The Bible Study Podcast, episode 580. Today we continue the study of the Kings of Israel and Judah

with 2nd King 16.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We get into Second King 16, and unlike last chapter, we have only one king to focus on, and that is Ahaz, King of Judah.

In the 17th year of Pecca, son of Romalia, Ahaz son of Jotham, King of Judah, began to reign.

Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 16 years.

Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, and even sacrificed his son in the fire,

engaging in the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He offered sacrifices

and burned incense at the high places on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.

We have not talked about why God has something against Israel and why God had something against

the people before Israel, that he drove them out when Joshua and the people of Israel came

in in a while.

We talked a while ago about the worship of Baal, how it had ended, and the worship of Asherah had continued, which was also evil in the eyes of the Lord.

And not just because it was a false God, but again, we get here that he's influenced by the people around him, and he's influenced so much and to do such evil that he sacrifices his own son in the fire.

And this was part of the reason why the people who were there before the Canaanites were destroyed.

And so he has gone back to it, which is not wise.

So we've had a series of good kings in Judah, but now we've got something else.

Continues, then Raisin King of Aram and Pica, son of Ramalia, king of Israel, marched up to fight

against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him.

At the time, Rezun King of Aram

recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the people of Judah. Edomites then moved into

Alath and have been living there to this day. Ehaz sent messengers to say to Tiglath-Pilazar, king of Assyria, I am your servant and vessel.

Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Aram and the king of Israel who are attacking me.

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