Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
2 Chronicles 28:18

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Prosperity followed by disaster (25:1-28:27)

Succeeding kings of Israel are passed over in silence (2 Kings 13:1-25). Judah was to have nothing to do with the northern kingdom, not even to the hiring of Israelite soldiers. Amaziah took the advice, and was rewarded with victory in a battle against Edom. But the victory, instead of increasing his dependence on God, gave him a feeling of independence. He turned from God and worshipped idols. The ungodly northern kingdom then became God’s instrument to punish the rebellious southern kingdom (25:1-28; see notes on 2 Kings 14:1-22).

Under the rule of Jeroboam II in the north (2 Kings 14:23-29) and Uzziah (or Azariah) in the south, both kingdoms enjoyed remarkable growth and prosperity. Unfortunately, this made Uzziah proud, and he arrogantly took to himself the rights of a priest. The writer points out that although the priesthood and the kingship were both appointed by God, they were separate and independent systems. One could not take over the functions of the other (26:1-23; see notes on 2 Kings 15:1-7).

Jotham followed the good policies of his father, while being careful not to repeat his father’s errors. In the Chronicler’s view, Jotham’s fear of God was the source of his strength and success (27:1-9; see notes on 2 Kings 15:32-38).

The great prosperity throughout both kingdoms was followed by unbelievable chaos. In the north the kingdom of Israel almost collapsed (2 Kings 15:8-31), and in the south the disastrous reign of Ahaz almost brought destruction to Judah (28:1-27; see notes on 2 Kings 16:1-20). Within a short time the northern kingdom was conquered by Assyria and its people carried away captive. This was the end of the northern kingdom (2 Kings 17:1-41).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

AHAZ MAKES JUDAH A VASSAL OF ASSYRIA
IN HIS APPEAL TO THEM FOR HELP

"At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland, and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, and Aijalon, and Gederoth, and Soco with the towns thereof, and Timnah with the towns thereof, and Gimzo with the towns thereof: and they dwelt there. For Jehovah brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he had dealt wantonly in Judah, and trespassed sore against Jehovah. And Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came unto him and distressed him, but strengthened him not. For Ahaz took away a portion out of the house of Jehovah, and out of the house of the king and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria, but it helped him not."

"Ahaz king of Israel" In the view of the Chronicler, Judah was the only real Israel left, after the apostasy of the northern tribes, and thus in this line he referred to Ahaz as king of Israel, meaning the king of Judah, the only real Israel.

(See our comments in Second Kings upon this disastrous maneuver of Ahaz in seeking aid from Assyria and, in doing so, making himself, in effect, a vassal of that ambitious and cruel monolithic empire.)

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Philistia also, eager to retaliate the blows she had received from Uzziah 2 Chronicles 26:6, seized her opportunity. Ajalon and Shocho were among the cities fortified by Rehoboam 2 Chronicles 11:7, 2 Chronicles 11:10; Beth-shemesh Joshua 15:10 was famous as the scene of Amaziah’s defeat 2 Chronicles 25:21. Gimzo, which is not elsewhere mentioned in Scripture has been probably identified with the modern Jimzu, a large village about 2 12 miles from Ludd (the ancient Lydda).

Smith's Bible Commentary

By Chuck Smith

Shall we turn now to II Chronicles, chapter 28.

We are now moving into the final stages of the deterioration of this nation prior to its destruction. Ahaz is now the king.

He is twenty years old when he began to reign ( 2 Chronicles 28:1 ),

And he is an extremely wicked person. And it is really during his reign that the kingdom sinks to a lower level spiritually than it ever has. And this begins the final downward trend. There are few respites. Hezekiah, his son, was a very good king. Manasseh, Hezekiah's son, was a wicked king. And then the son of Manasseh, Josiah, was again a very good king. But each time you get to the wicked kings it seems like their wickedness is just a little deeper or greater than the previous ones.

Now among the things that Ahaz did was to

walk in the ways of the kings of Israel [in the north] ( 2 Chronicles 28:2 ),

Establishing the worship of Baal, and in establishing the worship of Baal, caused his children to pass through the fire.

