Connect 2 Kings 16:11 with Exodus 20:3 on worshiping other gods.

Setting the Scene

• King Ahaz visits Damascus, sees a pagan altar, and is dazzled by its appearance.

• He sends its exact design to Uriah the priest in Jerusalem.

• The temple—meant for covenant worship—now hosts a foreign pattern of worship.

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Key Verse: 2 Kings 16:11

“So Uriah the priest built an altar according to all that King Ahaz had sent…”

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God’s Unchanging Standard: Exodus 20:3

“You shall have no other gods before Me.”

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How the Two Passages Connect

• Ahaz’s new altar = a tangible “other god.”

• Exodus 20:3 forbids even the possibility of rival deities; Ahaz invites one into God’s own house.

• The priest’s compliance shows how easily leaders can drift when Scripture’s first command is ignored.

• What began as “just one altar” quickly reshaped all temple activity (see vv. 12–16).

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Consequences of Compromise

• Corrupted worship spreads (2 Chron 28:24).

• Judah’s spiritual walls crumble, leading to invasion and loss (2 Kings 16:5–6).

• Northern Israel’s fall soon follows—“because they sinned against the LORD… and feared other gods” (2 Kings 17:7).

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Timeless Lessons

• Beautiful, culturally admired ideas can still be idolatry.

• Location—inside a church building—does not sanctify disobedience.

• Leaders bear special responsibility; when they drift, people follow (Luke 6:39).

• Idolatry is ultimately spiritual adultery (James 4:4).

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Modern Idols to Watch For

– Success and career

– Entertainment and celebrity culture

– Political ideologies

– Technology and personal devices

– Even ministry itself when it eclipses devotion to Christ

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Guardrails for Faithful Worship

• Compare every practice with Scripture first (Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21).

• Keep Christ pre-eminent (Colossians 1:18).

• Cultivate daily gratitude that directs affection back to God (Psalm 86:11–12).

• Regularly confess and renounce competing loves (1 John 5:21).