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(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
2 Kings 16:10–16, “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.”
After the Assyrians defeated the Syrians and took they city of Damascus, Ahaz went to meet Tiglath Pileser. Ahaz saw an altar in one of the Temples in Damascus and decided that he really liked that altar so he sent to his priest, Urijah, after he had discovered the details of that altar to make a copy of it. Urijah wasn’t of the same faithful character as some earlier priests and did what the king asked him to do. Ahaz made offerings on that altar rather than on the altar that had been dedicated to the Lord. The king actually made the offerings himself, it seems he didn’t remember his grandfather’s folly and wasn’t afraid to blaspheme against the Lord. Ahaz was impressed with that altar that he moved the other altar over to one side and placed the idolatrous altar in its place. After that, during Ahaz’s reign they continued to use the Syrian style altar rather the the one they had been commanded to use in the Temple.
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