2 Chr 25.1-28 tells us about Joash’s successor, Amaziah (strength of Yah). There is more information here than in 2 Kings 14 about Amaziah. He is the first king to reign after the murder of Zechariah in the Temple. He continued to reign in a godly way which was begun by his father, but not with a whole or loyal heart. In this he did not compare to David favorably. He killed the servants who killed his father, but not their children (Deut 24.16). After this he prepares for battle against the Edomites. He counted 300,000 choice men, 25 years old and up from Judah and Benjamin. He also hired 100,000 mercenaries from Israel, but a prophet came forward and said that Amaziah was not to take the army of Israel with him, he said the Lord was not with the army of Israel. He couldn’t get the money back from paying the soldiers, but the prophet said God had much more to give him than that. It made sense to have as large an army as he could, but it did not make sense spiritually. God had all power and authority anyway and he didn’t need an army at all. When he dismissed the Ephraimite troops they felt slighted and dishonored. They returned home in anger, and this shows why Yehovah didn’t want them. But Amaziah was not discouraged with the loss of troops and he defeated the sons of Seir (Edomites) in the Valley of Salt (between Judah and Edom, south of the Dead Sea) and killed 10,000, and Judah captured another 10,000 and threw them off a cliff near Petra. Why they did this is not easy to say. However, the army of Israel returned home, but returned and raided the cities of Judah from Samaria to Beth-horon. This shows how evil the released Israelites really were. They were determined to enrich themselves through plunder. This also teaches us that Amaziah was very foolish in trying to enlist the help of the Israelites. In our life, we need to be careful about who we align ourselves with because there will be consequences afterward which will follow us and cause damage. Sin can be forgiven but the consequences can be harsh. After Amaziah returned, be brought the gods of the Edomites with him and set them up as his gods, and bowed down to them and burned incense to them. He failed to thank Yehovah in the process. Why would he worship gods who couldn’t save the Edomites? As a result, Yehovah sent a prophet to make that very point. But Amaziah rejected the word of the prophet, saying that he was not an advisor to the king. But the prophet said he knew that God had planned to destroy Amaziah because he would not listen. Amaziah wanted to clothe his desire to defeat Israel in revenge by issuing what seemed to be an invitation to fight a battle, hoping he could unite the two kingdoms under himself. Amaziah knew that Yoash, king of Israel, would spurn the invitation, and then he could wage war against them. But Yoash was confident, as seen in his answer (v 18-19), and Amaziah miscalculated the strength of Israel. Yehovah directed Amaziah’s thoughts (v 20) to reject what Yoash said in order to punish him for his idol worship (v 16). So, they faced each other in battle and Judah was defeated. Amaziah was captured and taken to Jerusalem (the battle was in Judah’s territory). Yoash tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim (called this because it opened up to Ephraimite territory and when they came to the Temple they would enter there) and the Corner Gate (also called the “Turning Gate”). Because of his attack on Israel, he lost gold and silver to Yoash, but also the people. Sometimes our bad decisions hurt others. Amaziah was hated and the people conspired against him. He had turned away from the Lord to idolatry and he fled to Lachish, a city of idols (Mic 1.13). He thought that if he fled he would be safe, but he was wrong. But the assassins who wanted to kill Amaziah sent word to have him killed there, and he was. It says he was buried “in the city of Judah” (Jerusalem-2 Kings 14.20). If he wanted to unite the two states and rule over them from Jerusalem, this phrase is ironic.
v 1…Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king (there will be extra information here than in 2 Kings 14 about Amaziah. He is the first king after the murder of Zechariah and he continued to reign in a godly way which was begun by his father) and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem (the queen mother of Givorah).
v 2…And he did right in the sight of the Lord yet not with a whole (loyal) heart).
v 3…Now it came about as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, that he killed his servants who had slain his father the king.
v 4…However, he did not put their children to death, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses (Deut 24.16), which the Lord commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”
v 5…Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout JUdah and Benjamin; and he took a census of those from twenty years old and upward and found them to be 300,000 choice men, able to go to war and handle spear and shield.
