2 Kings 16:10-18

Ahaz’s apostasy 16:10-18

As Ahab had imported Baal worship from Phoenicia, so Ahaz imported a foreign altar from Damascus (cf. Amaziah of Judah’s Edomite idols, 2 Chronicles 25:14; 2 Chronicles 25:20). As Judah’s king-priest, he led the nation in worshipping at an altar different from what Yahweh had specified (Exodus 27:1-8). Furthermore, he removed the altar God had established from the place God had said it should occupy in the temple courtyard (Exodus 40:6; Exodus 40:29).

"Readers could hardly miss the similarities between Jeroboam, the father of institutionalized idolatry in Israel, and Ahaz, the Judahite king who makes polytheism acceptable nationwide." [Note: Ibid., p. 337.]

Ahaz did not completely discard the worship God had prescribed, but he changed it according to his liking, thus claiming God’s authority (2 Kings 16:15). The high priest unfortunately cooperated with the king. Ahaz likewise changed the other temple furnishings to please the Assyrian king (2 Kings 16:18). [Note: For a more favorable evaluation of Ahaz’s actions, see Richard Nelson, "The Altar of Ahaz: A Revisionist View," Hebrew Annual Review 10 (1986):267-76.]