June 25, 2025 -Don't Defile the Temple

ISAIAH 12:1-6

ISAIAH 17:1-14

2 CHRONICLES 28:16-21

2 KINGS 16:10-18

2 CHRONICLES 28:22-25

2 KINGS 18:1-8

2 CHRONICLES 29:1-2

2 KINGS 15:30-31

2 KINGS 17:1-4

HOSEA 1:1-2:13

Chronological Bible Readings

2 Chronicles 28:22 In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel. 24 Ahaz gathered together the furnishings from the temple of God and cut them in pieces. He shut the doors of the Lord’s temple and set up altars at every street corner in Jerusalem. 25 In every town in Judah he built high places to burn sacrifices to other gods and aroused the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.

How easy is it to start looking to other things for help when we are in a "time of trouble"? Last night we talked about the Parable of the Sower and the fact that the rocky ground represents the troubles of this world that distract us from the truth of Jesus. We talked about how easy it is to get caught up in the lies that the world tells us whenever we are not saturated with the truths of God. It is easy to start looking at other things to get us through difficult times and to not do what we know we should be doing which is turning toward God and His word even more. Instead, we stop turning to God we forget all that He has said and done and start looking for things of this world to help us. King Ahaz didn't think about why God would allow Damascus to defeat him. He didn't look at whether or not he was right with God. Instead of appropriately examining himself acknowledging his sin, confessing it and turning from it he put his trust in false gods that couldn't do anything to help him. When we are struggling we should not forget God and His word. We should dig in deeply to His word and ask Him to reveal to us anything that we need to repent of and when He shows us we need to turn from our sin and toward Him. Instead Ahaz not only turned away from God to false idols, but he built temples to them and destroyed the furnishings of the temple of the Lord

2 Kings 17:14 As for the bronze altar that stood before the Lord, he brought it from the front of the temple—from between the new altar and the temple of the Lord—and put it on the north side of the new altar.

15 King Ahaz then gave these orders to Uriah the priest: “On the large new altar, offer the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, and the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their grain offering and their drink offering. Splash against this altar the blood of all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. But I will use the bronze altar for seeking guidance.” 16 And Uriah the priest did just as King Ahaz had ordered.

17 King Ahaz cut off the side panels and removed the basins from the movable stands. He removed the Sea from the bronze bulls that supported it and set it on a stone base. 18 He took away the Sabbath canopy that had been built at the temple and removed the royal entryway outside the temple of the Lord, in deference to the king of Assyria.

Oh, how degrading to take the alter that was in the temple and put it in place to use to make sacrifices to these useless false gods. Such destruction and disrespect for God's Holy Temple. We may not realize it, but we can also worship false gods with the things of God that we have desecrated with our own corrupt thinking. If our hearts are not surrendered to Christ when we partake in rites and rituals we are disrespecting the sacrament. Where is our heart and mind focused when we partake in communion. Are we thinking about how late the services is running because we have some idol to go to? Are we thinking about that person who "wronged" us at some point who is sitting in the other pew? Is there an idol in our life that we are putting ahead of our time in prayer, bible reading and scriptural meditation? Are we so caught up in the troubles of our life that we forget the greatness and glory of the gift that Jesus has given us. Don't tear down the things of God in your life but hold tight to Him and His truth and surrender your heart in sacrifice to Him and He will give you victory.