Ahaz, son of Jotham, ascended to the throne of Judah at the age of twenty and reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His reign marked a significant departure from the practices of his forefathers, particularly David. Instead, Ahaz embraced the pagan customs of neighbouring nations and the kings of Israel. He engaged in idol worship, creating images of baals, and shockingly, he even sacrificed his own child in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. The author notes that Ahaz was fervent in offering sacrifices and burning incense in high places, on hilltops, and under every spreading tree. These practices are highlighted because they directly contradict the LORD’s commands.
Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains, on the hills and under every spreading tree, where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. – Deuteronomy 12:2 (NIV)
Ahaz may have been driven to sacrifice his son to appease a deity due to cultural norms that revered such extreme sacrifices as a means to gain favour from the gods. It is, however, peculiar that despite having defeated a nation, he might have turned to its deities in an attempt to secure their protection and blessings. This suggests that he was more worried about pleasing his countrymen than caring about his own family. Ironically, another of his sons was later murdered by an Ephraimite warrior (2 Chronicles 28:7), underscoring the tragic consequences of his actions.
“Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel. –
2 Chronicles 28:23 (NIV)
Enemies Surround Judah
The consequences of Ahaz’s actions were severe. The king of Aram, Rezin, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah and king of Israel, launched an assault on Jerusalem and besieged the hill city. During this turbulent period, Rezin captured Elath for Aram, driving out the people of Judah, who were subsequently replaced by Edomites. Judah’s plight did not end there; Ahaz faced defeat at the hands of the Arameans, who took many prisoners to Damascus, and he also suffered a devastating loss to Pekah of Israel, who killed a vast number of Judah’s soldiers and took numerous captives and plunder back to Samaria. An Ephraimite warrior went so far as to kill the king’s son and his close confidants.
Zikri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, second to the king. – 2 Chronicles 28:7 (NIV)
In a desperate bid for survival, Ahaz reached out to Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria, Who had already occupied a large portion of the northern country of Israel. Ahaz declared himself a servant of the Assyrian king and pleaded for assistance against the combined threat of Aram and Israel. He sent silver and gold from the temple and the royal treasury as tribute to secure Assyrian aid. However, Tiglath-Pileser did not actually come to his aid but instead attacked the king of Aram, capturing Damascus, killing Rezin, and deporting its inhabitants to Kir. The decision to involve the Assyrians brought Ahaz more trouble than relief, as Assyrian dominance began to weigh heavily on Judah.
God even sent the prophet Isaiah and his son to meet Ahaz with words of encouragement, urging him to turn to the LORD for support. However, despite this timely intervention and the prophecy of assurance, Ahaz still sought the support of worldly kings.
Yet this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “‘It will not take place, it will not happen, for the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is only Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be too shattered to be a people. The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’” – Isaiah 7:7 (NIV)
Ahaz sought help from the king of Assyria because he believed the Assyrians had the most powerful army in the world and wanted to align himself with them. This mirrors a common tendency of nations to seek the support of the strongest power of their time, similar to how many developing and underdeveloped economies today seek the support of the United States.
Ahaz was desperate to please the king of Assyria in hopes of securing his kingdom as a concession. Despite receiving a warning from Isaiah to trust in God, Ahaz continued to rely on worldly solutions. Similarly we also often ignore God’s warnings and turn to worldly means for the solution to our problems, even when we are assured of God’s grace and protection.
Ahaz Embraces the Pagan Practices
During his visit to Damascus, Ahaz was captivated by the Aramean altar. He sent a detailed plan of this altar to Uriah, a priest in Jerusalem, who built a replica before Ahaz’s return. Ahaz then used this new altar for offerings, shifting the traditional bronze altar used for guidance. Ahaz made further modifications to the temple, including the removal of side panels, basins, and the large bronze Sea, which he repositioned on a stone base. He also dismantled the Sabbath canopy and the royal entryway to the temple, all to show deference to the king of Assyria. His alterations and the introduction of new altars throughout Judah marked a significant departure from the practices of previous kings of Judah.
Ahaz hoped to impress the king of Assyria by replicating the altar he saw in Damascus and even rearranged Solomon’s temple. Like many around us, he sought to adopt the religious practices of those he wanted to impress. Ahaz desired to emulate the success of Aram, attributing their victories to their gods. However, instead of listening to Isaiah’s advice and turning to God, he pursued worldly methods. This tendency to rely on worldly solutions rather than God’s grace is the norm in the lives of the people around us. Let us turn away from pagan ways and recognize that true power lies in God, not in meaningless rituals or worldly precedents.
King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.” – 2 Kings 16:15 (NIV)
Ahaz opted to have two altars for distinctly different purposes as he sought to please the Assyrian king while also maintaining a backup plan with the old altar. Similarly, in our lives, we often find ourselves having two altars—one for Sundays when we prioritize spiritual matters, and another for the rest of the week when worldly concerns take precedence. Like Ahaz, we may defile our spiritual spaces to accommodate worldly desires, yet keep God on standby for when we need help. This behaviour reflects our reluctance to fully commit to God’s ways, opting instead to follow our desires while attempting to avoid offending Him.
Despite his attempts to seek aid and favour from foreign gods, Ahaz’s actions only led to further decline. He shut the doors of the temple, setting up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem and high places in every town for burning sacrifices to other deities, arousing the ire of the LORD. In his distress, Ahaz’s unfaithfulness intensified. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, believing they might aid him as they had aided his enemies.
This misguided belief proved disastrous, leading to his downfall and that of all Israel. His reign was marked by constant turmoil, invasions by the Edomites and Philistines, and widespread suffering among his people. His choices led his nation into peril and spiritual estrangement. Upon his death, he was buried in Jerusalem, though not in the tombs of the kings of Israel, signalling a dismal end to a troubled reign. His son Hezekiah succeeded him, inheriting a kingdom in desperate need of reform and redemption.
Discussion Questions
- What would drive a king to sacrifice his heir to appease a deity?
- Why did Ahaz seek help from a foreign king instead of turning to God?
- What was Ahaz hoping to achieve by replicating the altar he saw in Damascus and rearranging the temple of the LORD?
- Why would Ahaz prefer having two altars for distinctly different purposes, and in what ways do we exhibit similar behaviour?
The Jordan Valley 
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