This verse reminds us that shifting the focus of true worship away from God’s design poses spiritual danger.
“Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, ‘Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and 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. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.’” (v.15) King Ahaz, who ruled over Judah from 732 to 716 BC, issues this directive in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom. The city of Jerusalem was situated in the rugged hills of the region and served as the central place of worship where Solomon’s Temple once stood. By commanding Urijah the priest in such a manner, Ahaz reveals his intention to reorganize worship practices and focus the main acts of sacrifice onto a newly fashioned altar—an altar modeled after one in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10-11)—while reserving the revered bronze altar for his personal religious inquiries.
In this moment, King Ahaz’s heart appears divided. On one hand, “Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering” (v.15) might appear consistent with standard worship instructions, suggesting that the people should continue their daily sacrifices. Yet by instructing the priest to relocate the center of worship to this different altar, “the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by” (v.15), Ahaz is elevating his own desire for personal consultation above the divinely ordained order set by God through earlier kings of Judah, such as David and Solomon. This act underscores Ahaz’s conflict with the traditional worship system, and it foreshadows further erosion of wholehearted devotion to the LORD.
The emphasis on burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings connects to the sacrificial system instituted in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 1-7). These offerings represented worship, sin atonement, and fellowship with God, a system that ultimately points toward the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, who fulfilled and superseded these Old Testament offerings (Hebrews 10:10). By reassigning the bronze altar’s role for his personal use, Ahaz seems to misunderstand the heart behind such sacrifices—that they were never meant to serve as a private oracle but rather to bring the entire community into communion with God. His priority on a newly constructed altar, likely influenced by the patterns of a foreign nation, highlights a tragic pattern in Israel’s history when leaders looked away from the divine commands and instead adopted outside influences.
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2 Kings 16:15 meaning
“Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, ‘Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and 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. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.’” (v.15) King Ahaz, who ruled over Judah from 732 to 716 BC, issues this directive in Jerusalem, the capital of the southern kingdom. The city of Jerusalem was situated in the rugged hills of the region and served as the central place of worship where Solomon’s Temple once stood. By commanding Urijah the priest in such a manner, Ahaz reveals his intention to reorganize worship practices and focus the main acts of sacrifice onto a newly fashioned altar—an altar modeled after one in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10-11)—while reserving the revered bronze altar for his personal religious inquiries.
In this moment, King Ahaz’s heart appears divided. On one hand, “Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering” (v.15) might appear consistent with standard worship instructions, suggesting that the people should continue their daily sacrifices. Yet by instructing the priest to relocate the center of worship to this different altar, “the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by” (v.15), Ahaz is elevating his own desire for personal consultation above the divinely ordained order set by God through earlier kings of Judah, such as David and Solomon. This act underscores Ahaz’s conflict with the traditional worship system, and it foreshadows further erosion of wholehearted devotion to the LORD.
The emphasis on burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings connects to the sacrificial system instituted in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 1-7). These offerings represented worship, sin atonement, and fellowship with God, a system that ultimately points toward the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, who fulfilled and superseded these Old Testament offerings (Hebrews 10:10). By reassigning the bronze altar’s role for his personal use, Ahaz seems to misunderstand the heart behind such sacrifices—that they were never meant to serve as a private oracle but rather to bring the entire community into communion with God. His priority on a newly constructed altar, likely influenced by the patterns of a foreign nation, highlights a tragic pattern in Israel’s history when leaders looked away from the divine commands and instead adopted outside influences.