AHAZ THE KING OF JUDAH, AN EXAMPLE OF FAILURE Jotham king of Judah lived uprightly before the Lord (15: 34); Yet he did not remove the high places; where they left the people to sacrifice and burn incense . Receiving the throne, Ahaz his son became a bad example of failure in all his life: a- Failure in his behavior (1-4). For evil was a main feature in his personality b- Failure in politics (5-9); as is clear from entering into war against Rezin and Pekah, kings of Aram and Israel c- Failure in his worship (12-18);as he practiced apostasy to a great extent. If success is a divine gift presented to the believer in every aspect of his life; Failure, on the other hand, is the fruit of separating himself from God, the true source of his prosperity. 1- Ahaz the evil king 1 - 2 2- Ahaz and idol-worship 3 - 4 3- The kings of Aram and Israel fight against Ahaz 5 - 6 4- Ahaz resorts to Tiglath-Pileser 7 - 9 5- Ahaz encounters Tigleth-Pileser 10 6- Ahaz admires the pagan altar 11 - 18 7- Ahaz dies, and his son Hezekiah sits on the throne 19 – 20 1- AHAZ THE EVIL KING: “ In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign” (1). The name ‘Ahaz’ means (God holds fast). If Ahaz’s father Jotham, and his grandfather Azariah, walked uprightly in the sight of the Lord, yet they were not like David their father, for they, later on perverted and walked in evil. But Ahaz, even though of the seed of David, he did not obey the Word of God, nor trusted in Him, but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel in their perversion to idol-worship. And instead of imitating his father David, to be the subject of pleasure to the Lord, he imitated the evil kings of Israel, and failed like them. Yet we cannot disregard the fact that his father and grandfather have planted in him the seeds of apostasy, by not removing the high places; which had its bad fruits in his personality and public behavior. “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God, as his father David had done” (2). Some may object that it was mentioned here that Ahaz was 20 years old when he sat on the throne, and reigned for 16 years in Jerusalem. While in (2 kings 18: 1-2), it was mentioned that Hezekiah his son was 25 years old when he reigned. By simple calculation, we shall accordingly see that Ahaz was married when he was 10 years old, and got his son Hezekiah when he was 11 years old, which is against the natural law, and contradict with the sound logic……….. To answer this: By turning to the biography of Ahaz, we find that he corrupted the system of worship in the temple, and replaced it with idol-worship. Hezekiah his son came to reign to find before him a heavy burden of religious reform, that took from him several years to perform before being appointed as a king according to the Mosaic statutes and rites (2 Chronicles 28-30); It is well known that anointing kings in the old covenant, necessitated first that a system of worship is well established in the temple. That is why it is most probable that Hezekiah was not anointed a king by the hands of the priests, before the completion of those reforms, which took a long time. That is why what came in (2 kings 18: 2) that Hezekiah was 25 years old when he reigned, namely when he was anointed according to the Mosaic statutes, meant that he was anointed after that reform of the system of worship in the temple. So now, if he was 20 years old when his father died, that means that his father has begotten him when he was 16 years old or a little more, which is more logic. 2- AHAZ AND IDOL-WORSHIP: “But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel” (3) After a series of kings in Judah, who walked relatively upright, Ahaz came to walk in evil, like the kings of Israel; who might claim that their worship of the two golden calves in Dan and Bethel was a necessity to keep the people in Israel from going to the temple in Jerusalem to worship, with the probability, in case they do, of submitting to the king of Judah who was of the seed of David; While Ahaz king of Judah, had no excuse to justify imitating the kings of Israel, in disregarding the worship of the living God, committing to His commandment.. Ahaz was an apostate, who led the people to idol-worship (2 Chronicles 28: 2-4). And the second book of the Chronicles presents to us reports of passing his son in fire, a custom connected to the worship of Baal, practiced in the valley of the son of Hinnom (23: 10; 2 Chronicles 28: 2-3) In the days of king Joash and Jehoiada the priest, the people broke down the altars of Baal, and his statutes (2 kings 11: 18); but as Ahaz reigned , he returned to what the evil Athaliah, the daufgter of Ahab and Jezebel, did. He, as well, offered his son a sacrifice to the idols by passing him in the fire, to get the favor of the false gods, through offering the best he has got to them (Micah 6: 7); the most horrible of the pagan practices, against which God often warned his people. ‘Molech’ the false god, had a bronze statue sitting on a throne, and in the hollow cavity inside it, they used to ignite fire, then put their children on its red-hot arms, to burn and die; amid the sound of drums to conceal the screams of the children while burning. The prophet Jeremiah stood at the gate of the pit where trash