2Ki 16:1-20  “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me”

[Study Aired January 12, 2023]

2Ki 16:1  In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign.
2Ki 16:2  Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.
2Ki 16:3  But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.
2Ki 16:4  And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
2Ki 16:5  Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.
2Ki 16:6  At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.
2Ki 16:7  So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me. 
2Ki 16:8  And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
2Ki 16:9  And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.
2Ki 16:10  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. 
2Ki 16:11  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. 
2Ki 16:12  And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon.
2Ki 16:13  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.
2Ki 16:14  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.
2Ki 16:15  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.
2Ki 16:16  Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.
2Ki 16:17  And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones.
2Ki 16:18  And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria.
2Ki 16:19  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?
2Ki 16:20  And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.

God’s word as shown in these verses (Isa 1:13-22, 1Pe 1:12-16) contrast so starkly with what king Ahaz did during his reign, which was in contrast to what Hezekiah the next ruling king of Judah would do for the nation of Judah. These verses in Isaiah (Isa 1:13-19) point to the reality of what must happen now in the lives of all those who are being dragged to Christ in this life (Joh 6:44). The verses in Peter’s writings confirm how we are to present our lives as a living sacrifice before God (Rom 12:1-2), bringing forth good fruit, meet unto repentance (Mat 3:8).

Isa 1:13  Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 
Isa 1:14  Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
Isa 1:15  And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. [Ahaz]
Isa 1:16  Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isa 1:17  Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isa 1:19  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: [Hezekiah]

1Pe 1:12  Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 
1Pe 1:13  Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1Pe 1:14  As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
1Pe 1:15  But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 
1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Such an extreme turnabout from dark to light in character is shown from Ahaz to the next ruling king Hezekiah, typifying how we go from the corruptible seed of our father the devil to become an incorruptible holy seed in the hands of the Creator (1Pe 1:23).

1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. 

What manifested in the life of Ahaz demonstrates the depth of depravity that our flesh can go to without God in our lives, as opposed to Hezekiah’s life that is typical of those who are called and chosen in this life and given power over the powers and principalities which we will wrestle against all our lives, becoming more than conquerors through Christ our head (Rom 8:37).

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

This seems to be the lowest point for Judah’s history in regard to the depraved way in which the people conducted themselves under the rulership of Ahaz. Their idolatrous lifestyle of the day is typical of our own lives, our own former conversation (Eph 2:2) that was full of our own idolatry until Christ, typified by Hezekiah, came in and began to tear all those idols down. This chapter of kings is like a pinnacle of evil, a ‘fullness-of-the-sins-of-the-Amorites’ moment in time, that is going to bring about great correction on the nation of Judah (Gen 15:16).

Multiple times we hear this well-repeated verse throughout the book of kings, “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin,” which sins of Jeroboam led to worse sins in the lives of all those who embraced them. Those sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat were just as potentially prevalent in the heart of Adam as they are in the hearts of those who claim to know Christ as Adam and Eve did, but who are yet with hearts and minds that cannot be obedient to the commandments of God (Luk 6:46). God allows for this ebb and flow of evil, but the truth is the heart was always deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9) along the way from Adam on. It is only through Christ, typified by Hezekiah, that we can begin to truly lay our lives down in His service and no longer “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting” of Isaiah 1:13.

Before we get into our study, here’s a little snapshot of the history of Judah and king Ahaz taken from the web [Who was King Ahaz in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org] that will help us organize the historical details of this section of kings, as we learn how God’s hand worked all these events according to the counsel of his own will and for our admonition upon whom the end the age is come (Eph 1:11, 1Co 10:11). I want to draw our attention to this statement in regard to how the author of this article struggles with how evil Ahaz was, as opposed to his father before him, saying “so it is unclear why King Ahaz departed so completely from the teachings of the Lord.” The answer to God’s elect now is clear. It is God who caused this wickedness to become more pronounced in the life of Ahaz to demonstrate His sovereign power over the clay which we are, to make one a vessel of honor and another fitted to destruction (Rom 9:17-23).

Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19  Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20  Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? (typified by the lives of Ahaz and Hezekiah in this section of kings)
Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

[Excerpt from Who was King Ahaz in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org]: 

“Ahaz was an evil king of Judah who became king at the age of 20 and reigned for 4 years with his father, Jotham, from 735 to 731 BC, and 16 years on his own, from 731 to 715 BC. Second Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28 record King Ahaz’s destructive practices, such as idol worship and sacrilege against the temple of the Lord. The actions of Ahaz contributed to the downfall of the kingdom of Judah, which the Lord brought about in 586 BC. Isaiah 7–10 speaks of the results and consequences of King Ahaz’s wicked ways.