v 6…He hired also 100,000 valiant warriors out of Israel (the other tribes) for one hundred talents of silver.
v 7…But a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim (northern tribes).
v 8…But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will bring you down before the enemy, for God has power to help and to bring down.”
v 9…And Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of of God answered, “The Lord has much more to give you than this (who has the fullness of the earth; it made sense to have a large army, but it did not make sense spiritually because God had all power and did not need an army at all).”
v 10…Then Amaziah dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home, so their anger burned against Judah and they returned home in fierce anger (they felt slighted and dishonored).
v 11…Now Amaziah strengthened himself (not discouraged for the loss of troops), and led his people forth, and went to the Valley of Salt, and struck down 10,000 of the sons of Seir (Edomites who dwelt in Seir).
v 12…The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff (“Cela” in Hebrew and may have been Petra), and threw them down from the top of the cliff so that they were all dashed to pieces.
v 13…But the troops whom Amaziah sent back (Ephraim-v 10) from going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 of them, and plundered much spoil (this shows how evil they really were, they were determined to enrich themselves through plunder; this teaches us that there cane be harsh consequences after we align ourselves with evil people).
v 14…Now it came about after Amaziah came from slaughtering the Edomites that he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, set them up as his gods, bow3d down before them, and burned incense to them (instead of thanking Yehovah; why would he worship gods who couldn’t even save the Edomites?).
v 15…Then the anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah and he sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who have delivered their own people from your hand?”
v 16…And it came about as he was talking with him that the king said to him, “Have we appointed you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this, and have not listened to my counsel.”
v 17…Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other (Amaziah knew he would spurn the offer and then wage war with Israel, he wanted to clothe his desire to defeat Israel in revenge by issuing what seemed to be an invitation to fight a battle, hoping he could then unite the two).”
v 18…And Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush (Amaziah) which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar (Joash) which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ BUt there passed by a wild beast (Joash’s army) that was in Lebanon, and trampled the thorn bush (Joash was confident).
v 19…You said, ‘Behold, you have defeated Edom.’ And your heart has become proud in boasting, Now stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble that you, even you, fall and Judah with you.”
v 20…But Amaziah would not listen (to the king of Israel), for it was from God (directed the thoughts of Amaziah), that he might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.
v 21…So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah.
v 22…And Judah was defeated by ISrael, and they fled each to his tent.
v 23…Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim (that opened to Ephraim’s territory so they could enter the temple by that gate) to the Corner Gate (also called the Turning Gate), 400 cubits.
v 24…And he took all the gold and silver, and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with Obed-edom (he was a gatekeeper appointed by David in 1 Chr 26.4-15 and this position of honor was kept in his name for the later generations), and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also (sons of the officials of the royal household to maintain compliance), and returned to Samaria.
v 25…And Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of Jehoahaz king of Israel.
v 26…Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from the first to last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel (not the Scriptures but a scribal record that does not exist anymore)?
v 27…And from the time of Amaziah turned away from following the Lord they conspired against him (he was hated) in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish (a city of idols- Mic 1.13); but they (the assassins) sent after him to Lachish and killed him there.
v 28…Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah (city of David-2 Kings 14.20; if he wanted to unite the two kingdoms and rule over them from Jerusalem, this is ironic because in the end he was buried in the city of David and the status of Jerusalem has not changed).
