דברי הימים ב, פרק כ״ט, פסוק ז׳

The reign of King Ahaz was marked by a steady decline into idolatry, culminating in an act of unprecedented severity. Following a long history of evil deeds, his actions reached their final and most destructive stage: completely shutting the doors of the sanctuary and entirely abolishing the service within the House of God [מלבי״ם].

This total shutdown involved deliberate steps to dismantle the daily holy practices. The physical extinguishing of the lamps specifically meant putting out the continuous light of the Menorah [מצודת דוד]. Furthermore, the halting of incense and burnt offerings was not a general rejection of religion, but a targeted abandonment of the God of Israel. Even as the holy service was completely brought to a halt, the act of worship itself was not cast aside. In a sharp and tragic contrast, altars were constructed in every single city specifically to burn incense to other gods [רש״י].