What Can We Learn from the Life of King Ahaz?
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King Ahaz was the twelfth king of the southern kingdom of Judah. Although his father had served God faithfully, Ahaz did not do what was right in God’s sight. He was widely regarded as an ungodly, wicked king. And yet, despite the depravity that pervaded Ahaz’s life, God eventually spoke to King Ahaz through the prophet Isaiah, delivering one of the most important prophecies regarding the promised Messiah, the true king of Israel.
Which Book of the Bible Mentions Ahaz?
King Ahaz’s life and history appear in 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings. However, as his reign overlapped with the prophet Isaiah’s ministry, he is also mentioned in several places in the book of Isaiah.
In the chronicles of Israel’s kings, we learn that Ahaz was the son of King Jotham and became the twelfth king of Judah following the death of his father (2 Kings 15:38, 2 Kings 16:1; 2 Chronicles 27:9). According to the biblical text, “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem.” (2 Kings 16:2; 2 Chronicles 28:1).
During Ahaz’s reign, the prophets Isaiah and Micah ministered to the southern kingdom. In Isaiah’s case, God commissioned the prophet to speak directly to King Ahaz on more than one occasion.
Of course, references to north and south, Israel and Judah, may confuse some readers, who wonder why separate kings ruled Israel at the same time. Some historical context and clarification about Israel’s history is therefore warranted.
Why Did Ahaz Only Rule Some of the Israelite People?
Ahaz is listed as a king of Judah, not Israel, because the original nation divided into two kingdoms, each with its own king. Ahaz ruled Judah, the southern kingdom, which did not include the ten northern tribes.
But why was the country divided by the time Ahaz reigned?
During King Solomon’s reign, David’s son, Israel enjoyed a golden era of peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, though Solomon spearheaded the temple’s glorious completion in Jerusalem, his later years were marred by idolatry.
Seeing that His people had forsaken Him as their God and king (1 Kings 11:33), God vowed that the nation of Israel would eventually be split into two kingdoms.
When Solomon’s son Rehoboam came to the throne, he rejected the wisdom of his father’s advisors. He refused to lower taxes and alleviate the economic stress and harsh labor caused by his father. As a result, Rehoboam and the House of David lost the support of many in Israel— specifically, the northern tribes, who turned to Jeroboam I, who sympathized with their plight.
As prophesied, the ten northern tribes of Israel made Jeroboam I into their new king. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam and the house of David. Thus, the nation was split into two kingdoms, Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom) in 931 B.C.
The history of these two nations and their kings are chronicled in 1 and 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
Was Ahaz a Good King of Judah?
Following Israel’s national divorce, not one of the northern kings was a good king in God’s eyes. Only a handful of the southern kings followed in David’s footsteps and served the Lord faithfully.
Ahaz’s father and the three previous kings of Judah had been faithful to the God of David. However, the Bible makes clear that Ahaz did not receive God’s divine seal of approval. In fact, the biblical authors first introduce King Ahaz as one who “did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.” (2 Kings 16:2; 2 Chronicles 28:1)
Unlike Judah’s good kings, unfaithfulness became synonymous with Ahaz’s reign (2 Chronicles 28:19, 2 Chronicles 28:22).
But what had Ahaz done that put him in the company of the unfaithful, wicked kings?
For one thing, King Ahaz adopted a foreign policy that favored Assyria as a political ally. Of course, the Assyrians were no friends of the God of Israel or His people. In fact, not long after Ahaz came to the throne of Judah, the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom of Israel and destroyed it outright.
During Ahaz’s reign, however, Pekah, the king of Israel, and Rezin of Syria had allied against Assyria. When Ahaz refused to join, Israel and Syria invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem to remove its king and replace him with a king of their own (Isaiah 7:1-6; 2 Kings 16:5).
In response, Ahaz sought help from King Tilgath-pilneser III of Assyria, offering him silver and gold from the house of the Lord (2 Kings 16:7-8; 2 Chronicles 28:16). At first, the Ahaz-Assyrian alliance successfully repelled attacks against Jerusalem. However, the Bible tells us that, inevitably, “Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him (Ahaz) and afflicted him instead of strengthening him” (2 Chronicles 28:20).
Not only did Ahaz’s alliance with the Assyrians backfire miserably (2 Chronicles 28:21-22). Ahaz’s faith in a foreign power and false ally drove him even further away from the God of his fathers, ultimately leading to his downfall and the downfall of all Israel (2 Chronicles 28:23).