Chr 26-1-23 begins a narrative dealing with the last ten kings of Judah. We have dealt with the eschatological implications of these kings briefly in our study of 2 Kings 15 through 25 so we are not going over the prophetic implications of these kings again here. We refer you to 2 Kings 15-25 for that. However, we are going to bring out other concepts relating to the “Peshat” (literal) understanding of these chapters. With the ascension of King Uzziah (strength of Yehovah), a basic change in the future of the Jewish people begins. Spiritually, the people are corroding into idolatry. The first indication we have that all is not right is seen in a prophecy given when Uzziah dies in Isa 6.1-13. Four great prophets (Hosea, Isaiah, Amos and Micah) will reveal this corrupt nature within the people. Uzziah was the son of Amaziah and he began to reign when he was 16 years old. His mother’s name (the Givorah) was Jechiliah (Yehovah is able, prevails) of Jerusalem. He sought the Lord during the lifetime of Zechariah (the son of the one Yoash killed-Isa 8.2), who had an understanding of the Lord and the Torah. As long as he did this, God prospered him and he reigned 52 years. He made war on the Philistines, Arabians and the Meunites. The Ammonites brought tribute and his fame spread. Repairs were needed in Jerusalem because of the damage done in the previous reign, note the mention of the Corner Gate in v 9 and how it was damaged in 2 Chr 23.23. The Valley Gate is mentioned in Neh 2.13, 3.13 and Jer 31.40. This gate led to the Kidron Valley. Uzziah also loved the soil and great strides were made in agriculture. He also had an army ready for war and he made “engines” that made it possible to throw stones and shoot arrows. But Uzziah became prideful to the point of ruin. This was the cause of his fall. He entered the Temple to offer incense on the Golden Altar called the Mizbeach Shell Zahav. He was warned not to do this by Azariah the priest, who also had 80 valiant priests with him. So at this point, Uzziah became enraged with the priests and it is believed that he was about to strike the priests with the censor that held the incense. At that moment, Zara’at (Leprosy) began to break out on his forehead (the seat of the intellect and reason) and it is also where the High Priest wears the Tzitz, the golden plate bearing the name of Yehovah, and it sets him apart to God’s service through the concept of Kedusha. Uzziah usurped that honor for himself, and Yehovah struck him with zara’at to testify to the futility of doing that. At the same time there was an earthquake, which was described by Josephus and several other places in the Tanak. Prophetically, this may be prophetic of a coming earthquake right before the Birth-pains begin (the reign of Uzziah) which will destroy the Dome of the Rock, opening the way for the coming Temple to be built. Realizing this was punishment from God, he was hurried out of the Heichal (Holy Place) where the altar of incense was. He lived in a separate house, being a leper, and he was cut off from the Temple. His son Yotham (Yehovah is perfect) became co-regent because Uzziah was unable to fulfill his kingly duties. The house of Uzziah was found between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and it was full of idols. It is two miles south of Rachel’s Hill, and 250 feet by 150 feet, with a casemate wall and a triple gate. Yehovah still does these things today. We become haughty and speak against our brothers, and we want to “cut them off” from others with our words, like a leper. So, Yehovah makes us like one. Like Uzziah, we get insulted and rise up in pride and do harm to others. We think we have the right to stomp right into the Holy Place and come before God to “blow a little smoke” of our own. There were other things that Uzziah did and these were documented by the Prophet Isaiah, but it is not likely that the Book of Isaiah is meant in v 22. Isaiah may have written another book that was not considered Scripture. Uzziah died and was buried with his fathers that was “near them” because of his leprosy, not the actual tomb. The reign of Uzziah is a picture of the days leading up to the Chevlai Shell Mashiach or Birth-pains of the Messiah, and we have developed this out in the teaching on the these last kings of Judah in 2 Kings 15 through 25.
v 1…And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the place of his father Amaziah.
v 2…He built Eloth (Elat; a port on the Red Sea) and restored it to Judah after the king slept with his fathers.
v 3…Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king(He may be a picture of Israel right before the birth-pains), and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem, and his mother’s name was Jechilah of Jerusalem (the queen mother of Givorah).
v 4…And he did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Amaziah had done (before he went into idolatry).
v 5…And he continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah (an unknown prophet and teacher of Uzziah) who had understanding through the vision of God (as a gift, interpreting the prophecies of others); and as long as he sought the Lord, God prospered him.
v 6…Now he went out and warred against the Philistines, and broke down the wall of Gath and the wall of Jabneh (not mentioned other places in Scripture, but many times in rabbinical writings; a rabbinical school was there) and the wall of Ashdod (three main cities), and he built cities in the area of Ashdod and among the Philistines.
v 7…And God helped him against the Philistines and against the Arabians who lived in Gur-baal (same with Gerar and Ashkelon), and the Meunites (Scenite Arabs)-2 Chr 20.1).
v 8…And the Ammonites also gave tribute to Uzziah, and his fame extended to the border of Egypt, for he became strong.
