Old Testament: 2Ch 28.5–8

To read the Bible in a year, read Second Chronicles 26–28 on June 8, In the year of our Lord Christ 2022

By Don Ruhl 

King Ahaz of Judah worshiped the Baals and burned his children in the fire that was associated with idolatry. Should the Lord bless a king and his people who do such things? The Bible tells us what the Lord did: 

Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter. For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed one hundred and twenty thousand in Judah in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, Azrikam the officer over the house, and Elkanah who was second to the king. And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters; and they also took away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

– 2 Chronicles 28.5–8 

These numbers boggle the mind. Israel killed 120,000 of the kingdom of Judah in just one day, and Israel took 200,000 captives. King Ahaz and Judah paid a dear price for turning to the gods of the nations and turning their back on the God of Israel. 

Without the Lord’s protection, a mighty army can fall, because gods in whom they trust are dead and false. Those gods cannot do anything and it is unfortunate that Judah had to learn that lesson the hard way. 

Questions: 

• Do you have to learn things the hard way? 
• Who was Zichri and what did he do? 

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