Bible Commentaries

Verses 1-27

The whole reign of Ahaz was a period of terrible and rapid degeneracy. With appalling fearlessness the king restored all the evils of idolatry, even including the terrible offering of children to Moloch. In all probability his own son was a victim. As dif6culties gathered around, he turned to the king of Assyria for aid, attempting to procure help from him by giving him treasure out of the house of God. The evil of his character is supremely demonstrated in that calamities seemed not to have the effect, as they so often had had among his predecessors, of rousing him to consciousness of his sin. Indeed it is distinctly stated, "In the time of his distress did he trespass yet more against the Lord, this same king Ahaz."

During this period Isaiah was exercising his ministry, and the king was persistently rebellious, absolutely refusing to listen to Isaiah's voice or obey its call. Ahaz was evil by choice, persistent in evil in spite of calamity, blasphemously rebellious notwithstanding the direct warnings of the prophet of God. This attitude of the king made the darkness all the denser.