Ahaz was faced with decisions of enormous import when he took office. Assyria was growing in power and belligerence to the north. To the immediate north, Syria and Israel had formed a confederacy and were pressuring the young king of Judah to join. The Philistines to the southwest and the Edomites to the southeast were overrunning the Judean countryside. As Ahaz grappled with how to lead his nation through these difficult times, the prophet Isaiah implored him to put his trust in Jehovah. The decision he made would affect the country for the next 30 years.
