“In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He struck down the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.” [1]
Few situations generate stronger emotions than perceived threats to beloved institutions. Religion generates a strong emotional response. All one needs do to verify this fact is consider the response of Muslims to perceived insults to their religion. Even a rumour that American guards flushed a copy of the Koran down a toilet precipitated outrage and riots throughout the Muslim world. [2] Even what Muslims assume to be a misspelling of the name of their holy book can precipitate riots! [3] Muslim rioting in Bangladesh began when a report circulated that a copy of the Koran was placed on the knee of a Hindu idol. [4]
One should not imagine that Muslims are alone in extreme response to what is perceived as slights. History and even recent events detail violent responses to what adherents decided were insults to their religion among Buddhists, [5] Hindus, [6] Sikhs, [7] Jews, [8] and numerous Christian sects and cults. The persecution of non-state churches by both Catholics and Protestants is only too well known. Seeking to embarrass those who profess the Faith of Christ the Lord, opponents of the Faith are quick to point to the Inquisition, the public burning of heretics in Great Britain, John Calvin’s approval of the execution of Michael Servetus, and the Salem witch trials. Admittedly, at various times and despite biblical proscription, various sects of the Faith have employed violence to advance their particular version of the Faith.
Unfortunately, we are no better than many who preceded us in the Faith. We are still emotional creatures, and we respond with choler when we imagine someone is attacking beloved institutions. Our response reveals that we live by our feelings rather than by our convictions. Our church, the congregation with which we worship, even the name by which our particular branch of the Faith is identified is dear to us; and we react viscerally to any threat, actual or alleged. The building in which we meet is more than simply wood and stone; the church building represents dreams and hopes purchased with our sweat and blood, and through the efforts of our family who once worshipped here. The denomination to which we belong, the seminaries or schools we support as a church, the missionary organisations to which we send our moneys, all alike are vigorously defended against any slight, real or perceived. We say we recognise the flaws and the weaknesses, but we dismiss them as though they were minor foibles.
However, our defence of institutions and buildings can lead us into idolatry. Though the idolatry “feels” good, idolatry is nonetheless opposed to righteousness and in conflict to the will of God. In order to understand this subtle insinuation of the tendency to idolatry, I invite you to consider an incident that occurred early in the reign of Hezekiah, the 14th King of Judah. The account of the early years of his reign is provided in the historical book of 2 KINGS. Among his initial acts was removal of an idol—an idol that God commanded the people to make. Let me explain by studying the Word of God.
THE CURSE OF THE LURE — In order to understand the incident that is recorded almost in passing in our text, it will be helpful for us to review how the bronze serpent came to be. An old saying teaches that good is enemy of the best, and that was certainly true in this instance. Some may not be aware of the particular account of the incident in Israel’s history when God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent on a staff. The specific account is provided in NUMBERS 21:4-9. The account informs us that people of Israel “set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.’ Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.’ So, Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’ So, Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”
As they wandered in the desert, despite making progress toward the land God had promised to give them, the people became impatient. This is a common failing of the people of God. They plan for a particular outcome, and because God does not move according to their plans, they become impatient. Almost inevitably, when the people of God become impatient, they begin to grumble. In the case of Israel, they began to speak “against God and against Moses.”
Take careful note that complaining against Moses was equated to complaining against God. No one actually spoke out against God, “God is unfair! Boo, God!” However, complaints against Moses were tacit complaints against God who appointed him. Grumbling, tolerated among the people of God, tends to contaminate the entire community. Complaints, however, expose to divine judgement those who are grumbling. Either the people of God must police themselves, or God will correct them.
Israel, as is equally true for many Christians, was characterised by complaints. “The people complained in the hearing of he Lord about their misfortune, and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled” [NUMBERS 11:1]. “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses,” and their complaint was that he had married the wrong woman [NUMBERS 12:1]! Imagine! Actually, their complaint was a smokescreen; they were angry because they considered that their thoughts about what would please God were as good as Moses’ thoughts [NUMBERS 12:2]!
