Nehushtan Nehushtan ∙∙
Hezekiah broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan. – 2 Kings 18:4
Ezekiel 14:3-6
3 Son of man, these leaders have set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin. Why should I listen to their requests?
6 Therefore, tell the people of Israel, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent and turn away from your idols, and stop all your detestable sins.”
As humans, we all tend to worship things and dote on stuff. Yet, many of us don’t see ourselves as idol worshipers. We scoff at the very idea of worshiping idols. “Idols? Me? I don’t have any idols!” We often believe that idol worship is something practiced by ignorant, ancient peoples who bowed down before lifeless, carved images they mistakenly believed were deities. But let’s pause for a moment of self-reflection. Could it be that we, too, are guilty of this? Could we be worshiping something other than the Father? Surely, I would never worship a physical object as a god!
Let’s not deceive ourselves; idolatry is not a thing of the past or limited to primitive cultures. In His boundless wisdom, the Father included strong warnings about idolatry in the first two of the Ten Commandments, foreseeing its perpetual challenge for us. In our modern era, our idols may not be statues of stone or wood, but they can easily be replaced by other things: money, status, technology, or even our own ambitions. This is not just a historical or theoretical issue but a pressing one we must confront daily.
The wisdom of the Father, as revealed in these commandments, is not a harsh judgment or a set of restrictive rules. It’s a compassionate understanding of our human nature. He knows our tendency to place excessive value on the wrong things and warns us against these contemporary forms of idolatry. His concern is not to limit us but to safeguard our lives and our relationship with Him from the profound impact these idols can have.
Deuteronomy 5:7-9
7 You must not have any other god but me.
8 You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.
9 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.
What is an idol?
According to Webster, idolatry is “the worship of a physical object as a god.” But to fully grasp the concept, we need to broaden our understanding. An idol is anything that we place before the Father in our hearts. We create idols out of the things we cherish most. It could be our relentless pursuit of success, a person, a pet, a hobby, an athletic team, an idea, social media, a car, a boat, addictive behaviors, or even ourselves. Yes, people can worship themselves.
Consider the biblical example of the bronze serpent. The Father instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent to save the Israelites from death by fiery serpents in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9). Once it had served its purpose, the people kept it and even placed it in the Ark of the Covenant instead of discarding it.
Although it was now just a lifeless, useless relic, it became an object of worship – an idol. This is a simple case of good things morphing into something harmful. The Hebrew word Nehushtanmeant a bronze serpent, a brass thing, or simply a piece of bronze.
When Hezekiah became king, he purged the land of idols and ordered the destruction of the Nehushtan because the people had turned this 700-year-old fetish into an object of worship. To get right with the Father, we must take a personal inventory, examine what we rank before Him in importance, and purge our lives of our idols.
Jeremiah 17:9 The human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
REFLECT & PRAY
When we take something made to be good and turn it into something vile, it is time to eliminate it entirely (Stanley).
Father, yes, my heart is indeed deceitful and wicked. Protect me from self-deception. A person who is deceived does not know that they are deceived.
INSIGHT
But there is a far worse kind of idol than one made of stone, wood, or precious metal. Many “false gods” lurk within our hearts, often without our awareness. These idols do not stand on visible pedestals, but on the inward pedestals, we erect in our hearts.
The Father requires exclusive allegiance, not just outwardly, but more crucially, inwardly. He warned ancient Israel about “idols in their hearts” (Ezekiel 14). Idols of the heart initially imperceptibly separated them from the Father and then smoothed their slide into sin and lawlessness.
Ezekiel 14:3 [They] set up idols in their hearts. They have embraced things that will make them fall into sin.
The Hebrew term used by Ezekiel for idols is ‘gillulim.’ The word ‘gillulim’ carries a derogatory connotation. It is believed to initially mean “dung pellets” (Vine) or “dung-idols” (NIDOTTE). Connect the dots.
A subtle irony lay just below the surface for the people of Israel. Outwardly, their allegiance to the Lord seemed unchanged. However, they were suffering from a spiritual heart disease. Their souls were becoming lean.
The very things they believed were beneficial were actually harming them. Instead of rejecting erroneous thoughts and beliefs, they embraced them, leading to their downfall.
Proverbs 28:26 Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
Obadiah 1:3 Your own pride and arrogance have deceived you.
Do you have any old pieces of bronze or brass to unload? Reflect and search for any concealed Nehushtan lingering in your heart. Ask the Father to help you identify and remove it.
Psalms 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
The Hebrew word translated as wicked (KJV), grievous (ESV), hurtful (NAS), offensive (NLT, NIV), or painful is otseb. Otseb refers to an act that offends another. Otseb comes from the Hebrew verb asab. It can be literally translated as a way of pain.
Who feels the pain?
Father feels the pain: O God, and know my heart . . .. Point out anything in me that offends you.
Curiously, this word is also translated as idol. My idol has done it (Isaiah 48:5).
What would grieve the Father more than the fact that we worship idols that we have set up in our hearts?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯7-22-2
© Dr. H 2024 ∙∙
Dr H Reflections 