Now some people wonder why God ordered the extermination of the Canaanites when the children of Israel came into the land. And it seems a very cruel thing for God to order them to wipe out all of the inhabitants of that land as they moved in. And it has created great problems for some people. How could a God of love order the extermination of a whole race of people? But if you will get into the practices of their worship and you begin to study their whole cultural system, you will see why God ordered their extermination. Because they had come to a place of such depravity, even in their concepts and worship of God, that they would in time destroy themselves.

One of the practices in the worship of Baal was to cause your children to pass through the fire. They would heat the little iron or stone images of Baal until they were glowing hot, and then the little images of Baal have always arms that are straight out from the body with the fingers turned up, and that was so that they could hold the infants. And these little images when they would turn molten red, they would place then their little babies in the molten red arms of the image of Baal and sacrifice their babies unto Baal. And so this king Ahaz was actually guilty of causing his own children to pass through the fire. And he got into all of the pagan practices in their religious system, forsaking the worship of the true and the living God and following after the worship that was common in the nations that God ordered exterminated. God ordered to get rid of them completely because of their disobedience to God and their failure to utterly exterminate these nations. Gradually the practice of these nations became sort of inculcated into the life of the people of God and they polluted the people of God, and ultimately caused the fall of God's people.

So God was only seeking to protect them from this poison, this venom, in order that they might continue in the land and continue to serve the Lord. And it was their failure of obeying God that led to their ultimate downfall as they began to pick up the practices of the people round about.

Now as we are in this particular period in history, as we are dealing now with Ahaz and then subsequently Hezekiah, this is about the time, Hezekiah's reign, Ahaz only reigned for sixteen years. Hezekiah was the time when Isaiah was the prophet of God. And you can go into the book of Isaiah and you can read how he speaks against those who had followed after the astrology and the stargazers and the monthly prognosticators and so forth, and he speaks of the things that they became involved with in false worship. As we move on after Hezekiah in the period of Manasseh, it was Manasseh, actually, who ordered Isaiah the prophet sawed in two. He didn't want to hear any more of God's word.

But God raised up another prophet during the time of Josiah, the prophet Jeremiah. And Jeremiah is the prophet who, talking to the people at this period of history, he said, "Has there ever been such a thing before that a people will turn from their God which are no gods?" In other words, those people that worshipped false gods won't turn away from their god. They'll continue to worship false gods generation after generation after generation. Of course, the reason is is that in the worship of false gods there is an appeal to the flesh. Thus, there is no spiritual struggle.

To worship the true and the living God does create a conflict within. The moment I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior, begin to serve the Lord, there is a conflict, an internal conflict that is set up within me, the flesh warring against the Spirit, the Spirit against the flesh. These two are contrary. The battle begins. But in worshipping the false gods, they are extremely appealing to the flesh, and thus, there is no conflict set up. And thus, people who worship false gods will continue in the worship of false gods from generation to generation. And so Jeremiah points it out. He said, "Have you ever seen such a thing? People will turn from their God, which really aren't gods. They're not even true gods but people won't turn. They're very loyal to them." And yet, God said, "You have turned away from Me. You have left Me, the fountain of living waters."

Living waters is a running stream. "You have left Me, the fountain of living waters, and you have hewn out for yourself, carved out for yourselves cisterns," which are great caves that they carve out in the limestone over there in Israel in order that they might be water reservoirs. But they collect the water in the winter rains and then hold them through the summer season. But you know what water does that's collected in a cistern like that. It soon begins to get stagnant. The little wiggle tails and all in it. So cisterns can only really hold stagnant water at the best. "But here you've forsaken Me," God said, "the fountain of living water and you've cut out for yourselves cisterns. You've followed now religious systems that really... " But He said, concerning their cisterns, "They can't hold water."

Every once in a while they carve out a cistern and there would be a fracture in the rocks. So you set the whole thing up and you pray for the rain and you got the thing all designed, you got all your little dikes built, and you direct all of the rain to the hole that you put in the top of the cistern. And you watch the water running in down your dikes and in, and you hear it splashing. You say, "All right, now this is great." And so you go out the next morning to draw a bucket of water out and there's no water in it. Suddenly you discovered after three years of picking away at this rock in carving out your cistern, there's a fracture in it somewhere and it won't hold water. And so you use it for a tomb.

Interestingly enough, there is a tomb on the Mount of Olives just below the Intercontinental Hotel that was originally a cistern, cut out for a cistern. Didn't hold water so they used it for a tomb. So God's complaint against the people. "You've turned from Me." Ahaz turned from God. Followed the practices.

