Corruption

SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 18-19; 2 Chr. 32; Jas. 5

2 Kings 18:1-4 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz began his rule over Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. In God‘s opinion he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David. He got rid of the local fertility shrines, smashed the phallic stone monuments, and cut down the sex-and-religion Asherah groves. As a final stroke he pulverized the ancient bronze serpent that Moses had made; at that time the Israelites had taken up the practice of sacrificing to it—they had even dignified it with a name, Nehushtan (The Old Serpent).

OBSERVATIONS: Even the direct commands of God can be corrupted. Even the best actions of a congregation can become meaningless idols and sacred cows. Even the habits of the most devout person can become empty and meaningless. Sometimes, the situation calls for an iconoclast.

APPLICATION: Time to examine my life for worthless ritual. That includes my congregation and my denomination. Some are known quantities; others have yet to be discovered.

PRAYER: God, show me the dross. Show me the chaff. Help me to burn it away and find the golden practices that you desire beneath them. Help me to discover the original intentions for these actions and honor your desires without creating idols. In Christ I ask it. Amen.