2 Chronicles 32:12
“Hasn’t the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You shall worship before one altar, and you shall burn incense on it?’”
What does 2 Chronicles 32:12 mean?
This is the Assyrian king Sennacherib's messenger trying to turn the people of Judah against their leader Hezekiah by mocking his religious reforms. The speaker is suggesting that Hezekiah has weakened the nation by removing the many local altars where people traditionally worshipped and consolidating worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. What Sennacherib means as an insult actually describes something Hezekiah did on purpose, as part of his effort to purify worship and draw people back to God. The message reminds us that doing what's right often draws criticism from those around us, especially when our changes disrupt how things have "always been done." Even when we're on solid ground spiritually, opposition can still shake our confidence if we're not grounded in why we made the changes in the first place.