REDECORATING THE TEMPLE

"And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof. And Urijah the priest built an altar according to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus: so Urijah the priest made it against king Ahaz came from Damascus. And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon. And he burnt his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar. And he brought also the brasen altar, which was before the LORD, from the forefront of the house, from between the altar and the house of the LORD, and put it on the north side of the altar. And king Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering, and the evening meat offering, and the king’s burnt sacrifice, and his meat offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings; and sprinkle upon it all the blood of the burnt offering, and all the blood of the sacrifice: and the brasen altar shall be for me to enquire by. Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded." (2 Kings 16:10-16).

Ahaz, king of Judah, found himself in a predicament. Both the kings of Syria and Israel were waging war against him. He felt so threatened by their combined armies that he sent to Tiglathpileser, the king of Assyria, for help. Ahaz was anything but a faithful servant of God, or he would have called on the Lord for help rather than go to a heathen king. Nevertheless, he promised Tiglathpileser silver and gold out of the house of the Lord, and out of his own treasures, for his assistance. After the war was settled, Ahaz went to see Tiglathpileser at Damascus. While there, Ahaz spotted a beautiful altar that was used for worship of the Assyrian gods. Ahaz was so taken by the altar, that he sent the design of it to Urijah the priest in Jerusalem so that Urijah could duplicate it and have it ready when Ahaz returned from Damascus. Urijah did as he was commanded by his king, and when Ahaz returned to Jerusalem, he commenced to offer sacrifices on the new altar, and commanded that the priests offer the daily offerings on it as well. He went so far as to move the altar of the Lord and replace it with the new one. He also dismantled and moved the great brasen laver that stood before the sanctuary in the house of the Lord.

At face value, one may think that all that Ahaz did was harmless, or even an improvement to the furnishings of the temple, but God certainly did not see it that way. You see, the pattern of the house of God had been carefully given to David the king in the same way that God had given Moses the pattern of the tabernacle in the wilderness. God was very precise. He specified the dimensions of the temple and its furniture, the placement of each item in the temple, the materials to be used to make everything associated with the house, and even how it was to be assembled. "All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern." (1 Chronicles 28:19).  The pattern of God's earthly temple is very critical because it is an example or shadow of heavenly things. (See Hebrews 8:4, 5).  Changing anything about God's pattern is to alter the plan that God has for us, and for the world. Ahaz wasn't just offering to the Lord on this strange altar, he was also offering to the gods of the Assyrians, and leading Judah away from God's ultimate purpose.

The real lesson in all this for me lies in the fact that we, the people of God, are now the temple of God. Saint Paul tells us, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16).  and again, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22).  It is essential for us that we follow the pattern that we have been given, and not deviate, improvise, or change God's already perfect plan to suit our wants or desires. Jesus is the pattern that we have been given to follow. His was the perfect life. What God began to do in Adam by creating him in His own image (according to the perfect plan), He has completed in Christ. The pattern was marred by sin in Adam's case, but it is fulfilled in Christ. Because Adam did not stick to the plan, sin entered the world and came on all mankind; but now, in Christ, the pattern is realized once and for all. Anything that we do to add to, or take away from, the perfect plan of God in Christ, simply confuses and muddies God's perfect pattern.

When the pure light of the sun shines fully on the moon, the moon reflects that light and brightens the nighttime darkness of the earth. Occasionally, however, the earth will come between the sun and the moon and completely block the light so that the moon becomes dark and can cast no light on the earth seeing it has no light of its own. Just like a lunar eclipse, when we allow earthly things to come between us and the Lord, His light that is reflected in our lives to the world becomes obscured. An eclipse is a gradual thing. Little by little, earth's shadow swallows up the sun's light that is cast onto the moon until the darkness is total and complete. When we clearly and deliberately choose the world over the example set forth by Christ, it is like setting up an idolatrous altar in the temple of our God.

Fortunately, in the case of the eclipse, the earth eventually moves on, and the sun's light is again restored to the surface of the moon. Likewise, through heartfelt repentance, and an acknowledging of our sin to God, we too can again shine in the world with the glory of the Son of God. God has said that we may come boldly before His throne, so that we may obtain mercy when we fall down, and find grace to help us when we are tempted and tried so that we need not fall again.

Let us look to Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith, as the example that we pattern our lives after. Let's not think that we can improve on God's already perfect plan by introducing worldly ideas, doctrines, or traditions that are not after Christ. God is building His church the way He intends for it to be. He knows the breadth and length, the depth and height, and He doesn't need our help to redecorate it after our own thought or notion. Let's let the light of the glory of God so shine in our lives that men may see our good works and glorify our heavenly Father. In so doing, we will fulfill God's purpose for our life: we will be His witnesses.

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16).