2 Kings chapter 16 verses 17-18 (NIV)
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. 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.
2 Kings chapter 17 verses 13-15 (NIV)
The LORD warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: “Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.”But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the LORD their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the LORD had ordered them, “Do not do as they do.”
God’s intention for Israel was that they were to be different from every other nation. They were to be an example. By following God’s laws and statutes, the nation would be blessed and God had even promised to dwell in the Temple that Solomon had built.
But the people wouldn’t listen. Here we even read that King Ahaz changed the Temple’s design, not to please God but in deference to the king of Assyria!
Time and again Israel and Judah were reminded by God’s prophets of the requirement to follow His decrees, but they continued to turn a deaf ear. The people would ultimately be taken into captivity.
God wants the church to reflect the teaching and life of Jesus. We are meant to take a stand and be His Ambassadors. But too often the church in its widest sense has tried to change in deference to popular opinion, and to counter criticism. We need to be careful that we follow God’s ways. They never change and can still be relied on. Let’s make sure we set the right example.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for giving us Your laws and statutes to guide us. They are perfect and they are just, meant for our good and to be a blessing. May I be sincere in following them, and never seek to compromise. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.