When the spies returned from exploring the land God had promised, they reported that they saw giants, though the minority report was that God was still in control. The response of the people to the challenge of moving at God’s command was to complain. “All the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt’” [NUMBERS 14:1-4].
Korah decided that he was better able to lead than the one whom God appointed, and he raised a rebellion against Moses. Moses and Aaron responded by cautioning Korah and all who supported him in his rebellion against grumbling against God [NUMBERS 16:1-11]. When God judged Korah, the people grumbled. In NUMBERS 16:41, we read, “all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the people of the LORD.’” Here is a stunning revelation of human nature! Moses warns against rebellion. When God judges the rebels, the people complain that Moses “killed the people of the Lord!”
God’s response to grumbling is judgement. The incident in NUMBERS 21:4-9 is but one of many examples of divine judgement. When the people began to grumble, the Lord sent venomous snakes among them, and many of the people died. God’s judgement will either harden us in our rebellion, or it will turn us from our self-destructive tendency. God sent snakes among them, and the people repented of their sin; and when His people repented, God relented.
Because the people repented, God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent, place it on a pole and instruct the people that when they were bitten, they must look at the serpent on the pole. It worked! In fact, Jesus made specific reference to this incident during His conversation with Nicodemus. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life” [JOHN 3:14-15].
The bronze snake that Moses made was intended to be temporary, an expedient required for healing the stricken people. God never intended that the snake on a stick would be permanent, yet, in 2 KINGS 18, we learn that the serpent on the pole was still around. Moreover, it had not been in storage throughout the years since Moses moved from Oboth.
Hezekiah reigned in the Sixth Century B.C.; the serpent was created in 1450 B.C. For eight centuries—over eight hundred years—God’s people had kept the bronze serpent. When the judgement ceased, they began to worship before the snake; they made an idol of that which God gave for their benefit. They even gave it a name—Nehushtan.
Nehushtan, when translated into English, may be taken to mean “a piece of brass.” Did you get that? The people knew that the snake was just a piece of brass! Yet, this piece of brass had been turned into an object of worship. Something that had once been useful and even necessary had become an idol. That which had been commanded by God, was at first venerated and finally worshipped. That which had once been a blessing, had become a curse. The people had begun to treasure this “piece of brass.”
We are prepared to condemn liturgical Christians for creating objects of worship, but we pride ourselves that we evangelicals would never do such a thing—would we? The heart of fallen man is prone to every sort of wickedness. Jeremiah cautions,
“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick.”
[JEREMIAH 17:9]
Because we are a fallen people, because we are sinners, we are susceptible to every form of wickedness. We often create idols, without even realising what we are doing. A church building can be subtly transformed into our Nehushtan, when all the time it is but a place to meet in comfort as we worship the Lord. A favoured Bible translation, an interpretation of a particular verse, decorative fixtures within the auditorium—all alike can, in time, become for us a Nehushtan. How many churches have been torn apart because of the colour of carpeting in the auditorium, whether drums were used in worship, or even by the placement of a piano!
Jesus excoriated the Pharisees and the scribes for precisely such subtle idolatry. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it” [MATTHEW 23:16-22].
They were guilty of idolatry, though they would have vigorously denied the charge. The transient became the object of veneration and worship, and the Master confronted their idolatry. These leaders of the religious community were simply following in the train of their forebears. Jeremiah records God’s earlier condemnation of the people who had become so enamoured of Solomon’s Temple that worship of the Lord their God degenerated into mere form. Therefore, God, through Jeremiah, warned, “Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD’ [JEREMIAH 7:4].
