And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
The Bible says in 2 Kings 21:16 (KJV),
Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
It is a terrible thing to take the lives of souls. But even worse was what he did in the spiritual realm.
“He made Judah to sin… in the sight of the LORD.”
One of those sins was building altars in the house of the LORD.
At first glance, that might not seem wrong. Altars in God’s house? Places of worship in a place dedicated to worship—what could be wrong with that? The next verse gives the answer.
2 Kings 21:5 (KJV)
And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.
These were not altars sanctioned by the LORD. They were not even altars dedicated to Him. They were altars to “all the host of heaven.”
Manasseh, in effect, invited anyone to worship any god, in any way, inside God’s house.
I believe we see something similar happening in many “houses of worship” today. In an effort to draw a crowd, all kinds of altars are being built inside:
- Altars for contemporary worship
- Altars for traditional worship
- Altars for casual worship
- Altars for concert-style worship
- Altars for coffee-centered worship
- Altars for ethnic expressions of worship
- Altars for costume-driven worship
If someone has a preference, a style is built to match it.
I am not criticizing the effort to reach people. Nor am I condemning every style or preference.
But this is the house of the LORD.
Let’s put His name there.
#HouseOfTheLord #WorshipInTruth #BiblicalWorship #GodsHouseGodsWay #NoOtherGods
God’s House or Man’s Stage? Manasseh’s Sin in Modern Worship
If this stirred your thinking, I’d love to hear from you—drop a comment below and share your perspective. Do you think we’re seeing this shift in churches today?
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