How did Ahaz's actions lead to "distress" from Assyria in 2 Chronicles 28:20? Scripture Focus “So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came to him, but he caused him distress instead of strengthening him.” – 2 Chronicles 28:20 Background Snapshot: Ahaz’s Downward Spiral • Reigned sixteen years over Judah (2 Chronicles 28:1). • “He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel” (v.2), copying their idolatry. • Burned his sons as offerings in the Valley of Hinnom (v.3). • Sacrificed and burned incense “on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree” (v.4). • Result: Judah suffered crushing defeats by Aram, Israel, Edom, and the Philistines (vv.5–18). Turning to Assyria: The Desperate Alliance • After repeated military losses, Ahaz stripped the LORD’s Temple and royal treasuries (2 Kings 16:8) to pay Tiglath-pileser III for help (2 Chronicles 28:16, 21). • He copied Assyrian altar design, replacing the bronze altar in the Temple (2 Kings 16:10–16). • He shut the doors of the Temple altogether (2 Chronicles 28:24). • By embracing pagan patterns and trusting a foreign king, he rejected the covenant protection God promised (Deuteronomy 28:1–14). Immediate Outcome: Distress, Not Deliverance 2 Chronicles 28:20 records the shocking reversal. Instead of rescuing Judah, Assyria oppressed it: • Heavy tribute drained Judah’s resources (2 Kings 16:8, 18). • Political subservience followed; Judah became a vassal state. • Spiritual corrosion deepened as Assyrian gods were honored in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 28:23). Underlying Causes: Why the Help Turned Harmful • Covenant violation: Deuteronomy 28:15, 25 foretells that idolatry brings foreign domination. • Reliance on man, not God: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind” (Jeremiah 17:5). • Ignored prophetic warning: Isaiah 7:9 told Ahaz, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” • Continued hardness: Even after the distress, “Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the LORD” (2 Chronicles 28:22). Biblical Pattern Reaffirmed • Asa earlier sought Aram’s help and drew a prophetic rebuke (2 Chronicles 16:7–9). • Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son, later trusted the LORD and was delivered from Assyria (2 Kings 19:32–37). • Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds that true security flows from wholehearted trust in the LORD. Lessons Drawn • Idolatry invites the very dangers one hopes to escape. • Stripping God’s house to fund worldly alliances bankrupts both purse and soul. • God’s covenant warnings stand firm; rebellion reaps distress. • Trust placed in human power enslaves, while reliance on the LORD brings freedom and protection. |
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