was cast, to address his talk to the kings of Judah, together of the people of Jerusalem’ for partaking of those horrible customs (2 kings 21: 16; 24: 4), and offering their children as human sacrifices to the idols (2 kings 16: 3; 21: 6); to let them all listen to a cruel word of rebuke, and to a divine condemnation against them all with no exception. Of course it was difficult on the soul of the king of Judah to hear that the prophet Jeremiah sent to him such a harsh message at the trash gate; but that was how law he brought himself down to such a level by partaking of those pagan practices. The divine commandment clearly came, saying: “You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abomination to the Lord which he hates, they have done in their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods’ (Deuteronomy 12: 31). In 2 Chronicles 28: 3, it came that Ahaz burned his own children in the fire according to the abominations of the nations; and that Manasseh the most evil of the kings of Israel did the same (2 Chronicles 33: 6). That was done in Tophet or Taphtah; located in the valley of ‘Rababah’, on the eastern plains of Mount Zion (Nehemiah 11: 30), That name is probably derived from a word meaning (a furnace), or from an Aramite word meaning (the place of fire). It was originally a holy garden for the Canaanites; then became a center of worship for Baal, where the perverted Jew used to pass their children in fire for the god ‘Molech’ (Jeremiah 32-35). The good king Josiah defiled ‘Tophet’, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.(2 kings 23: 10). And Topheth became such a symbol of desolation and abominations; that the prophet says: “Therefore, behold, the days are coming , says the Lord, , when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter, for they will bury in Tophet until there is no more room. The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and no one will frighten them away” (Jeremiah 7: 32, 33). Along the history, that Valley was so full of trash cast over the walls of the city, that all its features were completely lost. How amazing! … Ahaz offered his own son a sacrifice to the idols that were unable to protect themselves; with the assumption that, by so doing, he would guarantee his own security and conquest; instead of offering his heart to the Almighty God! … In his corruption, man loses his reason, mental balance, and even his natural human wisdom, that, In his disobedience to God , he would even surpass the limits of practicing the pagan worship in Israel, to plunge down to such a disgraceful level of offering his own son as a sacrifice to Molech! It is a sad thing that the children of God, He created to be kings and priests (Revelation 1: 6), and to rise by the Spirit of their Father up to where He sits, to bring themselves down to fall under judgment together with the evil children of the devil, through partaking of their evil behavior; and to plunge even to a lower level than that of the beasts. + What a tragedy that was! … By offering their own children sacrifices to the devil! they forgot the suffering of child-birth; treaded with their feet upon raising their children; and ignored the statutes of human relation, to become more vicious than any wild beast. + Having created Adam, God did not provide him with physical wings like those of birds; for He originally intended for him to have the wings of the Holy Spirit, that, in resurrection, would raise him up to where the Spirit desires; those wings that the holy souls would have the privilege to have even now, and, in their minds, would fly up to the heavenly range. … Christians have their own different world, their own different banquets; their own different attire; their own different enjoyment; and their own different reasoning and thinking… They have the privilege to gain those things inside their souls even now through the Holy Spirit, so that, their bodies would be counted as worthy of resurrection to partake of the goods of this eternal spirit, by which they mix with the glory their souls experience in this life. (St. Maccari the Great) . “And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree” (4). Ahaz practiced all the abominations of the idol-worshippers, warned against by God. As his father failed to remove the high places, they became a serious offense to his son, who, not only disregarded their existence, but went further to plunge into idol-worship on those high places. Ahaz became an evil example before his people in offering sacrifices on the high places, and under the old, big, isolated trees, and with the assumption that they are dwelling places for gods, no one would dare to cut them. + Those who trust in idols are foolish…. How could they say that the things they make by their own hands, {they have created us?]; … Besides, they used to guard their idols, lest they might be robbed by thieves … How foolish!. If the idols could not protect themselves, how could they protect and save others?! (Father John of Damascus) + As in the first of the ten commandments, the worship of the Lord, the One God, was very clearly commanded, … Likewise the ban concerning the worship and service presented by the believers to any creature, also came in a very strict and firm way, It is