Study notes

2 Chronicles 28

Introducing 2 ChroniclesWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

25:1–28:27 Section

Amaziah hired soldiers from the northern kingdom. Then a prophet told him not to use those soldiers. God wanted the kings to depend on him when they fought battles. Their success didn’t depend on the size of their army. Amaziah listened to the prophet and obeyed his message.

Later, God sent another prophet to Amaziah. That prophet spoke against Amaziah for worshipping false gods. Amaziah didn’t want that prophet’s advice. Instead, Amaziah listened to advisers that he chose. With them he made a foolish decision to attack the northern kingdom. God brought judgement against Amaziah by allowing the northern kingdom to win the battle.

Amaziah’s son Uzziah worshipped God and obeyed him faithfully. But then he became full of pride. He didn’t respect the differences between kings and priests. He tried to burn incense at the altar in the temple. Many years before, Korah and his followers had tried to offer incense to God (Numbers 16). God had made it very clear that only priests were to do that.

Uzziah’s son Jotham followed God with all his heart. But Jotham’s son Ahaz didn’t follow God. He wasn’t like David at all. He led the people to worship false gods and he sacrificed children to those gods. Ahaz didn’t turn away from his sin. He didn’t repent even when armies attacked the southern kingdom. Ahaz tried to get help from the king of Assyria instead of from God. Then Ahaz shut the doors of the temple. This means that he fully stopped the community’s practices for worshipping the true God.

28:1

After ruling together with his father Jotham, Ahaz became king on his own. He reigned for sixteen years, from 731 to 715 BC.

28:3–4

Ahaz even sacrificed his own sons in the fire. He was copying the terrible actions of the Canaanites (see Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:9–10; Jeremiah 7:31; 19:5; 32:35).

28:9–10

you have slaughtered them: Although the Lord used Israel to punish Judah, the covenant forbade enslaving and murdering fellow Israelites (2 Chronicles 28:10; Leviticus 25:39–55).

28:11

The Chronicler shows a positive attitude toward the north by using the term kinsmen (literally brothers).
for the fierce anger of the LORD is upon you: Later, during Ahaz's reign, the kingdom of Israel would face destruction and exile in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:5–23).

28:16

Ahaz sent for help from the king of Assyria: See 2 Kings 16:7–9 for more details.

28:17–18

The Edomites and the Philistines were natural enemies of Judah. These armies captured towns along the Aijalon, Sorek, and Elah valleys. These areas were in the buffer zone of the foothills of Judah or the Negev.

28:22–23

King Ahaz rejected the Lord by building an altar like one in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10–16) and by offering sacrifices to the gods of Damascus.

28:24–25

Under King Ahaz, Judah hit its lowest spiritual point, similar to being in exile.

28:26

Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, fell to Assyria in 722 BC. This happened during the twenty-first year of Ahaz’s reign in Judah (2 Kings 17:1–6). The Chronicler, who focuses on the southern kingdom, does not mention this event.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources