28:1 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.

 

Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah all continued to prophesy during the reign of Ahaz, but he did not listen to them. All kings were measured by the human standard of David.

 

28:2 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel; he also made images of the Baals. 

 

Ahaz brought Baalism back into Judah.

 

28:3 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. 

 

It seems that Hinnom was the owner of this valley where human sacrifices were practiced.  His name eventually became attached to this “valley of fire.” At this location, children were sacrificed to the Moabite “god” Molech. 

 

28:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree. 

 

Demonic nature gods were re-instituted in Judah.

 

28:5 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.

 

Jehovah allowed Syria to defeat Judah. Syria enslaved many of the Judah soldiers. Damascus was the capital city of Syria.

 

28:6 In one day King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors.

 

Pekah was the evil king of Israel during the reign of King Ahaz. He killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, possibly in one day. During Pekah’s reign, Isaiah gave the great virgin birth prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. Ahaz rejected the prophecy and found himself defeated by Syria.

 

28:7 Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the supervisor of the palace, and Elkanah, the king’s second-in-command. 

 

Zikri was from the large tribe of Ephraim. He killed the prince of Judah. 

 

28:8 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. 

 

Israel plundered Judah and took their wives.

 

28:9 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.

 

God was not happy about this situation. God handed Judah over to Israel for divine discipline. However, Israel should not have enslaved Judah, plundered them, and taken their wives. Obed the prophet was mentioned only this one time in Scripture.

 

28:10 And now you are planning to enslave the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Yet are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? 

 

Enslaving fellow Jews was forbidden by the Mosaic Law, unless it was temporary for a debt collection.

 

28:11 Now listen to me! Send back those you have seized from your brothers, for the Lord is very angry at you!”

 

The prophet warned Israel that they were to immediately release the Judah slaves.

 

28:12 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. 

 

The Ephraimites listened to the prophet and took the lead on this illegal slavery issue.

 

28:13 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.”

 

The Ephraimites warned the rest of the tribes of Israel that the Judah slaves needed to be released, or God would release His wrath upon Israel.

 

28:14 So the soldiers released the captives and the plunder before the officials and the entire assembly. 

 

Israel decided not to make Jehovah angry.

 

28:15 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 the date palm trees, and then returned to Samaria. 

 

Israel fed and clothed the Judah slaves. She gave them supplies and allowed them to return to Jericho.

 

28:16 At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help. 

 

Assyria was the up-and-coming world power. She was one of the most evil and brutal empires in world history. Assyria was a nation of Satan-worshipers. Judah should not have sought help from a nation of satanists. Judah should have turned to Jehovah.

 

28:17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried off captives. 

 

Since Judah was not trusting in Jehovah, then Jehovah sent the Edomites to defeat and enslave Israel.

 

28:18 The Philistines had raided the cities of Judah in the lowlands 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. 

 

The Philistines raided and captured many of the cities in Judah.

 

28:19 The Lord humiliated Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very unfaithful to the Lord. 

 

Judah was defeated because of the lack of leadership by King Ahaz.

 

28:20 King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came, but he gave him more trouble than support.

 

The Assyrian king refused to help Judah.

 

28:21 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. 

 

Ahaz paid the Assyrians mercenary money. The Assyrian king took the money, but did not help.

 

28:22 During his time of trouble King Ahaz was even more unfaithful to the Lord. 

 

Jehovah brought trouble on Ahaz in order to bring him back to God. Instead, the trouble hardened Ahaz even more. Man is so totally depraved and evil, that he wants God to just leave him alone so that he can live and die in his sin. Man is drowning, but he refuses to take the Divine Lifeguard’s hand.

 

28:23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus whom he thought had defeated him. He reasoned, “Since the gods of the kings of Damascus helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they caused him and all Israel to stumble. 

 

Ahaz enjoyed his sin so much, that he preferred worshiping demonic gods from Damascus more than he did the one true God of Israel.

 

28:24 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. 

 

King Ahaz shut down temple worship in Judah.

 

28:25 In every city throughout Judah he set up high places to offer sacrifices to other gods. He angered the Lord God of his ancestors. 

 

King Ahaz eliminated the worship of Jehovah and replaced it with demonic paganism. This is a satanic strategy which is attempted in every culture in every nation. Satan does not care whom a person worships, as long as the person or being receiving worship is not the one true God.

 

28:26 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.

 

"The Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel" was an uninspired book which has been lost.

 

28:27 Ahaz passed away and was buried in the City of David; they did not bring him to the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah replaced him as king. 

 

Ahaz was so evil that his own people did not even give him a royal funeral.