Despite repeated warnings from the prophets, and despite the obvious threat from Babylonian hegemony and feints toward Israel, the people arrogantly denied that God would ever judge them! After all, they had the Temple of the Lord right there with them. I heard that same message on one occasion from an arrogant church leader that boasted that God would never judge his church because they had a great missionary programme. The once mighty church is but a distant memory; a congregation no longer meets there. God does not owe us anything, and when we begin to worship what we have or what we do, God will withdraw His blessing; He will hold us accountable because we bear His Name.
A church building is not evil; it is a gift from God enabling the people of God to worship comfortably in a setting that enhances worship. A Bible translation is not evil; it is a divine gift that enables us to know the will of God as delivered through those who wrote the original words. A missionary programme is not evil; it is a means to advance the Kingdom of God through co-ordinating the gifts of God’s people. Denominations are not evil; they are a way to co-ordinate evangelistic efforts and provide for pastoral education to advance God’s Kingdom. However, any of these can become a Nehushtan.
When we forget that it is God whom we worship and not the building in which we meet, we are guilty of idolatry. When we begin to insist that our translation alone is blessed by God, we are sliding into idolatry. When we begin to defend our missionary program as the only means of advancing the Kingdom of God, we are moving toward transforming that once blessed kingdom programme into a Nehushtan. Just so, when a denomination begins to run roughshod over the churches, demanding loyalty that belongs only to God, that which was intended to be a blessing is being transformed into a curse.
Frequently, fellow worshippers or long-time friends, as can be equally true for family members, become a Nehushtan. An example of friends and family becoming an idol is seen in an observation in the past few decades. During the 1960s, a malady known as “Daddy’s Daughter Syndrome” was described. Preachers who preached against sexual licence were willing to change their theology under duress. The decade of the 60s was characterised by sexual experimentation; and as a consequence, the children of many preachers were beguiled by the sexual freedom advocated during those years. Among those experimenting with sexual freedom, a number of preachers’ daughters became pregnant out of wedlock. Preachers who had previously preached against sexual licence were suddenly forced to deal with the immorality of their own children exposed in their sin. Among preachers whose children were caught, many changed their theology.
Many of these preachers were incapable of accepting the sinful nature of their own children, and rather than exercise godly discipline leading to restoration, they adopted what they would have previously labelled as a licentious view of human nature. Something like that happens even to this day. It is fine to speak of accountability and church discipline, until discipline is actually exercised.
Nor need we expect that this willingness to change one’s theology is limited to pastors, for church members often make it plain that they will not tolerate discipline for their friends or their family members. In effect, we Christians are willing to stand firm, so long as our friends or our family members are not inconvenienced. Thus, our relationships become our idols, even at the expense of obedience to Christ.
When cherished traditions, treasured institutions, or beloved denominations begin to demand our allegiance, turning us from single-minded devotion to the Saviour, our golden dreams will rapidly transform into a hollow piece of brass. Instead of being the blessing God intended, these aspects meant to permit us to serve Christ more effectively become a curse and the means of our destruction, especially if we fail to walk with God. When the esteem of friends is more highly valued than is allegiance to Christ, or when we regard the accolades that may accrue from those who are not walking in the Faith instead of seeking the commendation of the Saviour, we have created an idol that is fit only for destruction.
THE CONVICTIONS OF THE LEADER — Whenever anyone points out our “Nehushtan,” he does so at considerable risk. None of us appreciates being told that we are idolatrous. We are stung; our reaction to the charge is immediate and intense. Something we cherish is threatened, and we blindly react in anger, even to the point of becoming irrational. We willingly jettison relationship with God, clinging tenaciously to the transient relationships of this dying world. To order the destruction of Nehushtan requires courage and determination born out of conviction.
Hezekiah saw a problem—a deviation from godliness. His response was to destroy the idol before which the people were worshipping instead of wholeheartedly serving the LORD their God. There are several possible approaches to the potential idols we confront in life.