written: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage. You shall have no god before Me” (Exodus 20: 2). (Fulgentius, bishop of Ruspe) + Do not you see that this was not said concerning the repentant, but concerning those who, not only hold fast to evil, but persist upon putting obstacles on our way? … However dear those are to us, we are committed to desert; and however they may seem of benefit for us, we are committed to forsake. (Pechian, bishop of Barcelona) + The Christians and the Jews are commanded to keep away from the pagan temples, with their altars and statues; according to the commandment, saying: “You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him” (Deuteronomy 10: 20) They should, not only keep away from them, but be ready if necessary, to strive even to death to avoid the defilement of their understanding of God of the universe, through any behavior contradictory to His law. + When certain people attempt to seduce us to apostatize; It would be advisable for us to meditate in what God wishes to teach us, by saying: “I am the Lord your God, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 6: 15). I bridegroom who desires from his bride to live in chastity, to dedicate herself completely to him, and beware of having a relationship with any one but him; I believe he has to be wisely jealous. So it applies to the Law-Giver, particularly when He proclaims Himself as the Firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1: 15), to say to His bride – the soul – that He is a jealous God. By this way, He keeps His believers against any adultery with the demons and the vain gods. (The scholar Origen) 3- THE KINGS OF ARAM AND ISRAEL FIGHT AGAINST AHAZ: : “ Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to make war; and they besieged Ahaz but could not overcome him” (5) Rezin king of Aram and Pekah king of Israel (15: 37), intended to have dominion over Jerusalem, and to set over it a king of their own (Isaiah 7: 6); Yet despite their huge effort, and military preparations, they failed in their endeavor. Despite Ahaz’s perversion to idol-worship, in imitation of the kings of Israel, God, for the sake of His true promises to the house of David, sent to him the prophet Isaiah, to proclaim that He will grant him conquest over Rezin and Pekah; according to what is written: “Then the Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s field; and say to him: Take heed and be quiet, do not fear or be faint-hearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands; for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah” (Isaiah 7: 3-4). . “At that time Rezin king of Syria captured Elath for Syria, and drove the men of Judah from Elath. Then the Edomites went to Elath, and dwell there to this day” (6) Rezin put Jerusalem under siege, then retreated; and all what he got was to restore Elath to Aram. God allowed for Ahaz to have conquest, with the hope that he would return to the living God, to attach himself to Him, and to forsake the idol-worship. Yet He allowed for the Aramites to restore Elath, as a chastisement for Ahaz for forsaking the worship of the living God. Uziah king of Judah, the grandfather of Ahaz had previously taken Elath over (12: 22); a prominent port (1 kings 9: 26), which was taken back from Judah by the Aramites up to the day of writing this book. 4- AHAZ RESORTS TO TIGLATH-PILESER: “So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hand of the king of Syria and from the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.” (7) It was befitting of Ahaz to return to God, and to offer Him a thanksgiving sacrifice, for sending the prophet Isaiah to assure him, and for granting him the conquest over the two kings of Aram and Israel; But in denial and lack of faith, he rebelled against God, and resorted to the king of Assyria for support and protection. And he so did, not with the spirit of friendship and cooperation, but with humiliation, saying: “I am your servant and your son; Come up and save me”. How amazing that man often prefers to resort to fellow men with humiliation instead of resorting to God with the spirit of sonhood and self-respect! … That he would rather have bondage to the earthlies, instead of the liberty granted to him by the Heavenly One. Ahaz did wrong to resort to human alliances, and not to return to God. … For, in case the kingdom of Judah join forces with Aram and Israel, they would stir up the wrath of Assyria; And in case it unites with Assyria, the later would swallow and enslave it; and It would be like a unity between the lamb and the wolf. …That is why, crying out to Tiglath-Pileser, Ahaz became his servant; instead of resorting to the Heavenly God. + The Christians perpetually have their heart, mind, and ways of thinking, in the heavenly range. The true Christians always see the eternal goods as though in a mirror, because they acquire the Holy Spirit and His fellowship, they are born from God up high; and have truly and actually got the privilege to become the children of God; having reached, after so long wars and labor, to such a steady state of liberty and freedom from disturbance, to a state of comfort; not to go back to be overcome by anxiety and vain thoughts. The distinctive feature of the Christians, is not