The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Kings 16:10-12,
"Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it."
Ahaz was the twelfth of the twenty kings of Judah following the split of Israel after King Solomon's reign. He was one of the twelve considered as not doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, verse 2. In this passage we see he applied himself to religion. He was a religious man and pursued his religion as he saw fit. He followed the religious activities of the nations Israel had displaced when they entered into the land the Lord gave them. He replaced the altar with a new one, one that he saw in Damascus that attracted his attention and instructed the priests to begin using it for the daily burnt and grain offerings.
However, the Lord had already given the Israelites instructions on how to worship him. He gave them the design for the tabernacle and its furnishings. He also provided Israel with the schedule of offerings for worship and a calendar for the religious feasts and holy days.
But King Ahaz decided to do it his way.
We have today a bizarre menu of "Christian religions", denominations, cults, sects, -isms, synods, etc. I suspect each has its own "King Ahaz" somewhere in its founding, someone who started with Christianity and decided to redefine it in his own image.
It is not difficult to see the Lord's disgust with King Ahaz in the words, "Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God." Verse 2b. Perhaps, if we took a notion to please the Lord in our own lives, we might consider leaving religion behind, as King Ahaz should have done, and turn to the Scriptures and worship our God in truth. Worship our God acceptably - in a manner he has revealed to us. What a radical idea that would be!
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" Hebrews 12:28-29.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He saw an altar in Damascus and sent to Uriah the priest a sketch of the altar, with detailed plans for its construction. So Uriah the priest built an altar in accordance with all the plans that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus and finished it before King Ahaz returned. When the king came back from Damascus and saw the altar, he approached it and presented offerings on it."
Ahaz was the twelfth of the twenty kings of Judah following the split of Israel after King Solomon's reign. He was one of the twelve considered as not doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, verse 2. In this passage we see he applied himself to religion. He was a religious man and pursued his religion as he saw fit. He followed the religious activities of the nations Israel had displaced when they entered into the land the Lord gave them. He replaced the altar with a new one, one that he saw in Damascus that attracted his attention and instructed the priests to begin using it for the daily burnt and grain offerings.
However, the Lord had already given the Israelites instructions on how to worship him. He gave them the design for the tabernacle and its furnishings. He also provided Israel with the schedule of offerings for worship and a calendar for the religious feasts and holy days.
But King Ahaz decided to do it his way.
We have today a bizarre menu of "Christian religions", denominations, cults, sects, -isms, synods, etc. I suspect each has its own "King Ahaz" somewhere in its founding, someone who started with Christianity and decided to redefine it in his own image.
It is not difficult to see the Lord's disgust with King Ahaz in the words, "Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God." Verse 2b. Perhaps, if we took a notion to please the Lord in our own lives, we might consider leaving religion behind, as King Ahaz should have done, and turn to the Scriptures and worship our God in truth. Worship our God acceptably - in a manner he has revealed to us. What a radical idea that would be!
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" Hebrews 12:28-29.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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