Tiglath-Pileser always carried with him a wonderfully wrought altar on
which he offered sacrifices to Asshur, the Assyrian god. During the
religious exercises at the Damascus festival, in which all the
Assyrian vassals participated, Ahaz was particularly struck with the
beauty of this altar. Thereupon he sent to Urijah, the high priest in
Jerusalem, "the fashion of the altar, and the pattern of it, according
to all the workmanship thereof," with instructions to have it
duplicated for the Temple in Jerusalem.

Isaiah, when he heard of this, was thunderstruck by the audacity of
the king who had no respect for his people or for his God.

Not only was this heathen altar built, but it replaced the ancient
one, which was set aside. Ahaz even went further. When he returned
from Damascus, he himself, instead of the regularly appointed priest,
offered the sacrifices upon the new altar, as he had seen Tiglath-Pileser
do. To cap the climax, Ahaz introduced certain pagan religious ideas,
copied from the Assyrian worship, into the cult of the Temple, simply
to please and gratify his Assyrian master.

With so base a king, Isaiah could hope nothing for the nation. Truly
could he cry out in the anguish of his spirit:

"My people--a boy is their leader!"
"My people--thy guides lead thee astray."

Of one thing, however, Isaiah was positive. When messengers came to
him from various parts of the country to inquire what to do in this
national crisis he answered them all alike: "God hath founded Zion,
and in her shall the afflicted of His people take refuge."