2 Kings 16
In the last chapter we got through no less than 7 kings - they must have been pretty unremarkable in the grand scheme of the Bible writers, because they basically carried on as their predecessor did either good or bad.
However now we get Ahaz king of Judah in Jerusalem who ruled for 16 years and did not do what was right in the eyes of God to the extent that he is recorded as killing his children as offerings to the gods. He actively used the high places and carried out sacrifices wherever he happened to be - even if it was dedicated to another god.
During his time Aram and Israel came and waged war, laying siege to Jerusalem - but they failed to take Ahaz and the city.
Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath Pileser king of the new super power, Assyria asking for his help - as a vassal servant of Assyria Ahaz took all the valuables he could find and sent them to the king of Assyria, who attacked the Aram capital Damascus and deported the inhabitants.
King Ahaz then went to Damascus to visit his overlord and while he was there he saw an alter that he rather liked the look of.
Ahaz sent drawings of the alter to the Uriah and the priests in Jerusalem to make a copy - I'm guessing here that he got some competent engineering type to actually make the drawings and work out how it was constructed, rather than a royal sketch!
Ahaz was pleased with the copy and placed it in the centre of the temple, moving the alter designed by God out of the way.
Furthermore - Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed movable basins from stands and took the very large basin called the sea from the oxen it was standing on and placed it on a stone stand, removed his throne from its dais and removed the royal entrance to the temple. He did these things to please the king of Assyria caring nothing for the traditions of his people.
I personally feel that Ahaz compromised too far here. Just today the Synod of the Church of England (Yesterday when this is published) passed legislation in favour of consecrating women bishops. This has meant a compromise from some parts of the church who (in my opinion) take the words of St Paul about women rather too literally and do not agree with women priests and certainly don't agree with women bishops (though strangely enough they have had no problem with a woman head of the church of England for 60+ years!).
However I'm sure a compromise in this case is acceptable, but destroying holy artifacts as going a bit far - though such things have happened in my country during the reformation, and it is sad to have lost such medieval wonders.
In the last chapter we got through no less than 7 kings - they must have been pretty unremarkable in the grand scheme of the Bible writers, because they basically carried on as their predecessor did either good or bad.
However now we get Ahaz king of Judah in Jerusalem who ruled for 16 years and did not do what was right in the eyes of God to the extent that he is recorded as killing his children as offerings to the gods. He actively used the high places and carried out sacrifices wherever he happened to be - even if it was dedicated to another god.
During his time Aram and Israel came and waged war, laying siege to Jerusalem - but they failed to take Ahaz and the city.
Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath Pileser king of the new super power, Assyria asking for his help - as a vassal servant of Assyria Ahaz took all the valuables he could find and sent them to the king of Assyria, who attacked the Aram capital Damascus and deported the inhabitants.
King Ahaz then went to Damascus to visit his overlord and while he was there he saw an alter that he rather liked the look of.
Ahaz sent drawings of the alter to the Uriah and the priests in Jerusalem to make a copy - I'm guessing here that he got some competent engineering type to actually make the drawings and work out how it was constructed, rather than a royal sketch!
Ahaz was pleased with the copy and placed it in the centre of the temple, moving the alter designed by God out of the way.
Furthermore - Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed movable basins from stands and took the very large basin called the sea from the oxen it was standing on and placed it on a stone stand, removed his throne from its dais and removed the royal entrance to the temple. He did these things to please the king of Assyria caring nothing for the traditions of his people.
I personally feel that Ahaz compromised too far here. Just today the Synod of the Church of England (Yesterday when this is published) passed legislation in favour of consecrating women bishops. This has meant a compromise from some parts of the church who (in my opinion) take the words of St Paul about women rather too literally and do not agree with women priests and certainly don't agree with women bishops (though strangely enough they have had no problem with a woman head of the church of England for 60+ years!).
However I'm sure a compromise in this case is acceptable, but destroying holy artifacts as going a bit far - though such things have happened in my country during the reformation, and it is sad to have lost such medieval wonders.
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