2 Chronicles 28 Study Notes: Ahaz Abandons the LORD
King Ahaz turns to Baal worship and even sacrifices his own sons, so God gives Judah into the hands of Aram and Israel. At the prophet Oded’s rebuke, Israel clothes, feeds and sends home its captives, while Ahaz seeks Assyrian help in vain, worships Aram’s gods and shuts the temple.
General
How does 2 Chronicles 28:1-2 describe the way Ahaz ruled, compared with David?
Answer: He followed the path of Israel’s kings and even made Baal images
Unlike his ancestor David, Ahaz failed to do what pleased the LORD (28:1). Instead he copied the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel and made cast metal idols of the Baals (Baal was the chief god of the Canaanites, worshiped as a god of storms and fertility) (28:2). He offered incense in Ben-hinnom Valley and even offered up his own sons as sacrifices, copying the detestable practices of the nations God had expelled from the land (28:3), and he worshiped at the high places, which were hilltop shrines, and under green trees (28:4). God’s law had forbidden every one of these things, and child sacrifice above all (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 18:9; 12:2).
- 2 Chronicles 28:1-2 (BSB)“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals.”The opening verdict on Ahaz: unlike David, he followed Israel’s kings and made images of the Baals.
- Leviticus 18:21 (BSB)“You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.”The law forbade giving children as sacrifices, the very sin Ahaz committed (28:3).
- Deuteronomy 18:9 (BSB)“When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.”Israel was told not to imitate the detestable ways of the nations, which Ahaz did.
- Deuteronomy 12:2 (BSB)“Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.”The places on hills and under green trees were to be destroyed, not used, as Ahaz used them (28:4).
Theological
What is the opening verdict on Ahaz’s reign in 28:1-2?
Answer: He followed the path of Israel’s kings and even made Baal images
Ahaz is measured against David and found wanting (28:1). He adopted the religious ways of the northern kings and cast idols of the Baals (28:2), offered incense in Ben-hinnom Valley and sacrificed his own sons, imitating the detestable customs of the dispossessed nations (28:3), and worshiped at the high places and under green trees (28:4). Each practice was expressly forbidden in the law, child sacrifice most gravely (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 18:9; 12:2). The reign is introduced as a wholesale return to the Canaanite religion the conquest was meant to remove.
- 2 Chronicles 28:1-2 (BSB)“Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. And unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD. Instead, he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even made cast images of the Baals.”The opening verdict on Ahaz: unlike David, he followed Israel’s kings and made images of the Baals.
- Leviticus 18:21 (BSB)“You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.”The law forbade giving children as sacrifices, the very sin Ahaz committed (28:3).
- Deuteronomy 18:9 (BSB)“When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.”Israel was told not to imitate the detestable ways of the nations, which Ahaz did.
- Deuteronomy 12:2 (BSB)“Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.”The places on hills and under green trees were to be destroyed, not used, as Ahaz used them (28:4).
General
What came of Ahaz’s appeal to Assyria’s king for help (28:16, 20-21)?
Answer: Assyria’s king oppressed him instead, and his costly gifts were useless
With Edom and the Philistines also attacking Judah (28:17-18), Ahaz sent to Assyria’s king for help (28:16). Tiglath-pileser came, but he oppressed Ahaz instead of making him strong. Ahaz had taken wealth from the LORD’s house, the palace and the officials to pay him, yet it did him no good (28:20-21). Ahaz looked to a pagan empire instead of the LORD, the same folly the seer Hanani had rebuked in Asa when he relied on Aram (16:7). Scripture repeatedly warns that trusting human power instead of the LORD ends in disappointment (Isaiah 31:1; Jeremiah 17:5).
- 2 Chronicles 28:16 (BSB)“At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king of Assyria.”Ahaz sends to Assyria’s king for help.
- 2 Chronicles 28:20-21 (BSB)“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.”Tiglath-pileser afflicts Ahaz instead of strengthening him, and the payment does not help.
- 2 Chronicles 16:7 (BSB)“At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.”Hanani rebuked Asa for relying on a foreign king instead of the LORD, the same error Ahaz made.
- Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”Woe is pronounced on those who seek help from foreign powers and do not seek the LORD.
- Jeremiah 17:5 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.”A curse rests on the one who trusts in mankind and turns his heart from the LORD.
Theological
How does 28:20-21 describe the result of Ahaz’s appeal to Tiglath-pileser?
