2 Kings 16:1-20
-Text commentaries: David Gurek

It is so wild to read a book in the Old Testament that was written around 732 BC and see a direct comparison and picture of what is happening today.
You always hear people say that the Bible is “outdated” or that because of how “old” it is, that it cannot help you in your life today.
That is SO wrong.
1. The word of God is alive and active
2. people have been people-ing since the beginning of time.

I am reading through the Bible again (like from front to back) and it never ceases to amaze me how I can read a passage 10-15 times and get something new EVERY TIME. I also love reading commentaries from other pastors and scholars to see what they see in the passages as well in regards to the original language and context.
Today, I felt moved not only by the passage but how one commentator shared his findings.

SO

For todays Bible reading revelation I bring to you, 2 Kings 16 and King Ahaz.
King Ahaz ruled over Judah and began when he was 22 years old. He was king for 16 years and it explains that he did evil and followed the kings of Israel (Israel split into two kingdoms in 1 kings 11-12 following the death of Solomon.)
It even says that he sacrificed his own son on a pagan alter by fire. He followed the practices of the pagan nations around him by offering sacrifices and burned incense to pagan shrines EVERYWHERE.
It wasn’t like he did it in the secret of his home, it was outside, publicly, everywhere.

While king Ahaz was in Damascus to meet with King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria he “took special note of the alter. Then he sent a modal of the alter to uriah the priest, along with its design in full detail. Uriah followed the king’s instructions and built an alter just like it, and it was ready before the king returned. When the king returned he inspected the alter and made offerings on it. He presented a burnt offering and a grain offering, he poured out a liquid offering, and he sprinkled the blood of peace offerings on the alter.” (2 kings 16:10-13)

Now, I got curious about the altar from Damascus and the practices of worship they would have done. From some research I found that the altar in Damascus would have not only functioned for standard sacrifices, but as a political statement of loyalty to the empire and its dominating religious culture. It was a symbol of power. The Assyrian people at that time were also known for mixing religions, adding onto their own, and being polytheistic.

It goes on to say “then king Ahaz removed the old bronze alter from its place in front of the Lord’s Temple, between the enterance and the new altar, and placed it on the north side of the new alter.” He then told the Priest to do all sacrifices that were onece done on the Lords altar on the “new” altar that he had created.

stay with me I’m getting somewhere.

“then, the king removed the side panels and basins from the portable water carts. He also removed the great bronze basin. In deference to the king of Assyria, he also removed the canopy that had been constructed inside the palace for use on the Sabbath day, as well as the kings outer entrance to the Temple of the Lord.”

Now, if you don’t know, only appointed priests were allowed to offer sacrifices to the altar of the Lord. In 2 Kings 15 it shows that king Uzziah, although a good king, began to think so highly of himself that he decided he was allowed to go against the order of the Lord and offer sacrifices at the alter. Everything from the design of the temple to the way things were to be ran were very specifically ordered by the Lord for HIS glory and our good!

Ahaz brought a altar, that he had someone make, and brought it into the Temple of the Lord. Not only did he bring a pagan altar into the Temple, he then started to tear down and take about aspects of the Temple in order to house his new alter. Then, he made sacrifices on his alter.

*Ahaz worshipped a God of his own creation and served as a priest at the altar of his own design.

He could not bring in his altar without removing parts of the temple because those aspects of the temple SERVED to DISCOURAGE false worship, so he removed them.
The fact that Ahaz was worshipping IN the Temple of the Lord did not make it true worship.

Where are you going with this Ashley?
I’m so glad you asked

How many of us have brought in an alter of our own creation into church to worship, believing that because we are in the house of God, that it is true worship.
How many of us have STRIPPED the word of God, throwing away anything that convicts us or challenges our idol worship so that we can keep “worshipping” things that we create or like.

We go through the Bible and get uncomfortable with something and instead of leaning into the Lord and perusing his wisdom, we create what we want God to look like in our heads.

I believe that a lot of us have created our own god and altars. We worship that and wonder why our lives are empty and fruitless.
In 2 Kings 17: 15 it says “they worshipped emptiness and became empty.”

