ABSTRACT
With the collapse of the northern kingdom, Judah was under threat. To avoid a similar fate in the south, King Ahaz (735-715 BCE) continued to pay tribute to Assyria and to encourage the nation to worship Assyrian gods. However the prophet Isaiah was deeply concerned about such idolatrous practices. He believed that the collapse of Israel was God’s punishment for sinfulness, and he foresaw a similar fate for Judah. Echoing the words of Amos, Isaiah warned his countrymen that God was not satisfied with empty ritual:
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of he-goats.