Answer: Assyria’s king oppressed him instead, and his costly gifts were useless
Ahaz’s response to pressure from Aram, Israel, Edom and Philistia (28:5-6, 17-18) is to court Assyria (28:16). The outcome is ironic: Tiglath-pileser distressed rather than strengthened him, and the treasure Ahaz took from the temple, the palace and the princes bought nothing (28:20-21). Chronicles repeatedly sets reliance on foreign kings against reliance on the LORD (16:7). The prophets pronounce woe on those who look to human strength rather than the LORD (Isaiah 31:1; Jeremiah 17:5).
- 2 Chronicles 28:16 (BSB)“At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the king of Assyria.”Ahaz sends to Assyria’s king for help.
- 2 Chronicles 28:20-21 (BSB)“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.”Tiglath-pileser afflicts Ahaz instead of strengthening him, and the payment does not help.
- 2 Chronicles 16:7 (BSB)“At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.”Hanani rebuked Asa for relying on a foreign king instead of the LORD, the same error Ahaz made.
- Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”Woe is pronounced on those who seek help from foreign powers and do not seek the LORD.
- Jeremiah 17:5 (BSB)“This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.”A curse rests on the one who trusts in mankind and turns his heart from the LORD.
General
How were the captives from Judah treated before they were sent home (28:15)?
Answer: They were clothed and fed, their wounds tended, the weak put on donkeys
The men chosen by name took responsibility for the prisoners. Using the spoil, they clothed those who were naked, supplied sandals and something to eat and drink, tended their wounds with oil, and set those too weak to walk on donkeys (28:15). Then they escorted them to Jericho, known as the city of palm trees, back to their own relatives, and went home to Samaria. Their kindness fits the wisdom of Proverbs, repeated by Paul, to feed even an enemy who is hungry (Proverbs 25:21; Romans 12:20). Many readers have noticed how this scene resembles Jesus’ story of the Samaritan who cared for a beaten traveler, treating his injuries and setting him on his animal (Luke 10:33-34).
- 2 Chronicles 28:15 (BSB)“Then the men who were designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed their wounds, and put all the feeble on donkeys. So they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.”The captives are clothed, fed, anointed, and carried home to Jericho.
- Proverbs 25:21 (BSB)“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”Proverbs teaches feeding even a hungry enemy, as these captives from a hostile kingdom were fed.
- Romans 12:20 (BSB)“On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.””Paul repeats the call to feed and give drink to an enemy.
- Luke 10:33-34 (BSB)“But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”The Samaritan in Jesus’ parable treats wounds and carries the injured man on his animal, as was done here.
Theological
What does 28:15 record about the treatment of the captives from Judah?
Answer: They were clothed and fed, their wounds tended, the weak put on donkeys
Repentance issues in concrete mercy: the appointed men clothe the naked from the spoil, supply sandals, food and drink, anoint the wounded, mount the weak on donkeys, and escort the captives to Jericho, known as the city of palm trees, before returning to Samaria (28:15). The scene embodies the wisdom of feeding a hungry enemy (Proverbs 25:21), which Paul repeats (Romans 12:20). Many readers have noticed its resemblance to Jesus’ parable of the Samaritan who tended a beaten traveler and carried him on his animal (Luke 10:33-34).
- 2 Chronicles 28:15 (BSB)“Then the men who were designated by name arose, took charge of the captives, and provided from the plunder clothing for the naked. They clothed them, gave them sandals and food and drink, anointed their wounds, and put all the feeble on donkeys. So they brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.”The captives are clothed, fed, anointed, and carried home to Jericho.
- Proverbs 25:21 (BSB)“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.”Proverbs teaches feeding even a hungry enemy, as these captives from a hostile kingdom were fed.
- Romans 12:20 (BSB)“On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.””Paul repeats the call to feed and give drink to an enemy.
- Luke 10:33-34 (BSB)“But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”The Samaritan in Jesus’ parable treats wounds and carries the injured man on his animal, as was done here.
General
According to 28:5-6, why did the LORD hand Ahaz and Judah over to Aram’s king and Israel’s king?
Answer: Because Judah had turned its back on its ancestors’ God, the LORD
Ahaz’s own God, the LORD, gave him into the power of Aram’s king, who carried many captives away to Damascus, and into the power of Israel’s king Pekah, who inflicted a crushing defeat on Judah in a single day (28:5-6). The text gives the reason directly: Judah had abandoned the LORD, their ancestors’ God (28:6). This is the warning the prophet Azariah had given to Asa: if Judah forsook God, He would forsake them (15:2). The covenant (God’s binding agreement with Israel) had warned that unfaithfulness would bring defeat before enemies (Deuteronomy 28:25). God ruled over these wars; the defeat was His judgment, not a political accident.
