Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 16:10-20.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Kings%2016&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar which was at Damascus;  and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the pattern of the altar and its model, according to all its workmanship.  So Urijah the priest built an altar;  according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, thus Urijah the priest made it, before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus.  When the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar;  then the king approached the altar and went up to it, and burned his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar.  The bronze altar, which was before the LORD, he brought from the front of the house, from between his altar and the house of the LORD, and he put it on the north side of his altar.  Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening meal offering and the king’s burnt offering and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their meal 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.”  So Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded.

Then King Ahaz cut off the borders of the stands, and removed the laver from them;  he also took down the sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone.  The covered way for the sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of the LORD because of the king of Assyria.”  2 Kings 16:10-18.

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We remember from earlier in the chapter these two points.  First, we remember how bad Ahaz king of Judah was.  See 2 Kings 16:2-4.  Second, we remember how “Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to wage war; and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him.”  But, we also remember how Ahaz sought help from Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, by giving him silver and gold, and that he helped Ahaz by going up against Damascus and captured it, and carried the people of it away into exile to Kir, and put Rezin to death.  See 2 Kings 16:5-8.

With this in mind, we can better understand today’s Scripture although it may be more difficult to understand than other Scripture.  For whatever reason, with bad or good intentions, Ahaz arranged Urijah the priest to build one altar, the “great altar”, upon which offerings would be made, but Ahaz cut off parts of the bronze altar.

The bronze altar is a symbol of salvation just as we have received salvation through the sacrificial offering of Christ.  

Today’s Scripture brings to mind what some preachers and teachers do to distort the gospel just as King Ahaz cut off parts of the bronze altar.  

There are those preachers and teachers who give lip service to the Canons of Dordt and the Five Points of Calvinism (sometimes called “TULIP” or “the doctrines of grace”) but they cut off some of the points and distort the gospel.  So to speak, they present another altar, a “great altar”, as a substitute.  It is like an altar call in church where salvation depends on the will of man to “accept Jesus” and the work of man to walk up to the front of the church for the altar call and do whatever else they require.

Those preachers and teacher give excuses for not fully teaching the “TULIP” or “the doctrines of grace” such as “we first need to build up attendance and some basic knowledge”, but they never get around to fully teaching “TULIP” or “the doctrines of grace”. 

Or, they state or at least infer that love is more important than truth. They claim or infer that doctrine is unnecessary, divisive, or worse.

Or, they present an endless journey of man’s works or man’s will as the path to salvation. They cling to man’s continuing free-will to accept or reject Jesus, back and forth, all during his life time. They present an impotent god who wrings his hands only in hope, only wanting. They do not present the God of Scripture: “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:10-11.

They do not present God’s work of salvation from the beginning to the end:  from the beginning of “Unconditional Election” through “Limited Atonement” through “Irresistible Grace” to the end of “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  This true doctrine of salvation is more fully taught in the Reformed creed Canons of Dordt.

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people;  for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”  Matthew 23:13.

“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;  which is really not another;  only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!  As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”  Galatians 1:6-9.

“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.”  Matthew 24:11. 

But, there is hope!

We have one true sacrifice:  Jesus Christ.  Jesus will save only and every one of God’s elect.

Consider the following Article 8 from the Canons of Dordt from the section titled SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.

“Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death;  should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing;  and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.”  

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30.

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”  1 Corinthians 1:30-31.

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”  Hebrews 10:14.