2 Kings 16:

You would expect that Ahaz, son on Jotham and king of Judah, would do what is right in God's eyes after all the terrible things Judah and Israel have been through because of disobedience, but he was not just evil, he actually went to the idol's high places to do sacrifices himself.  When the king of Syria and Israel invaded Judah, Ahaz did not go to God or his idols, instead he ran to the king of Assyria with God's treasures as gifts, who then conquered Syria and killed the Syrian king.  Ahaz then went to see the Assyrian king in Damascus (Syria) and was captivated by the size and design (money) of the altar (that could not protect the king of Syria).  He then sent the design of the altar back to the priest in Judah to build before his return. The altar was build and Ahaz returned to go worship there.  He even removed bronze from God's altar to go place at the idol's altar. Ahaz was soon replaced by Hezekiah to be king of Judah. The love of visible money can be mightier than the love of the invincible God.  When God said no graven images, he was not worried about their saving powers or their beauty, but rather, the other gods that keep the people addicted - the money that follows the idol, the influence that follows the money, the women that follow the influence, the children that follow the women, and the corruption that follows that way of life.

2 Kings 17:

Hoshea, king of Israel was no different from the rest of the bad kings.  Only this time, the king of Assyria, Shalmaneser, captured Israel and took everyone as prisoner to Assyria.  God allowed this to happen because of idolatry.  The Jews did not only believe in omen and divination, they even started offering their children to the idols.  Israel and Judah refused to listen to God or his prophets and started doing the very thing that God told them not to do.  So the Assyrian king brought Assyrians to settle in Israel, but God sent lions against them. It was because of this that a priest was released from Assyria to Israel to teach the Assyrians there how to follow God.  Despite the fact that the new people of Israel began to fear God, they still held on to their gods from distant lands.

2 Kings 18:

Hezekiah, king of Judah, did what was right in God's eyes and tore down the altars of the idols (it was about time!!!).  He walked with God and God was with him wherever he went. He rebelled against kings that once took tributes from Judah.  King of Assyria, Sennacherib, came to fight Judah 10 years after another Assyrian king took all of Israel into captivity.  The Assyrian king sent his servants to inform Hezekiah and all of Judah that they should neither trust Hezekiah or God to deliver them. The servants also claimed that no god has delivered any nation from the hands of Assyria and definitely not God whose altar Judah has abandoned.  All of Judah was scared.  People watch you and know when you are doing wrong.  The Assyrians knew that Judah no longer has regards for God and they came in confidently to remind Judah that their God will not fight for them.

2 Kings 19:

Isaiah is introduced at this time because of the king of Assyria.  Hezekiah sends servants to inquire from Isaiah.  When the servant of the king Hezekiah came to Isaiah about the issue, Isaiah sent them to tell the king that the words of the Assyrian king should be ignored.  God was going to sent a rumor to the Assyrian king so that he returns home to be killed.  Sennacherib, king of Assyria, went ahead to fight other battles and heard a rumor that the king of Ethiopia/Sudan (Cush) was planning war against him.  So he sent a letter to Hezekiah promising him the destruction of Judah.  Hezekiah took the letter and begged God for deliverance.  Isaiah then sent words to the king that not a single arrow from the Assyrians shall enter Judah.  The night of the war, God killed all the Assyrians planning an attack and the king of Assyrian went home in defeat to be assassinated by his own sons.  No matter how bad things get, always cry out to God for deliverance and he will see you through.

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