- 2 Chronicles 28:5-6 (BSB)“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.”The LORD gives Ahaz into the hands of Aram and of Israel because Judah had forsaken Him.
- 2 Chronicles 15:2 (BSB)“So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”Azariah had warned that if Judah forsook the LORD, He would forsake them.
- Deuteronomy 28:25 (BSB)“The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.”The covenant warned that unfaithfulness would bring defeat before enemies.
Theological
What cause does 28:5-6 assign for Judah’s defeats by Aram and by Pekah?
Answer: Because Judah had turned its back on its ancestors’ God, the LORD
Both defeats are ascribed to the LORD: He handed Ahaz over to Aram’s king, who deported many to Damascus, and to Pekah of Israel, who devastated Judah in one day (28:5-6). The stated ground is covenant apostasy: Judah had abandoned the LORD, their ancestors’ God (28:6). The principle Azariah announced to Asa is worked out here (15:2), as are the covenant curses of defeat before enemies (Deuteronomy 28:25). The text presents God’s sovereign hand in the warfare plainly and gives Judah’s sin as the reason.
- 2 Chronicles 28:5-6 (BSB)“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.”The LORD gives Ahaz into the hands of Aram and of Israel because Judah had forsaken Him.
- 2 Chronicles 15:2 (BSB)“So he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”Azariah had warned that if Judah forsook the LORD, He would forsake them.
- Deuteronomy 28:25 (BSB)“The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them in one direction but flee from them in seven. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.”The covenant warned that unfaithfulness would bring defeat before enemies.
General
Why did some leaders of Ephraim refuse to let the captives be brought into Samaria (28:12-13)?
Answer: They feared it would heap more guilt on Israel, already deeply guilty
Four Ephraimite leaders (Ephraim was a leading tribe of the northern kingdom, and its name often stands for Israel) then stood against the returning soldiers (28:12). Echoing Oded, they said that bringing the captives in would only pile more sin and guilt on Israel before the LORD, since Israel was already deeply guilty and His fierce anger already rested on it (28:13). The soldiers then left the prisoners and the spoil in front of the leaders and the whole assembly (28:14). A prophet’s rebuke was heard and obeyed; whoever confesses and turns from sin finds mercy (Proverbs 28:13), and listening to correction brings understanding (Proverbs 15:32).
- 2 Chronicles 28:12-13 (BSB)“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. “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.””Ephraimite leaders refuse the captives, saying it would add to Israel’s already great guilt.
- Proverbs 28:13 (BSB)“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”Confessing and renouncing sin brings mercy, the course the leaders took after Oded’s rebuke.
- Proverbs 15:32 (BSB)“He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.”Heeding correction is the way of understanding, as the leaders heeded the prophet.
Theological
On what grounds did the Ephraimite leaders oppose the returning army in 28:12-13?
Answer: They feared it would heap more guilt on Israel, already deeply guilty
The leaders’ objection is theological, not tactical: receiving the captives would compound Israel’s sin and guilt before the LORD, when its guilt was already great and divine wrath already rested on it (28:12-13). The army yields, leaving prisoners and spoil in front of the leaders and the assembly (28:14). The prophet’s warning is heeded at once, the response Scripture commends: confessing and forsaking sin brings mercy (Proverbs 28:13), and heeding correction brings understanding (Proverbs 15:32).
- 2 Chronicles 28:12-13 (BSB)“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. “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.””Ephraimite leaders refuse the captives, saying it would add to Israel’s already great guilt.
- Proverbs 28:13 (BSB)“He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.”Confessing and renouncing sin brings mercy, the course the leaders took after Oded’s rebuke.
- Proverbs 15:32 (BSB)“He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.”Heeding correction is the way of understanding, as the leaders heeded the prophet.
General
Why did Ahaz offer sacrifices to Damascus’ gods (28:23)?
Answer: He reasoned that they had helped Aram and so might help him too
Ahaz offered sacrifices to the gods worshiped in Damascus, the capital of Aram, because Aram had defeated him. His reasoning was that since these gods had helped Aram’s kings, they would help him if he sacrificed to them (28:23). The same verse gives the verdict: those gods brought about the ruin of both Ahaz and all Israel. In fact Aram’s victory had come from the LORD’s hand (28:5), not from its gods. Idols cannot save in a time of trouble (Jeremiah 2:28); they are lifeless works of human hands (Psalm 115:4-8), and an idol has no real existence (1 Corinthians 8:4).
