II Chronicles Chapter 28
Please read: II Chronicles 28 –
Reading the first few verses of this chapter we know right away that we are going to read about some devastating things that happened to the people of Judah because of the sins of their new king, King Ahaz. He is described as a man who openly rebelled against God. He even adopted the practice of sacrificing his own sons in fire to the gods. It makes you wonder how this young man became so influenced by people who worshiped Baal that he would adopt it and other sinful idol worship? The Bible gives us a clue; it says that Ahaz walked in the ways of the kings of Israel (of the northern kingdom). Perhaps the alliances that previous kings had made with Israel had brought with it too much influence of ungodliness.
The Bible also describes God’s wrath and the judgement that came upon the southern kingdom of Judah for the disobedience of King Ahaz. There was much unrest during his reign. God had brought them to the promised land to be a place of rest, a reprieve from the hardships of their many years of slavery in Egypt. God had redeemed them from Egypt. But because of the sins of the people under the reign of various kings, the people did not experience rest. This was particularly true in the northern kingdom, but now we see it happening in the southern kingdom as well.
Let's Reflect
1. People of Judah were taken captive by other kingdoms as God passed judgement on them. According to verse 5, who took them captive?
2. The Bible records a great number of men of Judah being killed by Israel including a son of the king. How many were killed?
3. The Bible also records a large number of the people of Judah being taken captive by the people of Israel. How many were taken captive?
4. A prophet of God spoke against the armies of Israel. The prophet told how Judah was under God’s judgement for their sins, but He had seen the extreme slaughter of lives that Israel had committed. God also saw what the Israelite army was about to do and warned them not to. What were they about to do?
5. God had not forgotten a truth about the people of Judah and the people of Israel. What was that truth? See verse 11.
6. Israelite men of Ephraim would not allow the soldiers to cross their land with their captives. What did they do for the captives of Judah and what northern city did they take them to?
7. During the reign of King Ahaz raids from other people-groups continued. People of his kingdom were taken captive. Instead of crying out to God for help, who did King Ahaz ask for help?
8. There was no help for King Ahaz. He made a ridiculous assumption that he needed to worship more of the same gods as his enemies since they were prevailing. His sins had driven him into a point of desperation and defeat. Rebelling against God takes us in a downward spiral of destruction. What does verse 25 say about the ways of King Ahaz?