in the outer ways and attitude as many think; who unfortunately in their minds and thoughts are still like the world, disturbed by shaking thoughts, lack of faith, confusion and fear They may be different from the world in their outer appearance, and in few of their religious practices; but, in their hearts and minds, they are still chained by the earthly bonds, having never attained the comfort in God, and the peace of the heavenly Spirit in their hearts; for they did not seek it from God; and did not believe that He will grant these things to them. (St. Maccari the Great) “And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent it as a present to the king of Assyria” (8). Although God provided Ahaz with confirmations to put his heart at ease; and in great love and exalted care, He said to him: “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said: ‘I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord’” (Isaiah 7: 12). Although He presented to him and to his people a unique sign, and an exalted prophecy, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son; and shall call his name Emmanuel”.(Isaiah 7: 14). And was given, as well, another sign of God’s exalted care for him, saying: “Before the child shall have knowledge to cry, ‘ my father’ and ‘my mother’, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be taken away from the king of Assyria” (Isaiah 8: 4). Although He confirmed to him that the two kingdoms will not prevail on him, but, by the Lord he will prevail on them, and enjoy their riches and spoils, despite all that, he resorted to the help of the king of Assyria, and paid as a price, silver and gold of the treasuries of the house of the Lord, and those of the king’s house; namely all what he inherited from his ancestors. Here, the failure of Ahaz, politically and military, are apparent; In his lack of faith he robbed the temple of the Lord, to purchase protection and security from the king of Assyria; and unknowingly delivered the sanctities and the treasures to his enemies. How amazing! … The evil man resorts to human arms for support and protection, with so huge a price; and rejects the free protection of God, with what go together with it of temporal goods and fatherly blessings The secret of the failure of Ahaz was his lack of faith; as he was told by the prophet Isaiah, while delivering to him the message of God of the conquest over the two kings: “If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established” (Isaiah 7: 9). If Ahaz, despite having such a clear message of God, still felt insecure, and resorted to the king of Assyria, the secret was his lack of faith. Ahaz, in this, was a symbol of the Jews, who, because of their denial, rejected the divine salvation; rejected the sign, the Lord Himself presented to them; and counted Emmanuel the chief of the demons.. They were inflicted by ignorance and lack of understanding, despite the appearance of the divine Truth so strongly. … What the pagan Magi accepted through the preaching of a star of heaven, the children of Abraham rejected the preaching of the prophets along the generations. We are in need of faith, to be enlightened and to enjoy the understanding of God’s promises and works; and to accept the prophecies of the prophets. The true faith and the sound understanding are close brethren. + It is vital for us to perceive that the expression, saying: “If you do not believe, surely you shall not be established”, means that those who read it, will not only need understanding, but to have faith as well; And they will not only need to have faith, but to have also understanding. Those in circumcision, who do not believe in the Christ of God; still hear these words, but do not understand the issue of this prophecy; because they do not listen with their mind. The secret for their lack of understanding is their lack of faith; for the prophecy is clearly proclaimed about and for them. (Eusabius, bishop of Caesarius) “ So the king of Assyria heeded him; for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and took it, carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin” (9) The king of Assyria heard what was said concerning him: “Also Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came to him and distressed him, and did not assist him. For Ahaz took part of the treasuries from the house of the Lord, from the house of the king, and from the leaders, and he gave it to the king of Assyria; but he did not help him” (2 Chronicles 28: 20, 21)..That is why the king of Assyria sent a military campaign (734-732 BC), before which Damascus fell in the year 732 BC, killed its king Rezin, and set Hoshea a king instead of Pekah on the throne of Israel in the same year. Tiglath-Pileser also put a tribute on both Hashea and Ahaz. Damascus is considered one of the most ancient cities, mentioned in the days of Abraham (Genesis 14-15); invaded by king David, who put a garrison in it (2 Samuel 8: 5-6; 1 Chronicles 18: 5-6).Roson could establish the Syrian kingdom, between which and Israel, war continued for a long time; but they joined forces later on, against Judah and Assyria. Syria was however defeated several times. In the year 843 BC, Shalmaneser attacked Damascus and defeated Hazael its king; and it was attacked