Question 1

Why was King Ahaz considered such an evil king in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Ahaz is described as walking in the ways of the kings of Israel instead of following the example of David. He made metal images for Baal, offered incense in pagan places, and even burned his own children in the fire, copying the nations God had driven out. He spread idol worship across Judah and even shut the doors of the Lord’s temple. Instead of turning back when trouble came, he sinned even more. His life shows how far a leader can drag a whole nation away from God when he refuses to listen.

Question 2

What does it mean that the Lord delivered Judah into the hands of Syria and Israel?

Accepted Answer

The passage explains that Judah’s defeats were not just bad luck or weak armies. It says the Lord delivered Ahaz and his people into the hands of their enemies because they had forsaken the God of their fathers. Their turning to idols brought God’s judgment. So Syria and Israel were able to strike them hard, killing many soldiers and taking large numbers of women and children as captives. The losses on the battlefield were a sign that God was removing his protection because they would not stay faithful to him.

Question 3

Who was Oded the prophet, and why is his message important here?

Accepted Answer

Oded was a prophet of the Lord who lived in the northern kingdom when its army was bringing captives from Judah to Samaria. He went out to meet the soldiers and reminded them that their victory came from God’s anger against Judah, not from their own strength. He rebuked them for killing in a rage and warned that keeping their brothers as slaves would bring God’s fierce wrath on them too. His message is important because it shows God still cares about justice and mercy, even while he is judging sin.

Question 4

How did the leaders of Israel show compassion to the captives from Judah?

Accepted Answer

Some leaders from Ephraim listened to the prophet and confronted the returning soldiers. They admitted that Israel had already sinned against the Lord and refused to add to their guilt by keeping the captives. Then certain men who were named in the passage took charge of the captives. They used the war spoil to clothe those who were naked, gave them shoes, food, and drink, anointed them, and helped the weak by putting them on donkeys. They brought them safely to Jericho and then returned home. This practical care shows real repentance and mercy.

Question 5

Why did Ahaz turn to the king of Assyria instead of turning back to the Lord?

Accepted Answer

When Edom and the Philistines attacked Judah and the land was suffering, Ahaz chose to look for help from Assyria rather than seek the Lord. He sent gifts taken from the temple, his own palace, and the princes to the Assyrian king, hoping for rescue. But the text says the Assyrian king distressed him and did not strengthen him. Ahaz’s heart was set on human power and foreign gods, not on trusting the God of his fathers. His choice shows how sin can blind a person so much that they keep running farther from God even in trouble.

Question 6

What does it mean that Ahaz sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him?

Accepted Answer

After being beaten by the Syrians, Ahaz looked at their success and drew the wrong lesson. He thought their gods must be helping them, so he said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” Instead of seeing the defeat as God’s judgment on his own sin, he chased after the very idols linked with his loss. The passage says these gods were the ruin of him and of all Israel, making clear that trusting false gods only deepens a person’s destruction, it never saves.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God’s character in judgment and mercy?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God takes idolatry and rebellion very seriously. He “brought Judah low” because of Ahaz, allowing enemies to defeat and humiliate them. Judgment here is not random, it is tied to their turning away from him. At the same time, God’s mercy is seen in sending a prophet to stop further cruelty, moving leaders in Israel to care for captives, and making sure the suffering people are clothed, fed, and brought home. God is not pleased with rage and oppression, even when he is using events to discipline his people.

Question 8

How can the story of Ahaz and the captives speak to believers today?

Accepted Answer

This story warns that turning from God’s ways and chasing other “gods,” whether idols, power, or human help, leads to loss and shame. Ahaz kept going deeper into sin, even when trouble should have woken him up. On the other side, the reaction of the Israelite leaders to Oded’s words gives a good example. They admit their sin, refuse to add to it, and treat the captives with kindness and respect. For believers today, this points to turning back quickly when we see our wrong, and showing mercy to those who are weak and in our power.

2 Chronicles 28:1

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father:

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

Aram Defeats Judah

The Idolatry of Ahaz

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

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2 Chronicles 28:1

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father:

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Ahaz Reigns in Judah

Aram Defeats Judah

The Idolatry of Ahaz

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

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