A common response to the sins that challenge us is to deny that there is a problem. Perhaps if we ignore the problem, we imagine that no one will notice there is a problem and there will be no need to deal with it. If we don’t acknowledge the problem confronting us, perhaps it isn’t really our problem. Ignoring the need will force someone else to confront the issue, and we will be free of that vexing necessity. We can claim ignorance, and we are free.
Alternatively, we can normalise the problem, accepting the situation as the way things are. This is a step beyond denial of the problem, since anyone who accepts the problem as normal is in effect hoping that the problem will not grow. We imagine that we can learn to live with any situation if it isn’t too bad. We may not like immoral or ungodly people directing the affairs of the church, but so long as things appear to be moving smoothly, we will maintain silence. We console ourselves that tolerating a little bit of evil is less painful than dealing with it.
A third way of dealing with a problem is to attempt to skirt the problem. Perhaps we are prepared to give the problem a brief acknowledgement before sweeping it under the rug, hoping that our inattention will be sufficient. Our effort to dismiss a problem through minimising the problem can never work because after we have moved beyond the problem, the problem still remains a threat to our rear.
Sometimes, we will endeavour to create a diversion, hoping that in doing so we will be able to turn attention away from the main issue at hand. This is the common response to the exposure of moral failure, as those caught in a sin often attempt to charge that the one speaking of the failure is hypocritical or judgemental. This is a classic move to project our own failure onto others.
Finally, we may meet the problem directly and resolve it in timely fashion. I acknowledge that this is momentarily the more painful course, but it holds the promise of resolution of conflict and lays the groundwork for long-term blessing. Hezekiah saw clearly the idolatry of the people and he chose of meet the problem directly. He acted at the risk of being misunderstood, even of being maligned. He jeopardised his position as a leader over the nation.
Hezekiah didn’t merely break tradition—he smashed tradition. Few charges are more damning for a leader than that of disrespecting tradition—smashing idols, failing to show deference to beloved institutions and practises. The king was apparently infused with raw courage such as had not been witnessed in Israel for centuries—or was he? Hezekiah was not a man of great courage.
Hezekiah is pictured in the Word as a rather timid man—a man who sought to avoid conflict through negotiation. In the narrative of Hezekiah’s life, we read of an attack by the Assyrians against Israel. “In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, ‘I have done wrong; withdraw from me. Whatever you impose on me I will bear.’ And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD and from the doorposts that Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria” [2 KINGS 18:13-16].
Hezekiah’s initial response to this unjust invasion was to negotiate, stripping the Temple and impoverishing the people. He did not want to risk losing a battle, so he tried grovelling. This didn’t work, however, and the Rabshakeh demanded yet more of the king. What is important for us to note is that Hezekiah was neither reckless nor courageous. In fact, caution was more characteristic of the king than was courage.
What gave him the courage when he first came to the throne to defy tradition? The answer is found in 2 KINGS 18:5-6. Hezekiah “trusted in the LORD the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses.” Hezekiah was a man of convictions! And his convictions were ultimately greater than his caution.
In his desire to honour the Lord, Hezekiah reviewed the customs of the people. What he saw was defiance of the Law of Moses. Because his commitment was to the Lord, and not to tradition, Hezekiah determined that he must act. The courage Hezekiah did demonstrate was born out of conviction—he feared God more than he feared man.
Perhaps you will recall that Gideon the son of Joash received a command from God to destroy the altar of Baal. Though he acted hesitantly and timorously, Gideon did obey. He destroyed the altar and the Asherah beside it covertly and under cover of darkness. He acted in this manner because he was fearful.
When they learned of his actions, the men of the town wanted to kill Gideon. Joash, Gideon’s father, challenged the vigilantes, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down” [JUDGES 6:31]. Hezekiah surely was familiar with this account; he had to have realised that his actions would likewise anger the people.
