In this chapter we learn a little more of Ahaz, the current king of Judah who performed many evils in the sight of the Lord. One of his worst acts is desecrating the holy things of the temple, and giving new commandments to the priests.
“And Uriah the priest built the altar; in accordance with all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus… Then the king… burned his burnt offering and his grain offering and poured his drink offering and threw the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. And the bronze altar that was before the Lord he removed… And King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, saying, ‘On the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering… And throw on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice…’ Uriah the priest did all this, as King Ahaz commanded.” (v11-16 abr)
God was very specific about everything associated with His temple, including placement and usage of the altar and bronze sea (wash basin) which Ahaz now removed / replaced. The biggest insult to God was Ahaz had Uriah the priest replace the altar with one of pagan design, and use it daily (presumably for God’s offerings, but probably for some pagan offerings as well).
Remember how two of Aaron’s sons were struck down by God for burning incense that was not in accordance with God’s direction? Ahaz must not have learned Israel’s/Judah’s history, or just didn’t care, one of the two.
Thankfully we have many scriptural accounts that give us clear guidelines on how we are to conduct our lives (and also many examples of poor conduct). A great passage is 1 Ths 5:11-24, which is considered a ‘code of conduct’ for Christ followers. It includes instructions such as “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing…”
When we hide God’s word in our hearts (learn His will and His heart) we will we create a foundation that helps shape our conduct to match what God intends. If we don’t have a foundation of God’s word, like Ahaz we will conduct our lives however we (or the world) sees fit. I encourage us to spend time with God every single day, and try learning Bible verses/passages to aid us in our daily living.
Father God, our Sovereign Lord and King, great and mighty is Your will. Father we long to obey and serve You. Unfortunately, we are fallible and stray from Your desired paths. Please help us to spend time with You and hide Your word in our hearts, making our obedience easier. May we honor, glorify and praise You, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training