Ahaz’s father, King Jotham, was one of the good kings of Judah (2Ch 27:2), so it is unclear why King Ahaz departed so completely from the teachings of the Lord. His repugnant deeds included sacrificing his own children, which was a great evil the kingdom of Israel had already been practicing (2Ki 16:3, 2Ch 28:3). King Ahaz also desecrated the temple as a result of his alliance with the king of Assyria, which came about in response to punishment God sent on Ahaz in the form of attacks on Ahaz’s land.

King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel had besieged King Ahaz’s lands, and, although they were not strong enough to defeat Ahaz, they did “inflict heavy casualties on him” (2Ch 28:5). Not only were Ahaz’s son Maaseiah and his second-in-command, Elkanah, killed, but over 100,000 soldiers were killed, and Judah’s cities were plundered. Many Israelites who were living in Judah were taken captive (verses 6–8). Because of all this, Ahaz appealed to the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, for help in defeating Aram and Israel. Tiglath-Pileser complied and attacked Damascus, capturing the city and killing King Rezin.

When King Ahaz met the victorious king of Assyria in Damascus, he saw a pagan altar there he wanted to copy for his own use in Jerusalem. So he sent plans to his priest Uriah, who finished the altar before Ahaz came back from Damascus (2Ki 16:11). Upon his return, King Ahaz made sacrifices on the altar to the gods of Damascus. He moved the altar of the Lord, and, although he still planned to use it for “guidance” (verse 15), Ahaz offered all the sacrifices on the new altar.

Ahaz’s sacrilege did not end there. To impress the king of Assyria, he removed the royal entryway of the temple as well as the Sabbath canopy, and cut the temple furnishings into pieces (2Ki 16:17-18, 2Ch 28:24). After shutting the doors to the temple, he placed altars at all the street corners in Jerusalem and high places for worshiping false gods in every city in Judah (2Ch 28:24-25).

The Bible is not clear on how Ahaz died, but it does say that, although he was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, he did not earn a place in the tombs of the kings of Israel (2Ki 16:20, 2Ch 28:27). His son Hezekiah reigned after him, and, fortunately, King Hezekiah “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (2Ch 29:2). He reversed what his father had done to the temple, purifying it and again consecrating it for worship of the Lord (verses 3–36). [End Quote]

2Ki 16:1  In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah Ahaz^H271 the son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 
2Ki 16:2  Twenty years old was Ahaz when he began to reign, and reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem, and did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father.

Pekah was in his 17th year of ruling Israel when king Ahaz came on the scene. Ahaz was 20 years old and reigned for 16 years in Jerusalem. We are told he did not right in the sight of the LORD his God, like David his father, and so these numbers take on a negative application telling us that it had been better for him to have never reigned in the first place (2Pe 2:21).

2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

The addition of Ahaz’s age when he began to rule at 20 years old and the length of his rule 16 years adds to 36 which numbers (3+6=9) adds up to the number of judgment (9) upon the flesh, (6) by way of a process (3).

Pekah being in his 17th year of reign when Ahaz begins his reign also adds to this story as (17) signifies the intent of all rulership which, in the positive, is to form the new creation, the new man which is the addition of (1+7=8), but that increase must come from God (1Co 3:6) and these stories are always to be understood as an admonition to which, Lord willing, we will take heed as we see the parable unfolding so we can be motivated to keep overcoming (2Pe 1:4). In the negative use, 17 points to upheaval and brokenness.

Gen 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Gen 37:2  These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

God used this wicked king to accomplish His purpose of showing what was in the heart of the nation of Judah, telling us what is in the heart of all mankind until God begins to judge us and have those things burned out of our life (Jer 17:1-5, 1Pe 4:17). 

Jer 17:1  The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; [negative example of being bound to an altar of sin according to the counsel of God’s will]
Jer 17:2  Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills. 
Jer 17:3  O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. 
Jer 17:4  And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever. 
Jer 17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

We are being shown via king Ahaz’s bad example that we must be continually on our guard to follow Christ and to try the spirits whether they are of God or not (1Jn 4:1). This king’s actions were anything but godly. This was a time of judgment on Judah, now taking on a new elevated height, vis-a-vis wicked king Ahaz who was bent on deepening the nation’s idolatrous ways.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 

1Co 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 

2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Ahaz^H271 means “possessor” or “he has grasped” [and what he was possessing was the wicked rule over the nation of Judah by walking in the abominable ways of the heathen.]

