2 Kings 16:10 says, And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. Ahaz went to Damascus to congratulate the king on his victory, which Matthew Henry says he shouldn't have been doing to start with but should have been putting his faith in and giving glory to God. While there, he saw an altar that he really liked. It was evidently fancier than the one Solomon had built, and Ahaz was impressed with its looks instead of its function, because it was an altar to false gods. He sent for Urijah the priest to fashion him an altar like this one. We can sometimes be caught up in the beauty of things, even within a church building itself, more than the function of them. Verse eleven adds, And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus. Urijah, the priest, followed Ahaz's instructions instead of looking to God for guidance. As a part of the priesthood of believers, we should never follow the dictates and desires of the world instead of following God's will in our life. It is too easy to get caught up in desiring the ornate things in life instead of the simple things. Verse twelve continues, And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon. When Ahaz returned from Damascus, he saw the altar and offered a sacrifice on it. It doesn't matter how much we go through the motions of worship if we are not following God's will when we do so, and Ahaz was not at this time. Verse thirteen states, And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar. Again, Ahaz was going through all the motions of worship, but he wasn't doing it on the altar of God, but on the altar of Ahaz. We cannot worship God when we are following our own desires instead of His. Verse fourteen adds, And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the Lord, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the Lord, and put it on the north side of the altar. Ahaz moved the altar of God out of its place of importance and put it off to the side. We should never allow the things of God to be pushed off to the side in our lives as we worship things built from our own desires. Verse fifteen continues, And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king's burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by. Ahaz told Urijah to make all the sacrifices on this new altar and he would keep the simpler one just for him to make inquiries of God from. Matthew Henry points out that he pretended to elevate the original altar to a purpose it was never meant to fill. It was not there to reveal God's will but to sacrifice on in gratitude for God's blessings. We need to be careful that we don't begin to replace God's will with expensive things and at the same time misuse the things He has blessed us with. Verse sixteen says, Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded. Instead of seeking God's guidance, Urijah simply did what Ahaz told him to do, though he had to know this was wrong. We cannot put any ruler in the world above our obedience to God. Verse seventeen adds, And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon the pavement of stones. Ahaz then began to destroy or at least modify those things in the temple that God had directed the building of. Mtthew Henry says he seemed to have a particular dislike for the things used in purification of the priests. As Christians, our first concern should be the purification of ourselves through faith in Jesus Christ. If we begin to allow other things to take priority in our life, we cannot effectively serve God. Verse eighteen continues, And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king's entry without, turned he from the house of the Lord for the king of Assyria. Matthew Henry says this was likely a door that the priests entered through on the sabbath, and that whatever it might have been, Ahaz was showing contempt for the sabbath and elevating his family and himself to a position of honor. We should be wary of those who put themselves in a position of honor, especially if they using a supposed dedication to God to do so. Verse nineteen states, Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? We may not have a record here of all the things that Ahaz did in opposition to God, but we have enough to know that he was an evil king in his relationship to God, and that is really all that matters. What we do good or bad as followers of Christ is not what is really important. Only what we do under the leadership of and in obedience to the Holy Spirit is. Verse twenty says, And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. Ahaz died and was buried with his ancestors and his son Hezekiah became king. As I have stated many times, earthly rulers come and go, but as Christians we have but one Lord, and that is Jesus Christ.
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