v 9…Moreover, Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate and the Valley Gate (which led to the Kidron Valley-Neh 2.13; Jer 34.40) and at the corner buttress and fortified them (broken down by Israel-2 Chr 25.23).
v 10…And he built towers in the wilderness and hewed many cisterns, for he owned much livestock, both in the lowland (Shephelah Valley) and in the plain. He also had plow men and vinedressers in the hill country and the fertile fields, for he loved the soil (he was involved with agriculture just like Israel today).
v 11…Moreover, Uzziah had an army ready for battle, which entered combat by divisions, according to the number of their muster, prepared by Jeiel the scribe (like a secretary of war) and Maaseiah the official (an officer over them), under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king’s officials (he had command over them).
v 12…The total number of heads of the households, of valiant warriors, was 2,600 (the commanders and main officers).
v 13…And under their direction was an elite army of 307, 500, who could wage war with great power (like the army of Israel today, ready for battle).
v 14…Moreover, Uzziah prepared for all the army shields, spears, helmets, body armor, bows and sling stones.
v 15…And in Jerusalem he made engines of war invented by skillful men (devices to make it easier to throw stones by defenders) to be on the towers and on the corners, for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence (because of this) his fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped (by God) until he was strong.
v 16…But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the Temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense (2 Kings 15.5).
v 17…Then Azariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men (Temple guards).
v 18…And they opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the Lord God (he was lifted up in pride and was rebuked).”
v 19…But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, the leprosy (zara’at; he could not enter the Temple at all now) broke out on his forehead (the seat of intellect and reason; where the high priest wore the golden plate with God’s name Yehovah on it, setting him apart for service) before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense.
v 20…And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out because the Lord had smitten him (Josephus in Antiquities, Book 9, Chapter 10.4 says there was an earthquake and the Temple was torn-Amos 1.1; Zech 14.4-5; Deut 33.2; Hab 3.3-13).
v 21…And King Uzziah was leprous to the day of his death (Isa 6.1); and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord (this house of Uzziah was found between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and it was full of idols. It is two miles south of Rachel’s Hill, and 250 foot by 150 foot square with a casemate wall and a triple gate). And Jotham (Yotham) his son was over the king’s house judging (as a co-regent) the people of the land.
v 22…Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first to last, the prophet Isaiah , the son of Amoz, has written (not the book in his name, but a separate work now lost).
v 23…So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers (near them) in the field of the grave which belonged to the kings, for they said, “He is a leper.” And Jotham his son became king in his place (the reign of Uzziah may be a picture of the days leading up to the Chevlai Shell Mashiach or the “Birth-pains of the Messiah”).
2 Chr 27.1-9 tells us about the reign of Yotham (Yehovah is perfect). He was a righteous king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Yerushah (owned, inheritance) the daughter of Zadok. He was 25 years old when he began to reign in his own right. He did what was right in the eyes of Yehovah, but he did not enter the Temple like his father. He learned his lesson, but the people continued to act corruptly. This corruption did not begin during the reign of Yotham. He was concerned with the Temple and built up the Upper Gate and the Wall of Ophel. He built castles in the hills of Judah and the forests. He fought the kings of the Ammonites, who David defeated, and prevailed. They wanted to overthrow the yoke of Judah over them at times but never succeeded There is no other mention of this war in the Tanak. He succeeded because he walked in the Torah. Yotham’s acts and wars were written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. For more information on the royal records, see the book “Divrei Ha Yamim II” by Mesorah Publications, p. 92. There is a chart given on the kings and what record refers to them. Yotham’s reign may give us a picture of the first year of the Birth-pains.
v 1…Yotham was twenty-five years old when he became king (he is the only Hebrew king from Saul on down that God has nothing bad to record, and this is because his character lined up with his name, “Yehovah is perfect”; and one of the few kings who did not have a dissatisfying end), and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jerushah the daughter of Zadok (the queen mother or Givorah).
v 2…And he did right in the sight of the Lord, according to to all that his father Uzziah had done, however, he did not enter the temple of the Lord (to burn incense). But the people continued acting corruptly (they were another issue; corruption did not begin with the reign of Yotham.