likewise by Tiglath-Pileser in the year 732 BC, who killed Rezin its king, and led its people into captivity (2 kings 16: 5-9; Isaiah 7: 1- 8; Amos 1: 3-5). After that, Syria moved from being under the authority of the Assyrians to that of the Chaldeans, the Persians, the Macedonian Greeks, and the Romans on the hand of Mittelos in the year 64 BC, then became a Roman province in the year 63 BC. If the king of Assyria took a stand against Damascus, that joined forces with Israel against Ahaz; yet he did not support Ahaz against the Philistines, nor helped him against Israel. He might have helped Ahaz just a little, but he robbed a plenty and applied pressure on him. In that period it so seems that Pekah king of Israel destroyed Judah. In (2 Chronicles 28: 6, 8) it came that he killed 120,000 men of valor in one day, captivated 200,000 women, boys, and girls; and took a plenty of spoils to Samaria. But, with the entrance of the army with the captives, a certain prophet of the Lord by the name of ‘Oded’ came to encounter them, and said to them: “Because the Lord God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. And now you propose to force the children of Judah and Jerusalem to be your male and female slaves; but, are you also not guilty before the Lord your God? Now hear me therefore, and return the captives whom you have taken captives from your brethren, for fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you” (2 Chronicles 28: 9-11). Then some of the heads of the children of Ephraim, refused to let the captives be brought into the city, took the captives, and from the spoil, they clothed all who were naked among them, gave them sandals, food and drink, anointed them, let all the feeble ones ride on donkeys, and brought them to their brethren in Jericho. So God chastised Judah for their apostasy from faith; and at the same time, Yet He allowed for some in Israel to refuse the entrance of the captives into the city, and to give help to them… He chastise, yet He has compassion. 5- AHAZ ENCOUNTERS TIGLATH-PILESER: “Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship” (10). Having resorted to the king of Assyria to save him from Aram and Israel, Ahaz was committed to go together with the other kings submitted to Assyria, to Damascus the capital of Aram, to congratulate king Toglath-Pileser on his victory, to show their submission to him, and to pay the designated tributes. For fear that the king of Assyria might go forth toward the south, Ahaz trusted in paying him money, instead of trusting in God by repentance and return to Him. Actually, Tiglath-Pileser caused so much trouble to Judah, that Ahaz regretted that he ever resorted to his help (2 Chronicles 18: 20-21). There in Damascus, Ahaz so much admired the altar of the idol; that he did not wait for his arrival to Jerusalem, but sent a drawing plan of it to Urijah the priest in Jerusalem to build an altar like it. By that Ahaz, not only perverted from the statute of the Lord; but even provoked Urijah the faithful priest to go along with him; and sacrificed to the gods of Damascus (2 Chronicles 28: 23). That was a natural price for trusting in the human arm, and not in the arm of God.. Even though Urijah the priest was one of two witnesses, chosen by the prophet Isaiah, to prophesy that the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Israel will be brought before the king of Assyria (Isaiah 8: 2); yet, obeying the instruction of the evil king, the apostate from faith, was a treason against the living Lord; particularly that he set it close to the bronze altar, and on it, Ahaz at his arrival offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, and not to the living God. 6- AHAZ ADMIRES THE PAGAN ALTAR: “Then Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus. So Urijah the priest made it before King Ahaz came back from Damascus” (11). “And when the king came back from Damascus, the king saw the altar; and the king approached the altar and made offerings on it” (12). After his arrival from Damascus, Ahaz offered a burnt offering and grain offering and drink offerings, and sprinkled all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice, on the pagan altar. . By that he mixed between the worship of the living God and the idol-worship; committed wrong actions in the house of the Lord (14-18; 2 Chronicles 28: 2-4; 22-25), that carried apostasy; and he even closed the gate of the temple (2 Chronicles 28: 24). By a divine command, the prophet Isaiah took a large scroll, and wrote on it with a man’s pen, in large letters ‘Maher-Shalal-Baz; meaning (Hasten to rob and to steal). He put the scroll in a prominent place in the temple for everyone to read; and let two witnesses testify to it: Uriah and Zechariah … Urijah was the high priest in the days of Ahaz, his spiritual counselor, and partner in idol-worship. When the prophet Moses set the tabernacle of meeting, he set it according to the heavenly model given to him by the Lord, to let the people live as though in heaven during their worship. … Ahaz, on the other hand, was drawn to set a new altar, not perceiving that the real renewal should be in the heart, where he would enjoy the experience of the heavenly life, perpetually renewed. Up to our present day, some, wishing for