Swhw Bible Reading Plan: AprilSample

Top Takeaway from Michelle Myers:

Before we jump in, let's grab the last verse of 2 Kings 17 for some context of Hezekiah's swift actions to destroy the high places and sacred pillars:

"So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day." - 2 Kings 17:41

Did you catch that -- that while they feared the Lord, they also served their idols? And yes, it absolutely still happens today.

So Hezekiah wanted to rid Judah of idol worship completely. He begins by tearing down the high places, which were shrines to pagan gods and the sacred pillars, which were more symbols of pagan gods (2 Kings 18:4a).

But then it says that he shattered the bronze serpent that Moses made (2 Kings 18:4b). 

That Moses made?! The same guy who had a holy tantrum (and rightfully so!) when he came down from meeting with God on the mountaintop to find that the Israelites were worshiping a golden calf (Exodus 32). That Moses?

You can go back to refresh your memory in Numbers 21:4-9. Moses made the bronze serpent after God instructed him to do so. While traveling, if any of the Israelites were bitten by a venomous snake, all they had to do to be healed was look at this bronze serpent.

Now, the power was not in the bronze snake, but in God granting healing to anyone who had the faith to seek healing from Him -- by following His instruction to look at the snake. The bronze serpent was not made by Moses to be an idol, but as a symbol of God's presence and power.

But the Israelites began making sacrifices to it. They made it the object of their worship instead of the intended reminder of Who we worship.

What we can take away from this today:

What makes an idol isn't simply the intended created design, but how we choose to view or use it. And no matter how many times we remind ourselves of the truth, the human mind will quickly gravitate back toward defining idol worship as bowing before a statue instead of God.  We must recognize what it actually is: desiring anything more than we desire God. 

I love Tim Keller's explanation from Counterfeit Gods. He writes this:

"An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, 'If I have that, then I’ll feel my life has meaning, then I‘ll know I have value, then I’ll feel significant and secure.' There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship."

Let's do some evaluating today and honestly fill in these blanks for ourselves:

If I have __________________, then I'll feel my life has meaning.

If I have __________________, then I'll know I have value.

If I have __________________,then I'll feel significant and secure.

If we cannot honestly fill those blanks with God alone, we need to pray through the idols we've allowed to exist in our lives. Because even if what you wrote down is a good thing, good is still less than God and good things do not deserve our worship: only God does.

Go back to the top and read 2 Kings 17:41 again. Fearing the Lord while serving your idols is a problem that goes back for generations. Like Hezekiah, instead of serving our idols, let's identify them and destroy them. 

God, You alone are worthy of my worship. Capture my heart, God. My life has meaning, value, significance and security because of You and what You have done. Destroy any idol that competes with You for my heart. Stop anything -- yes, even (and maybe even especially!) success, if it would keep me from You. I just want You, Lord, and I trust You with my life. Help me to live my belief loudly each day. I love You. Amen.