When we determine that God alone is worthy of honour, we will review our lives, our attitudes, our actions, and we will evaluate every Nehushtan in light of the revealed will of God. To act in this manner requires something that few of us possess, but that all of us must have if we will honour God—conviction. It is only as we fear God that we can ever hope to receive the courage to smash our idols. So long as we fear man, so long as we fear the response of others to our obedience, we will never smash our idols, and they will continue to hold us in thrall, supplanting Christ and draining the power that is our heritage.
THE CONSEQUENCE OF HIS LABOUR — The text describes the consequences of Hezekiah’s courageous action. We know that Hezekiah set a course that led to renewed spiritual vigour and blessing for Judah throughout the years of his rule. When Hezekiah stood for God, smashing the bronze serpent, his actions had consequences that became apparent with time.
First, he was enabled to hold fast to the Lord. The sixth verse states that Hezekiah “held fast to the Lord” [2 KINGS 18:6a]. Having stood for what was right, he was encouraged to continue standing for what was right. Having stood with the Lord in a tight spot, he became bolder still in adhering to the Lord. Ridding the land of the popular idol led Hezekiah to yet greater devotion to the Lord. Ridding my life of my first cherished idol leads to even greater determination to rid my life of all other idols.
Hezekiah was equipped to separate culture from command. The latter portion of the verse six informs us that Hezekiah “did not depart from following [the Lord], but kept His commandments that the Lord commanded Moses” [2 KINGS 18:6b]. Some actions that we perform are motivated for no greater reason than they are expected by the culture we have permitted to be insinuated into our lives. Every attitude, every action, must be liable to challenge to ensure that the motive for the action is honourable. Not every action is motivated by pure love for the Saviour. Some motives are unworthy of the Lord Christ; but those motives that arise from love for the Master and that are submitted to His Word are worthy of Him.
Churches have their own culture, though immersed in the broader cultural milieu. Thus, we always struggle to avoid giving offence to the world, even as we endeavour to avoid giving offence to our fellow Christians. Consequently, we often succumb to the temptation to sacrifice doctrine in order to maintain a good standing in the eyes of the world. Too many of us who are Christians are more concerned with how the world sees us than we are with obedience to the Word of God.
Hezekiah was blessed by God. We read that, “the Lord was with him.” The Word also declares that “wherever he went out, he prospered” [2 KINGS 18:7a]. When the king was blessed, the entire nation was blessed. Had the king been cursed, the nation would have suffered. To an unprecedented degree, the blessing, or the cursing of a congregation results from divine blessing or cursing of the leader. Hezekiah and all Judah were blessed, while the neighbouring country of Israel was cursed. “In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it, and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God but transgressed his covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded. They neither listened nor obeyed” [2 KINGS 18:9-12].
Obedience leads to blessing; disobedience leads to judgement. Because Hezekiah was godly, he determined to honour God, even taking risks that would incur the wrath of the people. Because he honoured the LORD, God blessed him, blessing the people in turn. Hoshea was the last in a long lineage of kings over Israel who endeavoured to do what the people wanted instead of doing what God required. The result was judgement as God called the nation to account.
APPLICATIONS — The lessons of the text are vital for each of us. There are both corporate and individual lessons deserving careful consideration. I urge God’s people to train yourselves to distinguish between culture and command. Hezekiah knew God’s command that idolatry would bring judgement. Though the people might have argued that they were not really worshipping the snake, contending that they were only seeking “assistance” for their worship, Hezekiah saw their actions for the idolatry that it was. He differentiated between culture and command.
When we worship, is there a sound scriptural basis for our actions? Or, are we driven by a desire to do what makes us feel good? When we pursue a particular course of action as a congregation, do we have biblical instruction to guide us? Or are we more concerned to find and to do what makes us comfortable? Are we acting out of conviction, or are we acting out of convenience? Frankly and tragically, among the churches of our Lord, more actions appear to be driven by raw emotion than by doctrine.
Our culture trains us from infancy to avoid thinking deeply. We come into the Faith, and we expect that nothing much will be demanded of us. Consequently, much of contemporary church life is characterised by non-existent theology driven by feelings. Christians appear incapable of distinguishing good from evil! The writer of the Hebrews letter lamented, “Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” [HEBREWS 5:12-14].
