2 Kings 16:5-9

Ahaz’s folly 16:5-9

Aram had captured the town of Elath from Judah (2 Kings 16:6; cf. 2 Kings 14:22). When Aram and Israel threatened to invade Judah, Ahaz did not seek Yahweh but Tiglath-Pileser for deliverance. Rather than putting himself under Yahweh’s direction, he appealed to the king of Assyria as his "servant" and his "son" (2 Kings 16:7). This reflects a failure to see his role under God and God’s role over Israel. Instead of making sacrifices to Yahweh, he sent them to Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings 16:8).