v 3…He (being concerned for the Temple) built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and he built extensively the wall of Ophel (an area on the south side of the Temple Mount).
v 4…Moreover, he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortresses and towers on the wooded hills.
v 5…He fought also with the king of the Ammonites and prevailed over them so that the Ammonites gave him during that year one hundred talents of silver, ten thousand kors of wheat and ten thousand of barley. The Ammonites also paid him the amount in the second and in the third year (there is no other mention of this war in the Tanak).
v 6…So Yotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.
v 7…Now the rest of the acts of Yotham, even all his wars (with the Ammonites, Syrians, the Ten Tribes, etc) and his acts, behold, they are written in the Book of the KIngs of Israel and Judah (not the Scriptures, but a scribal record unknown today).
v 8…He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem.
v 9…And Yotham slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David; and Ahaz his son became king in his place.
2 Chr 28.1-27 tells us about the reign of Ahaz, and he was not a good king. He was 20 years old when he became king and he reigned 16 years. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel (idolatry) and he made molten images for the Baals. He also burned incense in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom and burned his sons in fire to Molech. This valley was the site for this type of idolatry. The Molech Cult burned a metal statue that represented the god until it was red hot. Then they would place a living infant on the outstretched hands of the statue, while beating drums drowned out the screams of the child until it was dead. Yehovah pronounced a death sentence on those who worship Molech in Lev 20.1-5. Even Solomon sanctioned this worship and built a temple to this idol in 2 Kings 11.7. This worship will plague Israel during the time of Manasseh and Josiah (2 Kings 23.10). This valley is called “Tophet” (place of burning) and it was eventually converted into the city dump in Jerusalem. The west winds from the sea blew east and the smoke from the dump fires were blown away from the city. In Hebrew, the term “Gay Hinnom” means “Valley of Hinnom” because the Hinnom Valley wrapped itself around to the south of the city. The Tyropoeon and Kidron Valley meet there also. Gay Hinnom is where we get the word “Gehenna” from in Mk 9.43. This practice was “according to the abominations of the nations whom Yehovah had driven out before the sons of Israel.” He also sacrificed and burned incense on the Bamot (pagan high places), on the hills and under every green tree. So, Yehovah brought the king of Syria against Ahaz, along with the king of Israel. They took much spoil and captives. Isa 7 says the goal of this war was to dethrone Ahaz, replacing the Davidic line with a Syrian king (Isa 7.6). But a prophet named Obed was sent to rebuke Israel for their crimes against their brothers, and Israel heeded his message and they repented (turned) from their sins. They took care of the captives and gave them up, along with the spoils. To thwart this plot by Syria and Israel, Ahaz called upon Assyria for help (2 Kings 16). Syria and Israel defeated many cities in Judah but were laying siege to Jerusalem (2 Kings 16.5). Isaiah offered Ahaz a sign to show that the Lord would help, but Ahaz refused because he did not want to test Yehovah. He really wanted to trust in the king of Assyria. But God gave him a sign anyway in Isa 7.14. Yehovah was not going to allow this plot against the Davidic line (and Messianic) to prosper. The dynasty would never be destroyed and there was going to be a remnant. But Judah was brought low because of Ahaz. Assyria came and he surrendered to them in order to defeat another. He refused to trust Yehovah (2 Kings 16.7). Ahaz became even worse and more unfaithful to Yehovah. Times of trouble don’t necessarily drive people closer to God. This was the downfall of Ahaz. He suspended Temple worship and descended deeper into idolatry. He was probably the worst king of Judah and he died. They buried him in the city, but not in the tombs of the kings. His reign may be a picture of the second year of the Birth-pains.
v 1…Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do right in the sight of the Lord as David his father had done (he is not a good king).
v 2…But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel; and he made molten images for the Baals (of the surrounding nations; served Jeroboam’s calves).