renewal, accept everything new without discernment, study, nor a desire to enjoy the divine truth. And some others, hold fast to the old, just for the sake of being old, without renewal of the depths, and having renewable experiences. Binding between the old and the new, the prophet Jeremiah says: “Because the Lord’s compassions fail not; they are new every morning” (Lamentation 22, 23) God grants every man his heart’s desire; to him who loves the world, He grants the world, to collapse together with it; And to him who loves the truth, He let him be attached to it, and be glorified together with Christ “the Truth”. The psalmist says: “Delight yourself in the Lord; and he shall give the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37: 4); “And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul” (Psalm 106: 15).. And speaking of captivity, the Lord said to Jeremiah: “And it will be when they say, ‘Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us’, then you shall answer them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours’” (Jeremiah 5: 19) + The people of Israel have for sure possessed the holy land, and the temple, the house of prayer; and it was befitting of them to serve God; But, having disobeyed the divine commandment, and worshipped the idols, whether those they made after those in Damascus, as it came in the books of the kings, or those they brought forth from other pagan nations to the holy land. Having received those idols, they were qualified to be driven forth to the land of those idols, to dwell there, where they would worship them.. (The scholar Origen) “So he burned his burnt offering and his grain offering; and he poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar” (13) Whatever worship he offered, even though it was in the temple of the Lord, yet it was not offered to the Lord, but to the god’s of Damascus, in which he was pleased. “He also brought the bronze altar which was before the LORD, from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the house of the LORD—and put it on the north side of the new altar” (14) The king gave his command to move the bronze altar to be on the northern side, in a place less prominent than that of the altar made like the one of the god of Damascus; which he ordered to be put directly in front of the temple, … he moved the bronze altar from its place; so as to remove it gradually from the temple altogether... What was called ‘The sundial of Ahaz” (2 Kings 20: 11), were those of the altar of Ahaz., It so seem that as the king, having admired what he saw in Damascus concerning the pagan altar and temple, intended to make those alterations, to have the temple in Jerusalem conform to what he saw in Damascus; and to change the divine worship to conform to what he saw there. He intended to honor the pagan worship instead of the God of heaven; so that about him it is written: “He provoked to anger the Lord God of his fathers” (2 Chronicles 28: 25). . “Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “On the great new altar burn the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. And the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” (15) King Ahaz gave his command to the priest to burn burnt offerings on the Assyrian altar, to please the king of Assyria. “Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that King Ahaz commanded” (16). ‘Orijah’ whose name means (Jehovah is my light) was known for his obedience to every command by king Ahaz;, who intended to develop the altar according to his human taste, regardless of that the temple and all what it include have been made according to a divine command (Exodus 25: 40; 26: 30; 27: 1; 1 Chronicles 28: 19).. “And King Ahaz cut off the panels of the carts, and removed the lavers from them; and he took down the Sea from the bronze oxen that were under it, and put it on a pavement of stones” (17) It is claimed that the king cut the panels of the carts, to use as bases for a statue by which he intended to adorn his own palace.. “Also he removed the Sabbath pavilion which they had built in the temple, and he removed the king’s outer entrance from the house of the LORD, on account of the king of Assyria” (18). The Sabbath pavilion. Was a pavilion with pillars at the entrance of the building, through which the priests used to enter into the temple in the Sabbaths. The king’s outer entrance, Was an entrance for the king to use to enter into the temple in secret, to have the counsel of the prophet who was cast aside for long by the king and the people. By removing those things, the king probably had the intention, in case of an Assyrian siege, that the temple would remain secure to a certain extent; when the Assyrians do not enter through those openings. While insulting the Lord, His house, and statutes, Ahaz honored the gods of Assyria. In 2 Chronicles 28: 24, it came that Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut them in pieces, shut up the doors of the house of the Lord, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. And in every single city of Judah he made high places to burn incense to other gods. He replaced the altar for serving the true God by a pagan altar to please the king of Assyria; as though setting for himself a god in which he trusts