Ahaz: Maybe The Worst Father Ever? Series

Introduction: the Bible has examples of good fathers and also bad ones. When it comes to the worst, Ahaz would be hard to beat. He had a good beginning but a terrible end. What a powerful lesson for every man, especially every father.

The father of Ahaz was Jotham, son of Azariah/Uzziah, one of Judah’s best kings until he made his greatest mistake (see 2 Chronicles 26:16-21 for the details). Jotham “did right in the eyes of the LORD” but apparently never went into the temple of the LORD (2 Chron. 27:1-2). These days we would say he never went to church. He may have thought he had a good reason not to enter the Temple—after all, he had either seen or heard about his father Uzziah struck with leprosy because he tried to do what only priests could do in those days. But that doesn’t excuse Ahaz from making the decisions he did.

The text gives several examples of what Ahaz did wrong:

Text, 2 Chronicles 28:1-7, KJV: 1 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: 2 For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. 3 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. 4 He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. 5 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. 6 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. 7 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.

First, he rejected the God of his father and fathers or ancestors. Ahaz was 16 when he became king. He would have had plenty of opportunity to follow his father’s example, as Ahaz was born to Jotham (the name of Ahaz’ mother is not given) when Jotham was 21. Jotham became king four years later and reigned 16 years. The accounts of Jotham’s reign in 2 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 27 demonstrate how the LORD, God of Israel blessed Jotham.

But if any of that stuck with Ahaz, we’re not told anything about it. We do read that he “walked in the ways of the kings of Israel”, or the Ten Northern Tribes. Many years before, Rehoboam, son of Solomon, made one of history’s greatest blunders (humanly speaking) and caused a split among the Twelve Tribes. Now, of course, this was prophesied at an earlier date when Ahijah the prophet found Jeroboam of Ephraim and made the prediction that Jeroboam would become king of the northern tribes (see 1 Kings 11:21-40). The chapters after this show how Jeroboam led Israel (the northern tribes) into sin. Rehoboam himself fell into this idolatry but repented; Jeroboam never did, nor did any other king of the north.

Then the text states Ahaz made “molten images for Baalim” or cast-metal statues for the various idols. “Baal” is a word with several translations; most indicating “master” or “lord”, such as “Baal-perazim” meaning “the master of breakthrough” or “the master of breaches” (see John Gill’s commentary, https://www.biblestudytools.com/kjv/2-samuel/5-20.html) “Baalim” is the plural of “baal” so that probably means Ahaz had more than one “baal” in mind or to worship.

As if that wasn’t bad enough—violating at least the first two of the Ten Commandments—Ahaz also burned incense in “the valley of the son of Hinnom”, also called Gehenna, which was outside the walls of Jerusalem. Estimates of the distance between the valley and Ahaz’ palace or wherever he lived are not certain but he certainly would have had a good distance to walk back and forth—and for what? What did Ahaz hope to gain from burning this incense? And, if he wasn’t burning incense to the True God, then what was the purpose?

To make things even worse, Ahaz “burned his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel (verse 3). The text doesn’t mention which deity Ahaz had in mind but other sources indicate he made this “sacrifice (and it galls me to use this word)” to Moloch, Molech, Milcom—all different names for the chief pagan deity of the Ammonites (1 Kings 11:7). This “worship” of Molech was still going on in Jeremiah’s day, and in the same place (Jeremiah 32:34-35).