Ahaz
KINGS OF JUDAH 123 AHAZ 734–728 BCE The Assyrians, with whom interaction had become an important factor in the Jewish experience, were founders of a sophisticated civilization whose origins dated back at least to the exodus of the Jewish tribes from Egypt. Their empire expanded and contracted over time but, at its peak, it covered territory stretching from well into present-day Turkey to the Persian Gulf and from the Caspian Sea to Egypt. In contrast to Jerusalem, Nineveh, its capital (near present-day Mosul in Iraq) was an ultramodern city with well-laid out streets, splendorous palaces, and massive , stunning gates for its great city walls. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, a wonder of the ancient world, may have been located there instead. The Assyrians were the first to develop the concepts of longitude and latitude, divide the circle into 360 degrees, establish the seven-day week, and create networks of paved roads. Some of their innovations, the leather jackboot for example , served military purposes, which may have been why they were conjured up. When the actions of Assyria became a consideration for the Jewish kingdoms, it was in an expansionist phase, had already occupied much of western Asia and was bent on further conquest. That was the grim reality Ahaz had to confront when he became king of what had been a largely untroubled Judah during the fruitful reigns of his father Jotham and his grandfather Uzziah. Facing that same Assyrian threat, other nations in the region formed a defensive alliance. Israel and Damascus, the most exposed among them, called on Judah to join as well but Ahaz turned them down. He believed, with good reason, that the Assyrian army was far superior to any alliance that might challenge it and that attaching himself to such a grouping would serve only as a provocation. King Pekah of Israel and King Rezin of Damascus condemned his attitude as unacceptable. They feared the presence of a neutral and possibly hostile Judah at their rear would make their plight more difficult when the expected Assyrian assault materialized. Reacting to Ahaz’s rebuff, they launched a joint invasion of the southern kingdom . Neither intended to carry the burden of actually occupying Judah at a time when they were being menaced themselves. They only wanted to force Ahaz to KINGS OF THE JEWS 124 enroll in their anti-Assyrian alliance or make way for a replacement king in Judah who was willing to do so. Their invading forces made rapid headway, defeating Ahaz’s army and taking up positions from which they could lay siege to Jerusalem. With his capital imperiled, Ahaz contemplated calling on the Assyrians for help. The prophet Isaiah strongly advised against it. As much a realist as a religious figure, Isaiah was sensitive to the dangers involved. He pleaded with Ahaz to remain neutral and trust in God. He predicted that Israel and Damascus would be forced by Assyrian pressure on their own lands to withdraw their armies from Judah. But unwilling to risk the fall of Jerusalem to the invaders, Ahaz spurned the prophet’s advice and threw himself on the mercy of the Assyrian king, Tiglathpileser III: “I am your servant and your son. Come and deliver me from the hands of the king of Aram [Damascus] and from the hands of the king of Israel.”[48] As inducement, he sent the Assyrian ruler lavish gifts from the Temple treasury and royal palace. The conquest of Damascus and Israel already on his agenda, Tiglathpileser was pleased to oblige, and his army easily overwhelmed theirs. The immediate threat to Judah was removed. But having pleaded for and received Assyrian assistance , Ahaz now was obliged to pledge Judah’s submission to his benefactor and pay tribute. Subservience to Assyria had religious as well as political implications. Required to journey to the newly established Assyrian base in Damascus to grovel before Tiglathpileser, Ahaz felt it prudent to pay homage as well to Assyrian deities there. He had a facsimile made of one of their altars and installed it in the Temple upon his return to Jerusalem. There could be no greater symbol of Judah’s servility. The consequences of the developments were far-reaching. The Philistines seized on Judah’s troubles to reclaim mastery of the southern coastal strip and adjoining Judaean territory while Edom, liberating itself from Judah’s domination , retook Ezion Geber. The port facilities there, through which Judah had traded with distant lands, were destroyed. Ahaz...
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