If we will distinguish between culture and command, we must make every effort to know the mind of the Lord. This requires effort of each of us. As those who seek to honour Christ the Lord, we must give careful consideration to our actions, ensuring that we understand the will of the Lord. We must live submitted to Him as Lord of life.
Another application is to trust your leaders. Hezekiah followed the Law of the Lord, and as a result, the people followed him as one who sought the Lord. If your leaders walk according to the Word and God is blessing them—and you—follow them. This is the injunction found in the Hebrews letter as the writer teaches, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith” [HEBREWS 13:7]. He follows that command by writing, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you” [HEBREWS 13:17].
I will add the caveat that if our leaders are ungodly, we should reject them and refuse to follow them. However, if they are following the Lord, and if they have been appointed by Him, then we should follow them and support them. Paul commanded the Corinthian Christians to imitate his life, even as he imitated Christ. The Apostle wrote, “I urge you, then, be imitators of me” [1 CORINTHIANS 4:16]. Later, we see him command, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” [1 CORINTHIANS 11:1].
If you can’t trust your leaders, if you no longer are convinced that they are walking in the way of the Lord, ask God to remove them—or remove yourself. If God appoints those whom He wills to lead us, we must trust that He is in control. Otherwise, church meetings will always be degenerating into a political brouhaha. Make every effort to generate an atmosphere of openness and trust within the congregation. Resist the cultural conditional that says “we hire our leaders and we can fire our leaders.” I can assure you on the authority of God’s Word that the hackneyed dictum vox populi, vox Dei, finds no support in Scripture. Such attitudes lead only to destruction.
At the last, I plead with each one among us who names the Name of Christ to destroy your idols. As Jacob put away all the gods that were found in his household [see GENESIS 35:2-4], so we must put away anything that vies for co-regency with the Son of God. Only when we have put away every idol will the presence of God among us be evident to a watching and waiting world.
I must speak to those among us who are church leaders and to those whom God is even now preparing to provide leadership among the saints. I warn you that you must recognise three common idols in churches that every church leader needs to know and turn away from. I say this because a strong spiritual leader bears responsibility to remove the idols that grab the hearts of people, stealing worship from the Lord. I am not urging the mere act of appealing to people to stop worshipping other gods; I am urging the deliberate smashing every idol found among us.
In our study today, we learned that eliminating pagan idols is one thing, but Hezekiah broke down the snake Moses made! Nehushtan was the bronze snake God told Moses to make, the one people looked at to be delivered from their snakebites. Hezekiah broke the snake into pieces because the people were burning incense to it—they were worshiping a bronze snake. We learned that tools for transformation can become objects of worship. As result of our sinful condition, we are capable of making an idol out of just about anything. In our sinfulness, we tend to make idols of things that are important to us. A bronze snake that God used to bring healing became an object of worship.
Today is not so vastly different. God’s people still struggle with taking tools for transformation and making them objects of worship. Here are three common idols in churches. In the first place, consider The Idols of Place. Because the Lord does a great work in the hearts of His people when they gather, the buildings in which we meet can be transformed from a tool for transformation to an object of worship. Thus, if a leader should recommend “relocation,” the leader is essentially threatening to cut a bronze snake into pieces. We must remind ourselves that the building is not the church, that God’s people are the church. God does not live in the place where we gather; He lives in the hearts of His people.
Secondly, there are The Idols of the Past. The Lord worked in amazing ways in the past, and therefore the past can become an idol where people long for the past more than they long for the Lord. Being grateful for the past is one thing, and worshiping it is quite another. If the “former days” were great, recognise that they were only great because of God’s blessing.
