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.

In 2 Kings 16, we read the ungodly reign of King Ahaz.  Ahaz did not follow the ways of Jehovah God. He did much evil and followed the worship of the pagans (v.1-4). Under his reign, the Syrians successfully revoked. Ahaz, instead of seeking help from God, he paid a bribe to TiglathPileser king of Assyria, to help him fight Syria. TiglathPileser complied and attacked Damascus, capturing the city and killing the king of Syria (v.5-9). When Ahaz met the victorious king of Assyria in Damascus, he saw a pagan altar and fell in love with it. He commanded Urijah the priest to make a copy of it. Urijah finished the altar before Ahaz came back from Damascus. Upon his return, Ahaz made sacrifices on the altar to the gods of Damascus. He even desecrated the Temple of God by removing the brazen altar and replaced it with the new altar he had made. Ahaz offered all the sacrifices on the new altar (v.10-17). 2Chronicles 28:23 explains why King Ahaz was attracted to the worship he saw in Damascus: “For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” “Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, therefore will I sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” Ahaz, the king of Israel abandoned the true God of Israel to follow the gods of the Syrians because he felt their gods were better at helping them. He wanted the same god too. Before we condemn him, let us ask ourselves first: Do we serve God for benefits too? Many in this world serve God for personal benefits. Many are attracted to the gods of this world because they believe they offer better results financially and emotionally than the Lord we serve. For example, they serve the god of prosperity because they believe he could give them wealth. Do we serve God for personal gain? Is it a right reason to serve God? Is God pleased if His worshippers come to Him because they only want to receive blessings from Him? I think you know the answer. Have you ever had a “friend” who only wanted friendship with you because he could reap benefits from you, like you would pay for meals every time he dined with you? Do you want such kind of friend? Do you think he is a true friend? I’m sure you do not want such kind of friends. As soon as you no longer have the very thing that they want from you, they disappear. Unfortunately, some people behave the same way towards God. They seek God for what He can do for them and not for who He is. They don’t really want God; they only want what God can give them. They don’t seek to have a genuine and obedient relationship with God. In short, they don’t have faith. They are really seeking the gift and not the Giver of the gift. After Jesus had fed the 5000, many followed Him because they wanted bread (John 6:26). Like the 5000 who followed Jesus for food, some today follow God because they want “bread”. They want the physical “bread” but not the Giver of the “bread”. We must not be like Ahaz or some of the 5000 who followed Jesus because they were only interested in satisfying their fleshly and temporary desires. At the Judgment Day, the Lord will say: “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23b). Only true faith saves: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is” (Hebrews 11:6). Do you have true faith?