Subsequently, Ahaz offered even greater sacrifices to the false gods of the kings of Aram (2 Chronicles 28:23). He then ordered Urijah the priest to fashion an altar similar to the pagan altar in Damascus and place it next to the bronze altar in the temple in Jerusalem (2 Kings 16:10-18). If that weren’t bad enough, Ahaz also erected high places in every city of Judah (2 Chronicles 28:4, 2 Chronicles 28:25), made molten images to worship the Baals, burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom, and engaged in child sacrifice “according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 28:2-3).
Not surprisingly, the wickedness of King Ahaz provoked the Lord to anger. Nevertheless, God mercifully sent the prophet Isaiah to call Ahaz to repentance. The king ultimately refused, bringing God’s judgment upon himself and the nation.
When Ahaz died, he was buried in Jerusalem. However, because of his wicked deeds and failed leadership, he was not deemed worthy of burial in the tombs of the righteous kings of Judah. Instead, he died without honor and was eventually succeeded by his son, Hezekiah, who led the nation back to the God of David.
What Can We Learn from Ahaz’s Life?
More than ancient history, there are nevertheless several important lessons that can be derived from the life and leadership of King Ahaz.
1. Do Not Rely on Earthly Powers
In his attempt to secure political power and defend himself against the threat of invasion, King Ahaz sought to ally with a known enemy of God and Israel. Unfortunately, it did not take long for the Assyrian king to demand more from the king of Judah. As is often the case, the enemy will always demand more of those willing to compromise.
Rather than turning to God first, as David had done, Ahaz looked to the power of foreign nations, even an enemy, for strength and hope. Not only did Ahaz’s power fail him, but his misplaced faith inevitably brought more distress than strength. Ahaz would have been better served putting his faith in the God of Israel than trusting in kings and earthly powers.
2. Do Not Mingle Pagan Rituals with the Sacred
Having visited Damascus to secure favor from the Assyrian king, Ahaz became captivated by the rituals and pagan altars erected to the false gods of Assyria. What was it about this altar that inspired Ahaz? We do not know. All we know is that he liked it so much that he ordered Judah’s priests to erect a similar altar in the temple in Jerusalem.
The lesson here may seem obvious even if the warning is more subtle.
God had separated the nation of Israel from the abominable practices of the neighboring nations for a reason. Likewise, God calls His faithful servants to be set apart from the world today. God must always be worshipped on His terms, never our own, and He does not share glory with false gods or earthly kings. Therefore, regardless of how attractive or entertaining the things of this world may seem, the believer should be careful never to mingle pagan rituals, symbols, or practices with true worship and the things God views as sacred.
3. In His Mercy, God Calls Us to Repentance
The long list of Ahaz’s abominations should be enough to turn the stomach of any who love the Lord. But while God eventually judged Ahaz for his wickedness, the Lord, in His mercy, called the king to repentance. Similarly, Christ calls the worst of sinners to repentance even today. And yet, even today, that call has an expiration date. Therefore, while God’s mercy is greater and deeper than we will ever know, it is critical to heed the call to repentance and cling to the mercy of God while there is still time.
4. God Calls Fathers and Sons to Obedience
It is difficult to imagine a king as wicked as Ahaz raising a righteous son. However, if the Bible teaches us anything, it is that God alone has the power to redeem broken families and break the cycle of sin from one generation to another. Children are never destined to follow in righteous fathers’ footsteps. Nor are they destined to follow in wicked fathers’ footsteps. In His mercy, God calls both to repentance. With God, all it takes is one obedient servant to change the trajectory of an entire family or, at times, even a nation.
5. True Hope is Contained in the Promise of Israel’s True King
The Bible classifies Ahaz as a wicked king for good reason. Still, while it is possible to dismiss Ahaz’s tenure as king as just another example of failed leadership in Israel’s history, the words of the prophet Isaiah, spoken to a wicked king, connect Ahaz’s rejection of God to a much bigger promise.
What many Christians forget or fail to see altogether is that contained in Isaiah’s call to repentance is one of the greatest prophecies surrounding the Messiah.
Through Isaiah, God challenged King Ahaz to ask for a sign. When Ahaz refused, trying the patience of God for seemingly the last time, Isaiah proclaimed:
“Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.” (Isaiah 7:14-16)
Therefore, as a nation suffered under the apostasy and idolatry of its failed king, God offered a glimmer of hope in the promised coming of Israel’s true king, one who would choose good over evil as few kings in Israel or Judah had done before. Here, the focus shifts from the present failure of yet another king to the future promise of hope that comes from Christ alone, the rightful king of Israel, who will reign forever.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Gearstd
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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