instead of trusting in the living God. Instead of putting the altar to serve God, Ahaz turned it to a pagan altar to please the king of Assyria; as though he sets for himself a god to trust instead of the true God. Do not marvel, then that such a weak king who cares to please men and not God, would have a high priest like him, weak and humbly cares to please the king and not God. Ahaz destroyed the house of God gradually. He did not give the order to break it down, nor to turn it to a pagan temple; but did it by corrupting the worship in a gradual way: a- He gave his command to Orijah to make an altar according to that he saw and admired in Damascus b- He moved the bronze altar aside, and put the new altar in a more prominent place. c- He offered burnt offerings, and sacrifices on the new altar, and left the bronze altar to inquire from the Lord in exception cases. d- He cut off the panels of the carts, and removed the lavers … e- He removed the priests’ pavilion (or the Sabbath pavilion. f- He removed the king’s outer entrance to the temple His plan came conforming to that of the devil, who gradually crawls to take away from the heart of man its holiness, under glittering names, like ‘renewal’, noncommittal to a specific rite, etc. without demanding from the believer to quit the worship of the true God; by which he manages to fulfill his goal. 7- AHAZ DIES AND HIS SON HEZEKIAH SITS ON THE THRONE: “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?” (19) “ So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place” (20) St. Augustine presents to us a practical counsel to know how to deal with the idol-worshippers; saying: [When you have a legitimate authority, do not fail to do what is mentioned in Deuteronomy 7: 1-5. But if you do not have it, do not do it. …. Knowing that the idol-worshippers have abominations in their possessions; Shall we go and destroy them?.... We should first begin by destroying the idols in their hearts; for then, they will start to be Christians. Then, they will either ask us to consummate the good work, or will do it themselves before us. What we should do is to pray for their sake, and not to treat them with anger]. ------------------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 2 KINGS 16. CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O GOD + Azariah and his son Jotham neglected to remove the high places for one reason or another; Out of them came Ahaz to plunge with his whole heart in the pagan worship; By what the grandfather and the father neglected, the son and the grandson stumbled; They have no excuse; for they, unknowingly, provided the son with the venom. And the son, likewise has no excuse; for corruption reigned upon his whole being. + A clean heart create in me, O God; To offer You all my love, feelings, and senses; I shall not leave anything in my depths to the account of the enemy; I shall not give him a place to crawl into; I shall not be an offense to anyone because of my negligence. + Grant me. O Son of David, to imitate David the king and prophet; Who, despite his own weaknesses, he used to flee to You; In You, he hid and took refuge, walking by Your Holy Spirit; All the adversary circumstances could never corrupt his feelings of Your divine presence; The throne and all the royal authority could never draw his life away from you; He fell into weaknesses, yet he hastened to draw his heart to Your heavens. + King Ahaz forsook You; yet in his affliction You did not forsake him; You sent to him Your prophet Isaiah to support him and put his heart at ease; Yet, instead of offering You a sacrifice of thanksgiving, He resorted to the king of Assyria, to defend and protect him; He trusted in the pagan king, and not in You, O Mighty One; Grant me to resort to You; for You are the stronghold of my life; You are my hope, the source of my joy, and the gladness of my heart Your dwelling in my depths, raises me, as though to Your heavens; There, no enemy can reach me, or force himself on me; In Your perpetual presence, no sin can crawl into me; Your transfiguring turns my depths into pure sanctuaries. + Your dwelling in my depths turns them into a new heaven, walled by divine fire; Your dwelling satisfies my soul; to be in need of no human help; Your presence takes humiliation away from me; And brings me forth to exalted glories. + Grant me to believe in You, to become secure; Open my mind up, to be enlightened with knowledge and understanding; To enjoy the deposit of heaven, and to experience their sanctity; Open my heart and my insight up, so that the understanding would embrace faith; That I do not seek understanding without faith in You; nor faith without understanding. + Grant me, O Lord, the clean heart; That finds no pleasure except in Your divine bosoms; Together with purity, grant me wisdom and seriousness; So that the devil would not find a gap through which to crawl into my heart; Together with purity, grant me the inner continuous renewal; Grant me to practice the rite by a heavenly mind; Not to fall into the deadly letter, nor the corruptive slothfulness; Grant me a heavenly purity by the work of Your fiery Holy Spirit; To experience the deposit of heaven, with every breath in my life.
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