We can lay hold of something with a righteous intent to serve others, or we can lay hold of something or touch something for our own selfish personal pleasurable interests (Heb 11:25). Such was the case with Ahaz who was meant to lay hold of the nation and become a curse to them by the things he did (Pro 29:2).

Pro 29:2  When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

In the positive use of taking hold of something, Jacob was inspired to take hold of Esau’s heel, typifying how God’s elect would be overcomers of our carnal fleshly nature typified by Esau. This overcoming was predestined before we were born and is made evident to God’s elect via this prophecy that tells us so in Romans 9:11.

Rom 9:11  (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

As certain as the prophecy is that there is a remnant that will lay hold of the righteousness of Christ (Gen 25:26), so too, does the scripture reveal that the first man Adam will lay hold of holy things that will bring about their death (2Sa 6:6). It is the oxen, representing the beasts which mankind are, that causes the ark to be shaken and then steadied by the other beast, Uzzah, that leads to his death (Ecc 3:18).

Gen 25:26  And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold^H270 on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.

2Sa 6:6  And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold^H270 of it; for the oxen shook it.

Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

Ahaz  H271  ‘âchâz aw-khawz’

Strongs Definition:  — From H270; possessor; Achaz, the name of a Jewish king and of an Israelite: – Ahaz.  Total KJV occurrences: 41 

BDB Definition:  Ahaz = “he has grasped”
1) king of Judah, son Jotham, father of Hezekiah
2) a Benjamite, son of Micah, and great grandson of Jonathan
Part of Speech: noun proper masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H270

2Ki 16:3  But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, yea, and made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel.
2Ki 16:4  And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.

Notice how thoroughly corrupt this king was and how he used these evil practices of the heathen to keep control of the masses. It was “under every green tree” and in  “the high places, and on the hills” this all took place, typifying for us how these evil practices were steadily and healthily growing and being done in the high places and hills that represent our pride which causes us to hold fast to the practices of the heathen (Isa 57:3-5, Isa 57:7).

Isa 57:3  But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.
Isa 57:4  Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, 
Isa 57:5  Enflaming yourselves with idols under every green tree, slaying the children in the valleys under the clifts of the rocks? 

Isa 57:7  Upon a lofty and high mountain hast thou set thy bed: even thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice.

Sacrificing and burning incense in these places tells us that there was devotion to these idolatrous ways and an ungodly attachment to these wicked practices, regardless of the fact that the LORD had already “cast out from before the children of Israel” these evil practices. Walking in the ways of the kings of Israel symbolizes walking in our flesh and holding fast to the traditions of men and not God’s (Mar 7:7-8), even to the extent that Ahaz “made his son to pass through the fire,” which is symbolic for us today of how we offer up our children to the traditions of Baal found on an altar that has its origins in heathenism “Christmas, Easter, New Years, etc.” Without an experience of evil such as the one that Ahaz was bringing upon the nation of Judah, we have no way to compare the good fruit from the bad, and so God’s modus operandi for all of humanity is revealed to us in these verses (Rom 6:20-21, Rom 7:5-6, Ecc 1:13 [CLV], Jer 10:2).

Mar 7:7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Mar 7:8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

Rom 6:20  For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 
Rom 6:21  What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

Rom 7:5  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
Rom 7:6  But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Ecc 1:13 I applied my heart to inquiring and exploring by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: it is an experience of evil Elohim has given to the sons of humanity to humble them by it. [The experience of evil is the way that seems right to man and yet is inspired by the spirit of Satan that leads to death. (Pro 14:12)]

Jer 10:2  Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

2Ki 16:5  Then Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to war: and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.
2Ki 16:6  At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.

Now God’s judgment and wrath was going to be poured out upon Judah by way of “Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel“. Rezin is a gentile king who is the wicked sword in God’s hand that will be used (Psa 17:13) to chasten and scourge the nation of Judah for their idolatrous ways. Rezin “drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day” signifying our total inability to remain faithful even in times of trials and tribulations unless Christ is there. We reflected on the taking of Elath a couple of studies ago with King Azariah that is worth repeating here [taken from  Study of the Book of Kings – 2Ki 14:19-29]:

“The life of Azariah ultimately ended up producing bad fruit, represented by his building of Elath^H359 that he restored to Judah, “He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers” (2Ki 14:22). Based on all that we read about the life of Azariah and what he ended up doing, it’s clear that his high-mindedness was manifested by disobedience as he went to burn incense in the temple when only the priests of Aaron were allowed to do so (Exo 30:30, Exo 30:37-38, Num 16:35), and then being smitten with physical leprosy, symbolic of his spiritually corrupt heart.  As always, we are reminded that this is written for our admonition. Unless we are washed by the blood of Christ that takes away our sinful condition, represented by leprosy, we would remain in the bondage the whole world is in, and that bondage is likened unto death – “being dead wherein we were held” (Rom 7:6, Joh 8:36, 1Jn 5:19, Mat 8:22, Rom 6:3).