Now you see, in following these practices and getting into these horrible, abominable practices, it was for these things that God brought His judgment upon these nations. And now His own people are following these same things. The reason why God ordered them exterminated is so that they would not infect His people with these practices. But their disobedience led to their infection, which led ultimately to their destruction. And so Ahaz, an extremely wicked king, and because of his wickedness there was a rapid deterioration of the strength of the kingdom.

Verse 2 Chronicles 28:5 :

So the LORD delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and he was brought with them to Damascus. And he was delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter ( 2 Chronicles 28:5 ).

That is the northern kingdom. And 120,000 of his men were killed in one day of battle.

they were all very valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. And then the children of Israel carried away two hundred thousand of their brothers, and their children, and women, as captives ( 2 Chronicles 28:6 , 2 Chronicles 28:8 ).

But when they brought these captives unto Israel, some of the old men of Israel said, "Hey, that you can't do. They are actually our brothers still and you can't bring those of Judah as slaves." They were going to make slaves out of them and some of the older men in the northern kingdom of Israel spoke out against this. And so they brought the people back again from that particular captivity.

Now in verse 2 Chronicles 28:16 :

The king sent to the... [Ahaz took money and sent to the] king of Assyria to come and help him ( 2 Chronicles 28:16 ).

Because the Philistines have moved against him and took several of the cities. The Edomites moved against him and took several of the cities of the southern portion. The Philistines were taking the cities of the western portion. The Israelites were taking the cities from the northern portion. He was getting wiped out on every side. And so he sent for the king of Assyria to come and help him. And rather than helping him, he also just took his money and did nothing to help him in his distress.

Verse 2 Chronicles 28:19 :

For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz the king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD. And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, and would not help him. And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore I'll sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and all Israel ( 2 Chronicles 28:19-20 , 2 Chronicles 28:22-23 ).

And so the reason for, of course, his problems--his forsaking of God clearly declared, and in his distress, rather than turning to God he just went deeper into the abomination. Beginning to worship the gods of the Syrians saying, "Well, because the Syrians wiped us out, their gods must be stronger than our God." And began to worship them and he and his practices became the ruin of the people. The worship of these false gods.

Now Ahaz died and his son Hezekiah began to reign in his stead ( 2 Chronicles 28:27 ).

"

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

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.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country,.... Which lay nearest to them, as Sharon, Lydda, Joppa, c. in revenge of what Uzziah had done to them, 2 Chronicles 26:6, and of the south of Judah they penetrated as far as that, from the west to the south of the land:

and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho, with the villages thereof and Timnah with the villages thereof; of which see Joshua 15:10

and Gimzo also, and the villages thereof; which though nowhere else mentioned in Scripture, yet we frequently read in Jewish writings l of Nahum, a man of Ganizu, which perhaps is the same place with this:

and they dwelt there; kept them in their hands, and inhabited them.

l T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 21. 1. Sanhedrin, fol. 108. 2, &c.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

16 At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. 17 For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. 18 The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah, and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof: and they dwelt there. 19 For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made Judah naked, and transgressed sore against the LORD. 20 And Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria came unto him, and distressed him, but strengthened him not. 21 For Ahaz took away a portion [out] of the house of the LORD, and out of the house of the king, and of the princes, and gave it unto the king of Assyria: but he helped him not. 22 And in the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD: this is that king Ahaz. 23 For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel. 24 And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God, and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made him altars in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 And in every several city of Judah he made high places to burn incense unto other gods, and provoked to anger the LORD God of his fathers. 26 Now the rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

Verses 16-27 

Here is, I. The great distress which the kingdom of Ahaz was reduced to for his sin. In general, 1. The Lord brought Judah low, 2 Chronicles 28:19. They had lately been very high in wealth and power; but God found means to bring them down, and make them as despicable as they had been formidable. Those that will not humble themselves under the word of God will justly be humbled by his judgments. Iniquity brings men low, Psalms 106:43. Psalms 106:2. Ahaz made Judah naked. As his sin debased them, so it exposed them. It made them naked to their shame; for it exposed them to contempt, as a man unclothed. It made them naked to their danger; for it exposed them to assaults, as a man unarmed, Exodus 32:25. Sin strips men. In particular, the Edomites, to be revenged for Amaziah's cruel treatment of them (2 Chronicles 25:12), smote Judah, and carried off many captives, 2 Chronicles 28:17. The Philistines also insulted them, took and kept possession of several cities and villages that lay near them (2 Chronicles 28:18), and so they were revenged for the incursions which Uzziah had made upon them, 2 Chronicles 26:6. And, to show that it was purely the sin of Ahaz that brought the Philistines upon his country, in the very year that he died the prophet Isaiah foretold the destruction of the Philistines by his son, Isaiah 14:28, Isaiah 14:29. 