- 2 Chronicles 28:23 (BSB)“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.”Ahaz sacrifices to Damascus’ gods, thinking they helped Aram, but they become his downfall.
- 2 Chronicles 28:5 (BSB)“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.”The LORD, not Aram’s gods, gave Ahaz into the hand of Aram’s king.
- Jeremiah 2:28 (BSB)“But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them rise up in your time of trouble and save you if they can; for your gods are as numerous as your cities, O Judah.”God mocks the gods Judah made, which cannot save them in trouble.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Idols are the work of human hands and cannot act, so trusting them is futile.
- 1 Corinthians 8:4 (BSB)“So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.”An idol is nothing at all, and there is no God but one.
Theological
What reasoning lay behind Ahaz’s sacrifices to Damascus’ gods, according to 28:23?
Answer: He reasoned that they had helped Aram and so might help him too
Ahaz’s logic is pragmatic idolatry: Aram won, so Aram’s gods must be potent, and sacrifice to them should buy their help (28:23). The verse answers him: these gods were his and all Israel’s downfall. He misread history, since the LORD Himself had given Judah into Aram’s hand (28:5). The idols he courted are powerless to save (Jeremiah 2:28), lifeless creations of men (Psalm 115:4-8), and without any real existence (1 Corinthians 8:4).
- 2 Chronicles 28:23 (BSB)“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.”Ahaz sacrifices to Damascus’ gods, thinking they helped Aram, but they become his downfall.
- 2 Chronicles 28:5 (BSB)“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.”The LORD, not Aram’s gods, gave Ahaz into the hand of Aram’s king.
- Jeremiah 2:28 (BSB)“But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them rise up in your time of trouble and save you if they can; for your gods are as numerous as your cities, O Judah.”God mocks the gods Judah made, which cannot save them in trouble.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Idols are the work of human hands and cannot act, so trusting them is futile.
- 1 Corinthians 8:4 (BSB)“So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.”An idol is nothing at all, and there is no God but one.
General
True or False: 28:19 explains the Edomite and Philistine attacks as the LORD bringing Judah low because of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
Answer: True
This is true. Edom had invaded again and taken captives, and the Philistines had seized towns in the lowlands and the Negev, the dry region in the south (28:17-18). The text explains why: the LORD brought Judah low because Ahaz had cast off all restraint and had been grossly unfaithful toward the LORD (28:19). The raids were not random misfortune but God’s discipline. Elsewhere God says He withdraws until His people confess their guilt and, in their affliction, seek Him (Hosea 5:15), and that He disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6).
- 2 Chronicles 28:19 (BSB)“For the LORD humbled Judah because Ahaz king of Israel had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.”The LORD humbles Judah because of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
- Hosea 5:15 (BSB)“Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.””God’s purpose in affliction is that His people would confess their guilt and seek Him.
- Hebrews 12:6 (BSB)“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.””The Lord disciplines those He loves, showing that such humbling has a purpose.
Theological
True or False: 28:19 presents the Edomite and Philistine raids as the LORD’s humbling of Judah on account of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
Answer: True
This is true. The Edomite and Philistine incursions (28:17-18) are interpreted theologically: the LORD brought Judah low on account of Ahaz, who had cast off restraint and acted with gross unfaithfulness (28:19). National calamity is read as covenant discipline under God’s sovereign hand. Such discipline aims at repentance, for God withdraws until His people seek Him in their affliction (Hosea 5:15), and He disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). Ahaz’s response in the following verses shows how that purpose can be refused.
- 2 Chronicles 28:19 (BSB)“For the LORD humbled Judah because Ahaz king of Israel had thrown off restraint in Judah and had been most unfaithful to the LORD.”The LORD humbles Judah because of Ahaz’s unfaithfulness.
- Hosea 5:15 (BSB)“Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.””God’s purpose in affliction is that His people would confess their guilt and seek Him.
- Hebrews 12:6 (BSB)“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives.””The Lord disciplines those He loves, showing that such humbling has a purpose.
General
How did Ahaz respond to the distress that came on him (28:22)?
