Meditations on 2 Kings 16

2 Kings only provides a brief overview of the massive wickedness of King Ahaz. Ahaz was a wicked king who sacrificed much for his gods and himself:

But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel. (v.3)

The act of having the King’s son offered to a pagan God was abhorrent. Like many today, he sacrificed his children for his own ends.

It was a sign of depravity and the lack of a fear of God that would play itself out in national affairs when Judah was invaded.

His plan: Loot the House of the Lord to buy off the King of Assyria:

And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.

And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.

And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof.

And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus.

And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.

And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar.

And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the LORD, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar.

And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by.

Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon the pavement of stones.

And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria.-vs. 8-18

Ahaz committed such acts of sacrilege that few foreign kings have been so audacious. It is reminder both of the importance of Godly leaders and Godly people.

Ahaz took the small and free state his father had left him and turned it into a Vassal of Assyria. The consequences of his actions would be felt for generations.

There’s also something to be said of a people that slowly but surely had turned itself from God. To the discredit of Judah, there was no Judas Maccaeus to stand against the paganism of the King.

There was a prophet by the name of Isaiah, whose words fell on deaf ears. Ahaz’s reign marked a terrible turning point in the history of Judah. During the following century plus, Judah would be blessed with two of its most righteous kings, but their righteous deeds could not survive the wickedness of a people that had begun to view the Word of God as common and heeded not his warning. From the story of Judah, we learn God is loving and long-suffering, but that his judgment doesn’t sleep forever.

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