Bible Chronology (33): From the Temple to Artaxerxes (8)

After Uzziah sinned, God struck him with leprosy (we explain why his sin was so serious to God), and his son Jotham reigned in his place as king of Judah. Jotham was a good king, but his son Ahaz was evil. In his reign, the kings of Syria and Israel attacked Judah to depose him (2Kings 16:5, Isaiah 7:4-6). This is the background to Isaiah 7 and the famous Immanuel Prophecy, where God promised to protect the House of David 'because of Immanuel' (Isaiah 7:14, 8:10). Isaiah predicted that the 2 kings attacking him would die soon (7:4,15,16), and the fall of the kingdom of Israel (7:7,8 ), and he called Ahaz to trust in God, in order to be established (7:9). But instead, Ahaz responded in unbelief (7:10-13), and turned to Assyria for help (2Kings 16:7). Seeing his stubborn unbelief, God predicted through Isaiah that the result of this would be that Judah would come under increasing Assyrian dominion and oppression (Isaiah 7:17).