Thursday, June 21, 2012

Ahaz - Hezekiah (2 chronicles 28:22-29:2; 2 Kings 18:1-8)

To answer my question, I should have read further. He starts worshiping the gods of Damascus and sets up altars all around Jerusalem. He even shuts the doors of the temple. This angered God.

He eventually dies, but the text is silent as to details about his death. It only states that he was not put with the rest of the kings of Judah. This indicates some level of disgrace on the part of the people about his reign.

His son Hezekiah succeeded him. He did right in God's eyes. He took down the Ashereth poles and even smashed the bronze snake that Moses had made. By this time, the snake had become a shrine and people were burning incense in front of it.

The text even says that there was no king of Judah like Hezekiah, before or after him. (v. 5). This would suggest righteousness, but it is not completely clarified. This would include even king David. It also might refer to the state that Judah was in under Ahaz as David did not have a father like Ahaz. So, it is interesting go from Ahaz to Hezekiah in one generation. I imagine the people had spiritual whiplash.

Politically and militarily, Hezekiah defeated the Philistines and rebelled against the Assyrians. Rebellion against the Assyrians is a bold move and shows a lot of trust in God because at this time time, the Assyrians had destroyed or were about to destroy Damascus followed by the northern Israelite kingdom. In fact, 2 kings 18:9 states the siege of Samaria began in the 4th year of Hezekiah's reign and lasted for 3 years.

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