In our culture and society we are taught that we can “have it our way” (burger king lol) or “its my money and I need it now.” We get what we what, when we want it, how we want it, exactly how we want it to look like. We are so used to being the god of our lives that we don’t even recognize it.
We don’t recognize that we are walking into church services carrying our own pop up, travling, pagan altars, worshipping the god of ourself and our desires, and walking out not once worshipping YHWH.

AND

In order to do this, we slowly have to tear down the temple of God.
What does that look like?

When the worship song isn’t a song YOU like so you don’t sing praises to God and you sit there miffed.
When the women’s event didn’t have the food you like so you sit but your’e not really listening to whats being said.
When the AC is too cold or not cold enough and you get frustrated and can’t focus on the Lord.
When the Pastor says something that you don’t like because it challenges the way you like to live your life so you just go to another church that will tell you exactly what you want to hear.
When you refuse to tithe. Period.

There are so many other ways but the bottom line is, its not about what YOU want, what YOU want it to look like, what YOU want it so sound like, what YOU want it to BE.
Its about GOD. What HE wants, what HE desires.

Are you looking around at outside influences to dictate how to look, live, and worship like Ahaz? Are you taking “special notice” on how others do things and tearing down what God has called us too in order to LOOK like them ?
OR are you in your word, in the presence of God, getting to know Him better and what HE wants.

Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean its not what God wants. The things that Ahaz tore down in the temple were supposed to DETER from pagan worship. SO if you feel the need to remove or shift from the WORD of God in order for you to feel comfortable, you are worshiping your comfort.
If you can’t taking 30 minutes to sit and talk to God and be in his presence, you are worshipping your time.
If you can’t give a fraction of your money back to the Lord, you are worshiping your finances.

And going back to the polytheistic way of worship from what Ahaz was learning and copying it challenges this as all:
You cannot worship God (YHWH) and your horoscope
You cannot worship God (YHWH) and your enneagram/ myers briggs/ leadership number ect
You cannot worship God (YHWH) and your crystals
You cannot worship God (YHWH) and your president
You cannot worship God (YHWH) and buddha, muhammed, jospeh smith, ect.
You cannot worship God (YHWH) and not believe the ENTIRE word of God.

This is challenging friends. we really have to take a step back and examine our life and see where we have fit GOD into ur life instead of making him Lord OF our life.
We have to see where we have shifted and molded our ideas and beliefs about what something “should” look like and take it to the Father, lay it at HIS feet and ask HIM what He wants.

Opinions and desires are not inherently bad. God gave you a mind to use, to create, but the minute we believe that we decide what is worship…thats when we are going back to the Genesis believing that we know more that God.

Let’s check ourselves daily, and ask the Lord to search us, know us, and test our thoughts (psalm 139) so that we can worship HIM in SPIRIT and in TRUTH (John 4:23-24)

Father, thank you for your word. Thank you that is is living and breathing and teaching us something new everyday. I pray that this dive into your word was helpful to others as it was to me.
Search our heart, test our thoughts, and continue to renew our minds to be aligned with you.
I pray that we all learn true worship. That we would not worship ourselves, our time, our desires, but that we would worship YOU in spirit and in truth. That our worship would be an acceptable sweet fragrance to you.
I pray that we would lay down ourselves at your feet and forget the world around us. That when we worship, we will not care what anyone else thinks, but that we will give you the worship you DESERVE.
Jesus, you deserve EVERYTHING. You deserve our everything. I pray that we daily give you all of the Glory and that we lay down all of our achievements and accomplishments at YOUR feet.
Holy Spirit, we love you. Thank you for guiding us. I pray that you make us more like Jesus every. single. day. I pray that as we abide in you that the fruit would be purse worship.
We love you, and we praise you YHWH.
In the name of Jesus we pray.
AMEN

I love you! I pray this blesses you.

* the commentator that I am talking about is from the website/ app ‘Blue Letter Bible’ from 2 Kings 16 and his name is David Guzik. It is his study guide for 2 Kings 16!