Here is, 1. The attempt of his confederate neighbours, the kings of
Syria and Israel, upon him. They thought to make themselves masters of
Jerusalem, and to set a king of their own in it, Isa. vii. 6. In this
they fell short, but the king of Syria recovered Elath, a considerable
port upon the Red Sea, which Amaziah had taken from the Syrians, ch.
xiv. 22. What can those keep that have lost their religion? Let them
expect, thenceforward, to be always on the losing hand. 2. His project
to get clear of them. Having forsaken God, he had neither courage nor
strength to make head against his enemies, nor could he, with any
boldness, ask help of God; but he made his court to the king of
Assyria, and got him to come in for his relief. Those whose hearts
condemn them will go any where in a day of distress rather than to God.
Was it because there was not a God in Israel that he sent to the
Assyrian for help? Was the rock of ages removed out of its place, that
he stayed himself on this broken reed? The sin itself was its own
punishment; for, though it is true that he gained his point (the king
of Assyria hearkened to him, and, to serve his own turn, made a descent
upon Damascus, whereby he gave a powerful diversion to the king of
Syria, v. 9, and obliged him to let fall his design against Ahaz,
carrying the Syrians captive to Kir, as Amos had expressly foretold,
ch. i. 5), yet, considering all, he made but a bad bargain; for, to
compass this, (1.) He enslaved himself (v. 7): I am thy servant and thy
son, that is, "I will be as dutiful and obedient to thee as to a master
or father, if thou wilt but do me this good turn." Had he thus humbled
himself to God, and implored his favour, he might have been delivered
upon easier terms; he might have saved his money, and needed only to
have parted with his sins. But, if the prodigal forsake his father's
house, he soon becomes a slave to the worst of masters, Luke xv. 15.
(2.) He impoverished himself; for he took the silver and gold that were
laid up in the treasury both of the temple and of the kingdom, and sent
it to the king of Assyria, v. 8. Both church and state must be squeezed
and exhausted, to gratify this his new patron and guardian. I know not
what authority he had thus to dispose of the public stock; but it is
common for those that have brought themselves into straits by one sin
to help themselves out by another; and those that have alienated
themselves from God will make no difficulty of alienating any of his
rights.