II. The addition which Ahaz made both to the national distress and the national guilt. 

1. He added to the distress, by making court to strange kings, in hopes they would relieve him. When the Edomites and Philistines were vexatious to him, he sent to the kings of Assyria to help him (2 Chronicles 28:16); for he found his own kingdom weakened and made naked, and he could not put any confidence in God, and therefore was at a vast expense to get an interest in the king of Assyria. He pillaged the house of God, and the king's house, and squeezed the princes for money to hire these foreign forces into his service, 2 Chronicles 28:21. Though he had conformed to the idolatry of the heathen nations, his neighbours, they did not value him for that, nor love him the better, nor did his compliance, by which he lost God, gain them, nor could he make any interest in them, but with his money. It is often found that wicked men themselves have no real affection for those that revolt to them, nor do they care to do them a kindness. A degenerate branch is looked upon, on all sides, as an abominable branch, Isaiah 14:19. But what did Ahaz get by the king of Assyria? Why, he came to him,but he distressed him, and strengthened him not (2 Chronicles 28:20), helped him not, 2 Chronicles 28:21. The forces of the Assyrian quartered upon his country, and so impoverished and weakened it; they grew insolent and imperious, and created him a great deal of vexation, like a broken reed, which not only fails, but pierces the hand. 

2. He added to the guilt, by making court to strange gods, in hopes they would relieve him. In his distress, instead of repenting of his idolatry, which he had reason enough to see the folly of, he trespassed yet more (2 Chronicles 28:22), was more mad than ever upon his idols. A brand of infamy is here set upon him for it: This is that king Ahaz, that wretched man, who was the scandal of the house of David and the curse and plague of his generation. Note, Those are wicked and vile indeed that are made worse by their afflictions, instead of being made better by them, who in their distress trespass yet more, have their corruptions exasperated by that which should mollify them, and their hearts more fully set in them to do evil.Let us see what his trespass was. (1.) He abused the house of God; for he cut in pieces the vessels of it, that the priests might not perform the service of the temple, or not as it should be performed, for want of vessels; and, at length, he shut up the doors, that the people might not attend it,2 Chronicles 28:24. This was worse than the worst of the kings before him had done. (2.) He confronted the altar of God, for he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem; so that, as the prophet speaks, they were like heaps in the furrows of the fields, Hosea 12:11. And in the cities of Judah, either by his power or by his purse, perhaps by both, he erected high places for the people to burn incense to what idols they pleased, as if on purpose to provoke the God of his fathers, 2 Chronicles 28:25. (3.) He cast off God himself; for he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus (2 Chronicles 28:23), not because he loved them, for he thought they smote him; but because he feared them, thinking that they helped his enemies, and that, if he could bring them into his interest, they would help him. Foolish man! It was his own God that smote him and strengthened the Syrians against him, not the gods of Damascus; had he sacrificed to him, and to him only, he would have helped him. But no marvel that men's affections and devotions are misplaced when they mistake the author of their trouble and their help. And what comes of it? The gods of Syria befriend Ahaz no more than the kings of Assyria did; they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. This sin provoked God to bring judgments upon them, to cut him off in the midst of his days, when he was but thirty-six years old; and it debauched the people so that the reformation of the next reign could not prevail to cure them of their inclination to idolatry, but they retained that root of bitterness till the captivity in Babylon plucked it up. 

The chapter concludes with the conclusion of the reign of Ahaz, 2 Chronicles 28:26-27. For aught that appears, he died impenitent, and therefore died inglorious; for he was not buried in the sepulchres of the kings. Justly was he thought unworthy to be laid among them who was so unlike them—to be buried with kings who had used his kingly power for the destruction of the church and not for its protection or edification.