2 Chronicles 28:24

Verse 2 Chronicles 28:24. _SHUT UP THE DOORS_] He caused the Divine worship to be totally suspended; and they continued shut till the beginning of the reign of Hezekiah, one of whose first acts was to reopen them, and thus to restore the Divine worship, 2 Chronicles 29:3....

Compare 2 Kings 16:17 note. The temple-worship was suspended, the lamps put out, and the doors shut, to prevent the priests from entering. The Jews still celebrate a yearly fast in commemoration of this time of affliction. ALTARS - As the one altar for sacrifice, which alone the Law allowed, symbolized the doctrine of one God, so these many altars spoke unmistakeably of the all-embracing polytheism affected by Ahaz....

EXPOSITION This chapter is paralleled by 2 Kings 16:1. There is a great deal gained in this case by addition on the two accounts, however. Our chapter contains the wickedness by idolatry of Ahaz, the severe punishment thereof by the King of Syria, the Syrian captivity of Judah, and the release of the latter so unexpectedly (2 Chronicles 28:1); other punishments by war of Ahaz, his hardened heart, greater sins, and end (2 Chronicles 28:16-14). The united unsuccessful 'attacks of Syria and Israel, under Rezin and Pekah respectively, on Jerusalem, and attempt at the siege of Ahaz there; the Syrian recovery of Elath, and expulsion of the Jews thence, and the Assyrian taking of Da

AND GATHERED TOGETHER THE VESSELS OF THE HOUSE OF GOD, AND CUT IN PIECES THE VESSELS OF THE HOUSE OF GOD,.... And converted them to his own use, sold them, or melted the gold and silver, of which they were, and made money of them, his treasures being exhausted: AND SHUT UP THE DOORS OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD: that the people might not come and worship there, but on the high places he made: AND HE MADE HIM ALTARS IN EVERY CORNER OF JERUSALEM; that the priests might sacrifice there, and not in the temple....

2 Chronicles 28:1. _Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem:_ So that he died before he reached the prime of life; he was cut off by God in the very midst of his sin. 2 Chronicles 28:1. _But he did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father: for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel,_ They had set up the worship of God under emblems, there were the calves of Bethel, the representation of strength: it was the worship of God by imagery, and Ahaz imitated it, and went even further in sin, 2 Chronicles 28:2. _And made also molten images for Baalim._

CHAPTER 28 THE REIGN OF AHAZ _ 1. The record of his reign (2 Chronicles 28:1)_ 2. The punishment of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:5) 3. The message of Oded and its results (2 Chronicles 28:9) 4. Further punishments of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:16) 5. Death of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:26) On Ahaz his wicked reign and apostasy, as well as the war with Syria and the invasion of Judah by Israel, see our annotations on...

THE REIGN OF AHAZ. See notes on 2 Kings 16, but the Chronicler's account of this reign is largely independent of 2 K.; he makes the Syro-Ephraimite War two separate campaigns, Ahaz being in turn defeated by the Syrians and then by the northern Israelites. This cannot be regarded as historical in face of 2 Kings 16; the Chronicler has probably reconstructed the history with a view to bringing into greater relief the punishment of Ahaz on account of his faithlessness to Yahweh. In a number of other ways this section differs from the account in 2 Kings 16. 2 Chronicles 28:27. they brought him not. : but see 2 Kings 16:20....

GATHERED TOGETHER. Compare 2 Kings 16:8. SHUT UP THE DOORS. His son Hezekiah's first act was to open them (2 Chronicles 29:3)....

_cut in pieces the vessels_ Presumably in order to smelt them and put the metal to other uses; cp. 2 Kings 24:13. According to 2 Kings 16:17 Ahaz merely "cut off the borders (-panels" R.V. mg.) of the bases and removed the laver from off them, and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stone." In Chron. something more than this is suggested, for "the vessels" would naturally mean such vessels as are mentioned in 2 Kings 24:13. _shut up the doors_ The Chronicler perhaps misunderstands the difficult passage 2 Kings 16:18 (_vide_A.V. and R.V.). That passage speaks of

13. THE REIGN OF AHAZ (Chapter 28) TEXT 2 Chronicles 28:1. Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: and he did not that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, like David his father; 2. but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for the Baalim. 3. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel. 4. And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree. 5. Wherefore Jehovah his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away of his a great multitude of captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Is