Answer: He turned still further away from the LORD than he had before
Trouble often drives people back to God, but not Ahaz. When distress came, he became still more unfaithful toward the LORD (28:22). Compare Manasseh, who later in his distress humbled himself in the LORD’s presence and was heard (33:12-13). Hardship alone does not change a heart; people can be struck by God’s discipline and still refuse to repent (Jeremiah 5:3; Revelation 16:11).
- 2 Chronicles 28:22 (BSB)“In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.”In his distress Ahaz becomes even more unfaithful to the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 (BSB)“And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition. So He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.”Manasseh, in contrast, humbled himself in his distress, and the LORD heard him and restored him.
- Jeremiah 5:3 (BSB)“O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.”God’s people were struck yet refused correction and repentance, as Ahaz did.
- Revelation 16:11 (BSB)“and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores. Yet they did not repent of their deeds.”Even under God’s judgments people may curse Him and refuse to repent.
Theological
What does 28:22 say about Ahaz’s response to his distress?
Answer: He turned still further away from the LORD than he had before
The verse sets Ahaz’s distress and his deepened unfaithfulness side by side (28:22). Affliction did not soften him but hardened him, the reverse of Manasseh, who humbled himself in his distress and was restored (33:12-13). Suffering by itself does not produce repentance; apart from grace the heart remains set against God even under judgment (Jeremiah 5:3; Revelation 16:11). What turns a sinner is God’s mercy, not merely pressure.
- 2 Chronicles 28:22 (BSB)“In the time of his distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the LORD.”In his distress Ahaz becomes even more unfaithful to the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 33:12-13 (BSB)“And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition. So He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.”Manasseh, in contrast, humbled himself in his distress, and the LORD heard him and restored him.
- Jeremiah 5:3 (BSB)“O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.”God’s people were struck yet refused correction and repentance, as Ahaz did.
- Revelation 16:11 (BSB)“and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores. Yet they did not repent of their deeds.”Even under God’s judgments people may curse Him and refuse to repent.
General
True or False: Oded told the soldiers that since Judah was guilty, Israel was free to keep the captives as slaves.
Answer: False
This is false. Oded said the opposite. The soldiers planned to make people from Judah and Jerusalem their slaves, but Oded asked whether they had not sinned against the LORD as well (28:10). He commanded them to send back the captives they had taken from their own relatives, because the LORD’s fierce anger now rested on Israel (28:11). Judah’s sin did not cancel Israel’s sin, and God’s law had forbidden Israelites to rule harshly over their fellow Israelites (Leviticus 25:46). The law also said that the Israelites were the LORD’s own servants, whom He had brought out of Egypt, and must never be sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:42).
- 2 Chronicles 28:10-11 (BSB)“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.””Oded asks whether Israel is not guilty too and commands the captives to be returned.
- Leviticus 25:46 (BSB)“You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.”The law forbade an Israelite to rule harshly over his fellow Israelite, which enslaving Judah would have done.
- Leviticus 25:42 (BSB)“Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves.”The Israelites belonged to the LORD as His servants and were not to be sold as slaves, yet Israel meant to enslave its kinsmen.
Theological
True or False: Oded reasoned that Judah’s guilt entitled Israel to keep the captives from Judah as slaves.
Answer: False
This is false. Oded turns the question back on the victors: they meant to enslave people from Judah and Jerusalem, yet they too stood guilty in the LORD’s sight (28:10). He orders the captives, their own kinsmen, returned, since the LORD’s fierce anger now lies on Israel (28:11). The law forbade harsh rule over a fellow Israelite (Leviticus 25:46), since the Israelites belonged to the LORD as His servants, redeemed from Egypt, and were never to be sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:42). Judah’s chastening did not make Israel righteous.
- 2 Chronicles 28:10-11 (BSB)“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.””Oded asks whether Israel is not guilty too and commands the captives to be returned.
- Leviticus 25:46 (BSB)“You may leave them to your sons after you to inherit as property; you can make them slaves for life. But as for your brothers, the Israelites, no man may rule harshly over his brother.”The law forbade an Israelite to rule harshly over his fellow Israelite, which enslaving Judah would have done.
- Leviticus 25:42 (BSB)“Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves.”The Israelites belonged to the LORD as His servants and were not to be sold as slaves, yet Israel meant to enslave its kinsmen.
General
What did the prophet Oded say the army of Israel had done wrong (28:9)?