v 3…Moreover, he burned incense in the valley of Ben-hinnom, and burned his sons on the fire (to Molech the god of the Ammonites; God had pronounced a death sentence on those who worship Molech in Lev 20.1-5; even Solomon sanctioned this worship and built a temple to this idol in 1 Kings 11.7; this valley is called )Tophet” and it eventually was converted into the city dump in Jerusalem. In Hebrew it is called “Gei Hinnom” and it is where the word “Gehenna” comes from in Mark 9.43), according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel.
v 4…And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
v 5…Wherefore (for this reason), the Lord his God (he rejected Yehovah but that didn’t mean he wasn’t God) delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria (Rezin-2 Kings 16.5); and they defeated him and carried away from him a great number of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who inflicted him with heavy casualties (Isa 7.6 says the goal of this war was to dethrone Ahaz, replacing the Davidic line with a Syrian king.
v 6…For Pekah the son of Remaliah (king of Israel) slew in Judah 120,000 in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of the fathers.
v 7…And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the ruler of the house, and Elkanah the second to the king (prime minister).
v 8…And the sons of Israel carried away captive of their brethren 200,000women, sons, and daughters; and took also a great deal of spoil from them, and they brought the spoil to Samaria.
v 9…But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Obed; and he went out to meet the army which came to Samaria and said to them, ‘Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand (not because of your wisdom and skill), and you have slain them in a rage which has even reached heaven.
v 10…And now you are proposing to subjugate for yourselves the people of Judah and Jerusalem for male and female slaves. Surely, do you not have transgressions of your own against the Lord your God?
v 11…Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives whom you captured from your brothers, for the burning anger of the Lord is against you.”
v 12…Then some of the heads of the sons of Ephraim-Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai-arose against those who were coming from the battle (bringing captives),
v 13…and said to them, “You must not bring the captives here, for you are proposing to bring upon us guilt against the Lord adding to our sins and our guilt (by being cruel against their brethren and their idolatry); for our guilt is great (which they had done already by their idolatrous ways) so that his burning anger is against Israel.”
v 14…So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the officers and all the assembly.
v 15…Then the men who were designated by name rose, took the captives, and they clothed all their naked ones from the spoil (who were taken before they could get dressed, had no shoes, or stripped off them); and they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and gave them drink, anointed them with oil, led all their feeble ones on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers; then they returned to Samaria.
v 16…At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help (to help thwart the plot by Syria and Israel who were defeating many cities in Judah and laying siege to Jerusalem; Assyria is a picture of Gog/Magog/Russia in the second year of the birth-pains and a conspiracy that will develop at that time; Isaiah offered Ahaz a sign to show that Yehovah will help, but he refused it because he did not want to test the Lord, but he really wanted to trust in the king of Assyria. But God gave him a sign anyway on Isa 7.14 because the Lord was not going to let this plot against the Davidic/Messianic line to prosper. The dynasty would never be destroyed and there was going to be a remnant).
v 17…For again the Edomites (type of the Arabs) had come and attacked Judah and carried away captives (from the south).
v 18…The Philistines (Palestinian comes from this word) also had invaded the cities of the lowland (Shephelah Valley) and of the Negev (south) of JUdah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages and they settled there.
v 19…For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Judah, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord.
v 20…So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to his aid but distressed him instead of strengthening him (no help).
v 21…And Ahaz took a portion out of the house of the Lord and out of the palace of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him (but later he does help and attacks Damascus and defeats Rezin after he gets more money-2 Kings 16.7-9).
v 22…Niw in the time of his distress this same King Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the Lord.
v 23…For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him (the people) did), and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they became the downfall of him and all Israel.
v 24…Moreover, when Ahaz gathered together the utensils of the house of God, he cut the utensils of the house of God in pieces, and he closed the doors of the house of the Lord, and made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem (he suspended Temple worship, descending deeper into idolatry which will be his downfall).
v 25…And in every city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods, and provoked the Lord, the God of his fathers, to anger.
v 26…Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel (not the Scriptures but a scribal record unknown today).
v 27…So Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel (David and Solomon were kings over both Judah and Israel, and Ahaz rejected the Davidic dynasty by subjecting himself under Assyria, so he was not buried in the tombs of the kings); and Hezekiah his son reigned in his place (Ahaz was the worst king of Judah).
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