This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in 2 Kings 16, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once upon a time, a man named Ahaz became the king of Judah. He was only 20 years old when he started his reign and he ruled for 16 years. But unfortunately, Ahaz did not do what was right in God’s eyes, just like his father David did. He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and even did some really bad things, like burning his own son as an offering!
Later on, the kings of Syria and Israel came to wage war on Jerusalem, Ahaz’s kingdom. They even besieged the city but they couldn’t conquer it. So, Ahaz sent a message to the king of Assyria asking for his help. Ahaz also took some precious things from the Lord’s house and gave them to the king of Assyria as a gift. The king of Assyria listened to Ahaz and marched up against Syria, taking over their land and capturing their people.
When Ahaz went to Damascus to meet the king of Assyria, he saw an altar that he really liked. He sent the design to a priest named Uriah, who built the altar for him. When the king returned from Damascus, he burned offerings on the altar and moved the bronze altar that was in front of the Lord’s house to a different spot. Ahaz even commanded Uriah to use the great altar for all of the people’s offerings, but the bronze altar was only for him.
Ahaz made a lot of changes to the temple and even took some things down to protect them from the king of Assyria. In the end, Ahaz died and was buried with his ancestors. His son Hezekiah became the next king of Judah.
Biblical Lessons
- We should not make decisions based on fear, but on faith in God’s power and protection.
- We should not rely on our own strength or resources, but on God’s provision and guidance.
- We should not prioritize our own interests or desires over God’s will and commands.
- We should not be influenced by the practices and values of the world, but by the teachings and principles of God’s Word.
- We should not use God’s resources or gifts for our own selfish purposes, but for His glory and purposes.