King Ahaz
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: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.-2 Chronicles 28:1-4***King Ahaz was the 11th king to rule Judah, the southern nation in the Promised Land. Ahaz's father King Jotham was the 10th king to rule Judah. Jotham's father King Uzziah (Azariah) was the 9th king to rule Judah. Uzziah restored and rebuilt towns throughout Judah and made military and agricultural improvements. Jotham built, rebuilt, restored, and made improvements throughout Judah. Uzziah worshiped the Lord God. However, Uzziah's reign was marked by a certain spiritual failure. Jotham worshiped the Lord God and suffered no particular spiritual loss. Ahaz was an idolater, and built idols, and offered sacrifices to idols, and burned at least 1 son in a sacrificial fire. Ahaz turned to King Tiglath-pileser, ruler of Assyria, for help instead of turning to the Lord God. Moreover, Ahaz had the details of a pagan altar in Damascus copied and given to Uriah the priest, and Uriah made a similar altar for Ahaz in Jerusalem, the royal city. Ahaz took items out of the temple of the Lord and made other changes in the immediate area. Ahaz closed the temple, and put altars of his own on every block in Jerusalem, and instituted places for false worship in all of the towns throughout Judah. While Ahaz reigned, the Lord God permitted Judah to be defeated by the Israelites from the northern nation of Israel in the Promised Land, and by the Arameans (Syrians), Edomites, and Philistines. King Pekah was the 18th king to rule over all of the Israelites in the northern nation of Israel. During Pekah's reign, the Assyrians invaded the kingdom and Tiglath-pileser began taking Israelites to Assyria. During the reign of King Hoshea, the 19th king to rule the northern nation, the Assyrians conquered the royal city, Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Ahaz's great-great-great-grandson Jehoiakim (Eliakim) was the 17th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiakim's reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) invaded Judah and Jerusalem and King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, began looting the temple of the Lord. During the reign of Jehoiakim's son King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah/Coniah), the 18th king to rule Judah, the Babylonians took more prominent Israelites, including Jehoiachin and his mother Nehushta, to Babylon. During the reign of Jehoiakim's brother King Zedekiah (Mattaniah), the 19th king to rule Judah, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Leviticus 18:21, Numbers 18:1-7, 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 12:1-32, 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 10:1-29:30, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Isaiah 7:1-25, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26
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