his idolatry, Ahaz made even more sacrifices to idols.

When Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria was at Damascus, Ahaz went there. And he saw a beautiful altar that he liked a lot, so he has a replica made and puts it in the temple.

2 Kings 16:10–11 ESV

When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, he saw the altar that was at Damascus. And King Ahaz sent to Uriah the priest a model of the altar, and its pattern, exact in all its details. And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Uriah the priest made it, before King Ahaz arrived from Damascus.

Furthermore, Ahaz desecrated the utensils of the temple and closed the temple doors. And he made altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 28:23–25 ESV

For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the Lord, the God of his fathers.

Ahaz’s thought process becomes clear in 2 Chr. 28:23:

“Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.”

The key is in Ahaz’s words. He says “I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” The keyword is “me.” His focus was on his own benefit. He was worshiping idols in order to serve his true idol, that was himself.

And that’s the true definition of idolatry: to seek glory for ourselves.

Colossians 3:5 ESV

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Let us think about this. There are people who perform acts of worship in the church, with the goal of exalting themselves. This is especially true for people who get to stand in the limelight, such as pastors and worship leaders.

Rev. Abraham Park said this.

“The worship we give to God with our hearts enthralled by anything in the world other than God is abominable and abhorrent before God.” – Rev. Abraham Park.

So our goal should not be for our own benefit, but for God’s purposes. Not our glory, but God’s glory.

So what this means is that in everything we do, we need to ask ourselves, “Who am I doing this for?” And I pray that we will follow Christ in doing all things for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Finally, let us see what Jesus has to say about selfish greed.

Mark 8:34–36 ESV

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?