Answer: They had killed Judah’s people in a fury that rose up to heaven
Oded, the LORD’s prophet (a messenger who spoke God’s word), confronted the army as it came back to Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom (28:9). He granted that the LORD, in His anger at Judah, had given Judah into their power. But they had gone far beyond carrying out God’s judgment: they had killed with a fury so great that it rose up to heaven. God used Israel to discipline Judah, yet Israel remained accountable for its own cruelty. Scripture describes the same pattern with nations God used against His people: His anger was slight, but they made the disaster worse (Zechariah 1:15), and Assyria, God’s rod of anger, had it in its heart to destroy many nations (Isaiah 10:5-7).
- 2 Chronicles 28:9 (BSB)“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.”Oded meets the returning army and charges them with slaughter in a rage that reached heaven.
- Zechariah 1:15 (BSB)“but I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they have added to the calamity.’”God was a little angry with His people, but the nations He used added to the calamity, the same excess Oded condemns.
- Isaiah 10:5-7 (BSB)“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.”Assyria is God’s instrument of judgment yet is guilty for its own intent to destroy, as Israel was here.
Theological
What charge does Oded bring against the victorious northern army in 28:9?
Answer: They had killed Judah’s people in a fury that rose up to heaven
Oded affirms the divine side of the defeat: the LORD, angry with Judah, delivered Judah into Israel’s hand (28:9). He then indicts the human agents, whose slaughter was carried out with a fury that reached heaven. The passage holds God’s sovereign use of an army and that army’s full moral responsibility together without strain. The same pairing appears where God is a little angry with His people while the nations add to the calamity (Zechariah 1:15), and where Assyria is the rod of God’s anger yet sets its heart on destroying many nations (Isaiah 10:5-7). Israel’s role as God’s instrument did not excuse its excess, and so Oded goes on to warn that Israel too is guilty (28:10).
- 2 Chronicles 28:9 (BSB)“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.”Oded meets the returning army and charges them with slaughter in a rage that reached heaven.
- Zechariah 1:15 (BSB)“but I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they have added to the calamity.’”God was a little angry with His people, but the nations He used added to the calamity, the same excess Oded condemns.
- Isaiah 10:5-7 (BSB)“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.”Assyria is God’s instrument of judgment yet is guilty for its own intent to destroy, as Israel was here.
General
What did Ahaz do to the LORD’s house after turning to Damascus’ gods (28:24)?
Answer: He broke up its articles, closed its doors, and set altars all over Jerusalem
Ahaz gathered the articles of God’s house and cut them to pieces, closed up the LORD’s house, and set up his own altars at every corner of Jerusalem; throughout Judah’s towns he set up high places (hilltop shrines) for offering incense to foreign gods, provoking the LORD to anger (28:24-25). When he died he was buried in Jerusalem, though not in the royal tombs (28:27), as had happened with Jehoram before him (21:20). The closed doors set the scene for the next chapter, where his son Hezekiah’s first act is to open them (29:3).
- 2 Chronicles 28:24-25 (BSB)“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.”Ahaz cuts up the temple articles, shuts its doors, and fills Jerusalem and Judah with altars to other gods.
- 2 Chronicles 28:27 (BSB)“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. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.”Ahaz is buried in Jerusalem but not in the tombs of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 21:20 (BSB)“Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He died, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”Jehoram was likewise buried apart from the tombs of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 29:3 (BSB)“In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD.”Hezekiah reverses his father’s act by opening and repairing the temple doors.
Theological
What measures against the temple does 28:24-25 attribute to Ahaz?
Answer: He broke up its articles, closed its doors, and set altars all over Jerusalem
Ahaz’s apostasy culminates in shutting down the LORD’s worship altogether: the temple articles are cut up, the doors closed, rival altars set up throughout Jerusalem, and high places built in every town of Judah for offering incense to foreign gods, provoking the LORD (28:24-25). He is buried in Jerusalem but excluded from the royal tombs (28:27), like Jehoram (21:20). The closed doors are the exact point at which Hezekiah’s reform begins (29:3).
- 2 Chronicles 28:24-25 (BSB)“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.”Ahaz cuts up the temple articles, shuts its doors, and fills Jerusalem and Judah with altars to other gods.
- 2 Chronicles 28:27 (BSB)“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. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.”Ahaz is buried in Jerusalem but not in the tombs of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 21:20 (BSB)“Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He died, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”Jehoram was likewise buried apart from the tombs of the kings.
- 2 Chronicles 29:3 (BSB)“In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD.”Hezekiah reverses his father’s act by opening and repairing the temple doors.