His father Jotham ruled the Kingdom of Judah in Jerusalem for 16 years from the age of 25. This means that Ahaz was born 4 years before his father became king, when his grandfather, Uzziah, was still ruling.
Ahaz (-752 to -715)
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A portrait of King Ahaz, the King of Judah
The most sinful king of Judah.
Ahaz was king of the kingdom of Judah after his father Jotham. He was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God and was known to be one of the evillest kings of Judah. He practiced idolatry. He not only worshiped idols but also burned his own children to sacrifice to idols. Conduct which was disgusting to God (Jeremiah 7:31).
Reign in Judah (-732)
Map of Israel and Judah
In the 17th year of Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Ahaz, son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king at the age of twenty and for sixteen years he reigned in Jerusalem. Early in his reign, Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin, king of Syria, forced him to join the anti-Assyrian alliance. In this condition, the prophet Isaiah tried to urge Ahaz not to be influenced by the invitation and rely on God's help. Still, King Ahaz chose to ask Assyria for help. As a result, Judah became a vassal kingdom for a century and had the responsibility to pay a large tribute. All of these tribulations occurred as a divine punishment against Ahaz for his crimes and apostasy. He burned his son as an offering to Baal. He encouraged his people to offer sacrifices to the gods. In fact, he placed the altar of the Assyrian god in the palace temple, removing and misusing Solomon's copper altar as a fortune-telling place. He also closed the holy places. He was succeeded by his son, Hezekiah became king.
Embedded Videos
Wicked King Ahaz of Judah
The Assyrian Empire, Isaiah and King Ahaz
Character of Kings - Ahaz
Comments & Conclusions
The king who fell too deep in very sinful ways
When Ahaz fell into idolatry, it angered God so that God sent Syria, Israel, and Assyria to defeat Judah to put them in a pinch. Ahaz's reaction was unwise; instead he acted even more disgustingly, by offering his son to an idol. The act of offering a child is an action taken by the followers of Moloch when he is in a state of urgency. In the midst of God's judgment, what Ahaz did was not repent and return to God, but he acted even more evil by following very sinful ways. In the history of humanity many kings went the same way as Ahaz.
Simultaneous events, periods or persons of Ahaz
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Author: Ryan | First published: 2021-01-06 | Last update: 2022-03-29
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