H359‘êylôth / ‘êylath   BDB Definition:
Elath or Eloth = “grove of lofty trees”
1) a port on the north-east arm of the Red Sea
Part of Speech: noun proper locative
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H352 [properly strength; hence”

***** end quote

Both Pekah of Israel and Rezin of Syria came up against Judah to make war against Judah who “could not be overcome” at this time, but there were casualties (2Ch 28:5-8).

2Ch 28:5  Wherefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great multitude of them captives, and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who smote him with a great slaughter.
2Ch 28:6  For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. 
2Ch 28:7  And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah that was next to the king. 
2Ch 28:8  And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand, women, sons, and daughters, and took also away much spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria.

This battle does not represent ‘spirit against flesh and flesh against spirit’ as much as it represents flesh against flesh and how every man will be against his neighbor (Mar 13:12, Eze 38:21, Isa 3:5), as God uses that divisiveness to His glory to chasten the nations in question.

However, without the mind of Christ, when someone is in such a battle it normally means the battle is going to continue and ‘unholy alliances’ are going to be made, to assure victory for one of the parties. In the end, more death and destruction unfolds (Russia and the Ukraine as a modern example of that principle). Such was the case here with Ahaz who saw the writing on the wall for the nation of Judah. In typical in-the-flesh fashion, instead of seeking God through a prophet of the times, Ahaz sought out a physical ally to help give him the upper hand in battle against “Rezin king of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel“. That aid came in the form of “Tiglathpileser king of Assyria” who consequently was very much an opportunist like Ahaz.

Mar 13:12  Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 

Isa 3:5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

2Ki 16:7  So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me.
2Ki 16:8  And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasures of the king’s house, and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria.
2Ki 16:9  And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. 

This alliance being forged with “Tiglathpileser king of Assyria” is purely a survival tactic of Ahaz who tries everything to get the king of Assyria on his side in this battle, reminding him that “I am thy servant and thy son” which he was not any more than king Pekah was the son of Rezin the king of Syria. It all demonstrates that desperate times call for desperate measures, and instead of doing the right thing and tearing down the idols within Judah, Ahaz digs in his heels and despises the chastening of the Lord in type and figure, building up his fleshly army to further preserve his idolatrous reign over Judah, at least that is his hope.

Ahaz does what he is good at doing best in bribing the king of Assyria, confident that money will talk, which it did. “And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin.” This misappropriation of the LORD’s gold and silver to further the conflict in the nation of Judah has become a theme for Ahaz. The silver in the LORD’s house typically represents repentance, and the gold in the LORD’s house is His words that have been tried in the fire and made pure. Ahaz instead uses those riches to further hold onto his fading empire that was full of idolatry, typifying for us how Babylon today has tainted all the doctrine of God leaving no stay of bread or water in the harlot system (Isa 3:1).

Isa 3:1  For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, [Mar 7:7-8]

2Ki 16:10  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. 
2Ki 16:11  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. 
2Ki 16:12  And when the king was come from Damascus, the king saw the altar: and the king approached to the altar, and offered thereon. 
2Ki 16:13  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. 
2Ki 16:14  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.

King Ahaz has victory on his side now, and instead of having a change of heart in regard to all the idolatry that has brought about this war, he reaches out to his priest Urijah to ask him to make a copy of the altar of Tiglathpileser that he is seeing in Damascus. This sending the fashion of the altar and the pattern of it, according to all the workmanship thereof, sounds a lot like, and is exactly the opposite actions of, these words which this unfaithful king could not implement for the nation of Judah found in Ezekiel 43:10-11.

Eze 43:10  Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. [Christ the pattern]
Eze 43:11  And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.