Lastly, recognise The Idols of Programs. Because God changed lives through a program or event, people often will elevate a program to an unhealthy place. Programs can become ends in themselves and not tools used in a church’s discipleship process. When this happens, they exist as modern-day bronze snakes. [9]
Can you honestly testify that you have destroyed your idols? Can you honestly say that you are free of bronze anchors? Does Christ reign over your life without a rival? Or do you admit to a personal shrine in your inner temple where you privately burn incense?
Perhaps you ask how you would recognise an idol, especially an idol that is not readily seen to be an idol. How would we identify that which has usurped the place of Christ the Lord? Our Master has shown us how we are to recognise our idols when He warns, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” [MATTHEW 6:19-21].
Your treasure—that thing that has become your idol—may be discovered through this easy four-fold test.
• Your treasure can be defined as that which you value most.
• Your treasure, your idol, is what you would most hate to lose.
• Again your treasure will be recognised to be what your thoughts turn to most frequently when you are free to think as you will.
• And finally, your treasure is what affords you the greatest pleasure.
Find your treasure, and you will discover your idol. If that treasure that you hold dear is not the Son of God, then act swiftly to rid yourself of that thing. Determine that Christ alone will reign supreme over your life and over the life of your church.
What are the treasures in your life? Will you willingly sacrifice your treasures without reservation and without hesitation? Do you truly desire that Christ alone will be served? My prayer is that we will have the courage to rid ourselves of our idols, remembering that good is enemy of the best. I pray that we will have the courage to smash our Nehushtan.
Over one hundred years ago, James Nicholson wrote a beautiful hymn expressing the need for Christians to destroy every Nehushtan that infests our churches and our lives.
Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down ev’ry idol, cast out ev’ry foe.
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. [10]
As followers of the Son of God, we have spent quite enough time worshipping the snake. It is past time for us to determine that He Whom we call “Lord” will actually be Master of our lives. It is past time for us to serve Him with radical abandon, eschewing all that would attempt to compete for our affections for the King of kings. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] See “2005 Quran desecration controversy,” Wikipedia, 2005 Quran desecration controversy - Wikipedia, accessed 24 August 2022; “Riots over US Koran ‘desecration,’” BBC News, 11 May 2005, BBC NEWS | South Asia | Riots over US Koran 'desecration', accessed 24 August 2022
[3] James Joyner, “Muslims Riot Over Spelling of ‘Koran’ in U.S. Media,” May 18, 2005, Outside the Beltway, Muslims Riot Over Spelling of ‘Koran’ in U.S. Media (outsidethebeltway.com), accessed 24 August 2022
[4] Robert Spencer, “Bangladesh: Muslim riots over Qur’an ‘desecration’ continue, two Hindus dead, 150 injured, 88 Hindu temples attacked,” Jihad Watch, Oct 2021, Bangladesh: Muslim riots over Qur’an ‘desecration’ continue, two Hindus dead, 150 injured, 88 Hindu temples attacked (jihadwatch.org), accessed 24 August 2022
[5] “Buddhism and violence,” Wikipedia, Buddhism and violence - Wikipedia, accessed 24 August 2022
[6] “Saffron terror,” Wikipedia, Saffron terror - Wikipedia, accessed 24 August 2022
[7] “Khalistan movement,” Wikipedia, Khalistan movement - Wikipedia, accessed 24 August 2022
[8] “Dozens killed, including 4 Americans, in stampede at Jewish religious festival in Israel,” April 30, 2021, Dozens killed, including 4 Americans, in stampede at Jewish religious festival in Israel - CBS News, accessed 24 August 2022
[9] As suggested by Eric Geiger, “Three Common Idols in Churches,” Church Leaders, December 6, 2022, https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/272033-three-common-idols-in-churches.html?utm_source=outreach-cl-daily-nl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text-link&utm_campaign=cl-daily-nl&maropost_id=&mpweb=256-7698908-742210145, accessed 5 February 2023
[10] James Nicholson, “Whiter Than Snow,” 1872
