2 Chronicles 28:5-21--Judah Defeated

2 Chronicles 28:5-21
English Standard Version

Judah Defeated
5 Therefore the LORD his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. 6 For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. 7 And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king.

8 The men of Israel took captive 200,000 of their relatives, women, sons, and daughters. They also took much spoil from them and brought the spoil to Samaria. 9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded, and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he gave them into your hand, but you have killed them in a rage that has reached up to heaven. 10 And now you intend to subjugate the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, as your slaves. Have you not sins of your own against the LORD your God? 11 Now hear me, and send back the captives from your relatives whom you have taken, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you.”

12 Certain chiefs also of the men of Ephraim, Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai, stood up against those who were coming from the war 13 and said to them, “You shall not bring the captives in here, for you propose to bring upon us guilt against the LORD in addition to our present sins and guilt. For our guilt is already great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel.” 14 So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly. 15 And the men who have been mentioned by name rose and took the captives, and with the spoil they clothed all who were naked among them. They clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them, and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kinsfolk at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.

​16 At that time King Ahaz sent to the king of Assyria for help. 17 For the Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and carried away captives. 18 And the Philistines had made raids on the cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. And they settled there. 19 For the LORD humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had made Judah act sinfully and had been very unfaithful to the LORD. 20 So Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. 21 For Ahaz took a portion from the house of the LORD and the house of the king and of the princes, and gave tribute to the king of Assyria, but it did not help him.

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Because Ahaz did the evil things we mentioned in yesterday's blog, the LORD gave him into the hand of the king of Syria.  Lots of the citizens of Judah were taken to Syria as captives, and the northern kingdom of Israel also rose up against the southern kingdom of Judah (civil war).  The LORD allowed Israel to kill a great number of men of Judah--120,000 in a single day--because they had forsaken the LORD.  A man of Ephraim killed the king's son and the commander of the army of Judah (the next in authority to the king).  In a single day the king and the nation were devastated.

The northern kingdom of Israel also took 200,000 of the people of Judah captive--women and children, both sons and daughters.  They took them and the spoils of war back to the capital city of Samaria.  However, a prophet of the LORD named Oded met them and warned them that even though the LORD was upset with Judah because they had turned away from Him, the way in which they were violating the Law by taking their own "brothers" and "sisters" captive had not escaped the LORD's notice.  They were instructed to return the captives they had taken back to Judah so that they would not incur the wrath of the LORD.

They clothed any captives that were naked with the clothes that were taken from the spoils, gave them sandals (a sign of freedom), food and drink, anointed them (probably with perfume), and provided donkeys to carry all the feeble people that could not make the return journey.  They returned them to the people of Judah at the city of Jericho, and the Israelites returned to Samaria.

The LORD was not done allowing the enemies of Judah to attack them.  Next the Edomites rose up against them and invaded and took away captives.  Ahaz calls on the pagan nation of Assyria for help (their capital city is Ninevah--these people were known to be the "terrorists" of their day.  They came up with crucifixion, even though the Romans perfected it).  The Philistines also made raids in the southern areas of Judah and took away several of the cities and villages that Judah had taken from them in battle, and they resettled them.  Instead of coming to their aid, Assyria also attacked Judah, even though Ahaz had paid the king of Assyria out of the treasury of the Temple and the national treasury.  Even this bribe did not help him, because the LORD was not with him.