Bible Commentaries
2 Chronicles 28

Verses 1-27

L. Ahaz ch. 28

With the reign of Ahaz the Chronicler introduced a new interest, namely, the prospect of captivity for Judah, which he again called "Israel"-the true Israel-twice in this chapter (2 Chronicles 28:19; 2 Chronicles 28:23).

Why did Israel go into captivity? Why did the perfectly obedient Davidic King not appear? Ahaz’s behavior helps explain the reason. The writer selected three major events from Ahaz’s reign: the king’s idolatry (2 Chronicles 28:2-15), his appeal for help to Assyria (2 Chronicles 28:16-21), and his sacrifices to foreign gods (2 Chronicles 28:22-25).

Ahaz’s heart was far from God. He was more like Saul in this respect than like David. Even though he failed to obey God, like the other kings, there is no mention of his ever repenting when God chastened him. Instead he hardened his heart even more (2 Chronicles 28:22; cf. the pharaoh of the Exodus). The reason for Israel’s exile was the hardness of heart that Ahaz exemplified. At this time in her history, the nation needed a faithful Son of David more than ever. A prophet who spoke in Ahaz’s reign promised that He would appear (Isaiah 7:1 to Isaiah 12:6).

In Ahaz’s day the army of Israel threatened to capture the people of Judah and lead them into slavery (2 Chronicles 28:8; 2 Chronicles 28:10). While God prevented this (2 Chronicles 28:9-15), the threat of captivity by another foreign foe became a more realistic possibility. The Edomites even captured some Judahites and took them to Edom (2 Chronicles 28:17). The Philistines took some of Judah’s glory (i.e., towns) captive during the Philistine conquest (2 Chronicles 28:18), and Ahaz gave more of it away to Tiglath-Pileser III (treasure, 2 Chronicles 28:21). Ahaz’s personal disregard for Yahweh mirrored his disrespect for the temple.

"Under Ahaz, Judah appeared to have reached its nadir. But for the Chronicler there was always hope of tragedy and despair being turned to rejoicing through repentance. Such a return would occur preeminently under Hezekiah, the king most like David (cf. 2 Chronicles 29:2; 2 Chronicles 29:25-30)." [Note: Thompson, p. 340.]