How brazen can one man be (pun intended)! He not only comes back to offer polluted sacrifices with “his burnt offering and his meat offering, and poured his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings, upon the altar,” he also altered the brazen altar’s position in the temple taking it “from between the altar and the house of the LORD” to “the north side of the altar.” Moving that “brasen altar” is symbolic of taking away from the word of God and when we do this, judgment is what is going to befall us (Rev 22:19, 1Co 4:6), which is why his actions led it to be put “on the north side of the altar” where judgment comes from (Jer 1:14).

Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 

All these unholy actions and false worship by Ahaz represent our former conversation, and admonish us today to continue to worship our heavenly Father in spirit and in truth (Eph 2:2, 1Co 10:11, Joh 4:24).

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 

Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

2Ki 16:15  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.
2Ki 16:16  Thus did Urijah the priest, according to all that king Ahaz commanded.

It’s not enough that Ahaz himself is going to worship in this manner, but his evil communications, his way of life, is going to be shared with the rest of Judah and his plans executed by Urijah the priest.

In this instance Ahaz is akin to ‘another Jesus’ and Urijah to the ministers of Babylon who serve out many meaty lies with all the religious pomp and pageantry that you would expect from such a wealthy harlot system as Babylon (Rev 18:6-7).

Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

Jer 51:7  Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. 

Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

2Ki 16:17  And king Ahaz cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones. 
2Ki 16:18  And the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria. 

These next actions are just more of the same defiling of the temple of God we have seen unfolding, and we know that everyone who does this, which is all mankind in their appointed time, is going to be destroyed (1Co 3:17).

1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Ahaz, who represents our carnal first man Adam, has no problem misappropriating any part of the temple of God, in service, in offering, in taking away, or adding; it’s basically a free for all for the first man Adam.

In this instance he “cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them; and took down the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones,” which symbolizes taking away the means by which we can be washed with the word of God. Having no borders is an expression of lawlessness, no restrictions, eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die (1Co 15:32).

1Co 15:32  If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

Removing the laver is removing an implement that was used to wash the sacrifices, meaning the word of God would be taken away which is what this imagery symbolizes (Eph 5:26). 

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Taking down “the sea from off the brasen oxen that were under it, and put it upon a pavement of stones” is symbolic of taking our minds off of the heavenly things which are above (Col 3:2-4) where we come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain help in time of need. Putting God’s word in a place that is stony represents how we prevent the word from growing because of our carnal behavior (Heb 4:16, Mat 13:5).

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Mat 13:5  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: [the earth is the church (Jer 22:29)]

Taking it away from the oxen is symbolic of taking the word of God away from the strength of Christ, which is found in the elect who make up the church and are symbolized by those twelve oxen that hold up “the sea,” representing the sea of humanity who God’s pillars will be used to hold up and lead unto salvation (Isa 30:20, Oba 1:21). 

Isa 30:20  And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

What Ahaz did here was no small feat as we consider the size of this brazen altar which was now no longer elevated but put down on the ground, on the stony earth from where Christ was raised so we could be washed by our high priest of all our iniquities (Rom 4:25). All of this moving around and shifting of this and that in the temple reminds us of how industrious Babylon has been and how effectively the word of God has been hidden by the millions of lies that exist within her walls (Rev 9:2).

Rom 4:25  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. 

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

The last defilement of the temple that is spoken of being done by Ahaz is this one, “the covert for the sabbath that they had built in the house, and the king’s entry without, turned^{(H5437 as in changed or altered)} he from the house of the LORD for the king of Assyria.” This symbolizes what Babylon has done to Christ, who is our Sabbath, our covering, and the only door by which we can enter into life. We all in our appointed time moved that door to a place that suited our carnal reasoning so that the “the king of Assyria,” who represents Satan, could come and go as he pleases in what is supposed to be a most holy place that is not defiled in any way (1Co 4:6).

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

2Ki 16:19  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? 
2Ki 16:20  And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. 

2Ch 28:27  And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, even in Jerusalem: but they brought him not into the sepulchres of the kings of Israel: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead. 

These verses (1Co 3:18-19) are really apropos in regard to the life of Ahaz, which represents our carnal first man Adam who will not sleep with the kings but rather die and be buried without inheriting the kingdom of God. The wisdom of the world is what produces our foolish actions which don’t accord with God’s will that tells us to stop doing that, come out of her my people, and “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me” (Isa 1:13).

1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 

1Co 3:19  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 
1Co 3:20  And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

Isa 1:12  When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Isa 1:13  Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 
Isa 1:14  Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 
Isa 1:15  And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Isa 1:16  Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
Isa 1:17  Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow [Jas 1:27, Heb 11:26].
Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.