Israel and Syria Attack Judah

II Kings 16:1-6

“In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.” (II Kings 16:1)

Though Jotham served the Lord throughout his reign, the people of Judah had refused to give up their idolatry and nature worship.  Because of their sin. God caused Pekah, king of Israel and Rezin, king of Syria to attack them just about the time Jotham died.  It seems that Jotham had transferred power to his son Ahaz before he died, as Pekah also died in Jotham’s fifty second year, during Ahaz’s second year.   We know that David had done so with Solomon, and it explains some of the seeming discrepancies in dates of the other kings in various passages.  

“Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.  But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.” (II Kings 16:2-3)

Unlike his father, Jotham, or his ancestor, David, Ahaz made no effort to follow God.  Instead, he restored the worship of Baal that Jehoiada and Joash had destroyed, and copied the Kings of Israel in their rejection of God.  II Chronicles 28:2-3 is a little more graphic in describing his worship.

“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.” (II Chronicles 28:2-3) 

“And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.” (II Kings 16:4)

In addition to restoring the worship of Baal, Ahaz legitimized and expanded the worship of nature.

 “Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.  At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.” (II Kings 16:5-6)

“Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.  For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.

And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king's son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king.  And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria..” (II Chronicles 28:5-8) 

Though Pekah and Rezin were unable to take Jerusalem itself, they killed a hundred twenty thousand men in a single day and carried off two hundred thousand to Samaria.  In the process they killed several of his officials and one of Ahaz’ sons.  Syria also carried away a large number of captives as well as reclaiming the city of Eloth which Solomon had first taken from the Edomites and Uzziah had retaken fifty years before.  As II chronicles 28:6 points out, this happened “…because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers.”

“But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.  And now ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you: but are there not with you, even with you, sins against the LORD your God? 

Now hear me therefore, and deliver the captives again, which ye have taken captive of your brethren: for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you. 

Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, and Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against them that came from the war, And said unto them, Ye shall not bring in the captives hither: for whereas we have offended against the LORD already, ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass: for our trespass is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” (II Chronicles 28:9-13)

Oded, a prophet of God warned that while God was angry with Judah and sent them to punish them, they had gone overboard in their anger, they were themselves guilty of sin against God, and to enslave the captives from Judah would only turn God’s wrath on them.  The only way to prevent God’s turning on them would be to send the captives to their homes.

Several of the leaders in Samaria believed Oded and flatly refused to allow the captives be brought into their cities, because they already had enough sin to deal with and did not want to further offend God.

“So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the congregation. And the men which were expressed by name rose up, and took the captives, and with the spoil clothed all that were naked among them, and arrayed them, and shod them, and gave them to eat and to drink, and anointed them, and carried all the feeble of them upon asses, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brethren: then they returned to Samaria.” (II Chronicles 28:14-15)

The soldiers who had captured them just dumped the captives and left them for the leaders to deal with.  The leaders saw to it that their needs were met, then returned them to Jericho where their relatives could safely pick them up.  The leaders then returned to Samaria.