Question 1

Who was King Ahaz and how was he different from David?

Accepted Answer

Ahaz was a king of Judah from David’s family line. He began to reign at twenty years old and ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. Unlike David, who cared about God’s worship and tried to follow God’s ways, Ahaz “did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” He copied the kings of Israel in their idol worship, sacrificed on high places, and even involved his own sons in pagan fire rituals. So even though he shared David’s bloodline and sat on David’s throne, his heart and life were the opposite of David’s example.

Question 2

What does it mean that Ahaz made his son pass through the fire?

Accepted Answer

“Made his son to pass through the fire” points to a horrible pagan practice linked with worship of false gods. In this kind of ritual, children were either burned as offerings or made to pass between or through flames as a dedication to an idol. The passage says this followed the abominations of the nations God had driven out before Israel. Ahaz was not just a little off track; he copied the very worst practices of the surrounding peoples, even with his own children, instead of trusting the Lord to protect and bless his family.

Question 3

Why did Rezin and Pekah attack Jerusalem in Ahaz’s time?

Accepted Answer

Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel, joined together and came up to Jerusalem to make war against Ahaz. God allowed this as a chastening for Judah’s sin and Ahaz’s idolatry. They besieged Jerusalem and caused great trouble, and Rezin also took back the port city of Elath and drove out the Jews who lived there. Their plan was to overthrow Ahaz and set up another king, but they could not fully conquer Jerusalem. Still, Judah lost land, people, and security because its king had turned from the Lord.

Question 4

What was Ahaz’s mistake in asking the king of Assyria for help?

Accepted Answer

When Syria and Israel threatened him, Ahaz did not humble himself and seek the Lord. Instead, he sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, saying, “I am thy servant and thy son,” and begged him to come and save him. To pay for this help he stripped silver and gold from the temple and the royal treasury. Assyria did defeat Damascus and kill Rezin, so Ahaz got short-term relief. But he sold himself and his nation into dependence on a foreign power, dishonored God’s house, and showed he trusted human strength more than God.

Question 5

Why did Ahaz take silver and gold from the house of the Lord?

Accepted Answer

Ahaz took silver and gold that had been stored in the house of the Lord and in the king’s own treasury and sent it as a gift to the king of Assyria. This was his way of buying military help against Syria and Israel. Instead of seeing the temple as holy and the Lord as his true defender, he treated God’s treasures as bargaining chips. This choice both dishonored God and weakened the nation’s wealth. It shows how people who turn from God will often use sacred things for their own plans when they feel desperate.

Question 6

What happened to Rezin and Damascus in this passage?

Accepted Answer

In response to Ahaz’s plea and payment, the king of Assyria attacked Damascus, the capital of Syria. He captured the city, carried its people away as captives to a place called Kir, and killed Rezin, the Syrian king. So the threat from Syria over Judah was removed. However, this victory came at the price of Judah’s dependence on Assyria. The story shows that while Ahaz’s plan “worked” in a surface way, it drew his kingdom under foreign control and did not deal with his deeper problem of turning from God.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about trusting God instead of human power?

Accepted Answer

This passage paints a clear picture of what happens when a leader turns from God and leans on human strength. Ahaz had every reason to trust the Lord, who had given promises to David’s line, yet he copied pagan worship and then ran to Assyria for help when trouble came. His deal with Assyria brought short-term relief but long-term bondage and loss. The lesson is that it is better to humble ourselves and return to God, even when we are afraid, than to give up what is holy and put our hope in people who cannot save our souls.

Question 8

Why does the text mention worship on high places and under every green tree?

Accepted Answer

High places, hills, and green trees were common spots for idol worship in the nations around Israel. People liked these places for the view, shade, and sense of being “closer” to the gods they imagined. Ahaz sacrificed and burned incense there, which shows he rejected the Lord’s command to worship where God had appointed and instead followed his own tastes and the customs of the nations. The wording “under every green tree” underlines how widespread and eager his idol worship was. His religion followed human desire, not God’s word.

Question 9

How can this story of Ahaz’s reign challenge readers today?

Accepted Answer

Ahaz’s life warns us how fast things can slide when God’s ways are pushed aside. He had a godly father and a rich spiritual heritage, yet he chose to ignore it. He let worship be shaped by culture and feeling, not by what God had said. When crisis hit, guilt and fear made him run to human help instead of to the Lord. Readers today can ask: Where am I tempted to follow the crowd instead of God’s word? In trouble, do I first turn toward human fixes, or do I humble myself and seek God’s help?

2 Kings 16:1

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

Ahaz Reigns over Judah

Cross References

2 Kings 16:1

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.

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Ahaz Reigns in Judah

Ahaz Reigns over Judah

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