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Chapter 28 records the reign of Ahaz (731-715). He was 20 years old when he became King of Judah. He reigned for 16 years. He was well educated but he did, constantly, what was evil in the eyes of the Lord. He followed the example of the Kings of Israel and worshipped the idols of Baal. He even sacrificed his own children on these pagan altars. This was why God allowed the King of Syria to defeat him and deport large numbers of his people to Damascus. Large numbers of his army were slaughtered, on a single day, 120,000 of Judah's best were killed. The armies of Egypt captured 200,000 women and children from Judah.
Odeb, a Prophet of God was in Samaria when the armies of Israel returned from their victory over Judah and brought back with them large numbers of captives. He reminded them that they had captured those people only because the Lord was angry with the King of Judah and that if they made slaves of them God would channel his wrath upon them. He advised them to let the Judeans return to their homes rather than face the wrath of God. Some leaders from the Tribe of Ephraim were there and they agreed with the Prophet. So the army officers turned the prisoners over to the civil authorities and they returned them to their homes.
About this time, Ahaz reached an all time low, spiritually and personally. His attempt to get the aid of the King of Assyria backfired in spite of his gifts of gold from the Temple treasurers. Spiritually he desecrated the Temple, nailing shut the doors so no one could worship there and constructed altars to the heathen gods in every corner in Jerusalem
He lived during the time of the Prophets Isaiah, Hosea and Micah, but he did not "profit" from their council. He died of natural causes and was buried in Jerusalem but not in the Royal Cemetery and his son, Hezekiah, became King of Judah.
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