28 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
28 lines
1.8 KiB
Markdown
|
+++
|
|||
|
|
title = "2 Chronicles 28:1–15"
|
|||
|
|
date = "2025-05-22"
|
|||
|
|
+++
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
### [Read the passage.](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/2Chronicles28.1-15)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
An uncareful reading of the history of Israel and Judah is likely to confuse the kings Ahab and Ahaz.
|
|||
|
|
They were both wicked kings who had famous prophets speak against them in multiple books of the Old Testament.
|
|||
|
|
Ahab ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel, married the idolatrous Jezebel, and endured the castigation of Elijah.
|
|||
|
|
Ahaz ruled over Judah several generations later and was given the sign of Immanuel by the prophet Isaiah ([_Isaiah 7_](https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Isaiah7))
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
As mentioned before, Ahaz did not follow in the faith of his father and grandfather, but was perhaps influenced by the idolatry of his subjects.
|
|||
|
|
Regardless of the reasons, he went deeper than any other king before him and performed child sacrifice like the Canaanites did from so long before.
|
|||
|
|
Because of this, the Lord raised up Syria and Israel against Judah.
|
|||
|
|
Each country defeated Judah and took many people captive.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
But the Lord was faithful to His promises and did not let Judah be utterly defeated and wiped off the maps.
|
|||
|
|
He sent the prophet Oded to Samaria, the capital of Israel, and he instructed them to send back the captive Judahites they had fairly taken.
|
|||
|
|
The reasoning is that Judah was chastised for their sin as a nation, but Israel is not innocent before the Lord either.
|
|||
|
|
Furthermore, keeping these captives as slaves would violate the Law of Moses, which said captured Israelites must be allowed to return to their own inheritance.
|
|||
|
|
Certain chiefs of Israel obeyed the voice of the Lord and took the captives from the army.
|
|||
|
|
They fed them, clothed them, cared for their wounds, and escorted them back to Jericho.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
You are faithful even when we are not.
|