Life Journal

2 Kings 18:4

Scripture: "He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles.  He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.  (It was called Nehushtan.)”

Observation: Here we see that something that was made for God’s benefit (the staff Moses’ made) was then used for man’s own purposes.  Moses created the staff to remind people of God’s power.  God sent venomous snakes that bit people and caused death.  God instructed Moses to make a staff with a bronze snake and to have people look at it  and they would be spared death.  The people in turn, over time, turned the staff with the snake into an idol.  This demonstrates how we allow our own self-centeredness to creep in and over take our first priority to give God glory and honor.  In the Catholic faith, they create crucifix’s to remind them of Jesus’ painful death on the cross – instead they turn these objects, like statues’ of Mary, into idols and worship them.  They only bring them out on certain occasions.  They raise them high to exalt them.  They treat them as if they were made of the finest china.  They touch them thinking that some secret power or remedy will be revealed to them.  They turn the objects into their focus of worship, not God.  This is why King Hezekiah destroyed this historic item – he did not want it to remain an object of worship.  He wanted to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord and praise and worship Him as his father David had done.

Application: I must daily focus my attention on God not the objects that this world creates (stained glass windows, crucifix’s. statues, worship CD’s, etc.).  I must return to the heart of worship which is to acknowledge God in everything I do and give Him glory and honor by doing it right – His way.  I must praise and honor God through my obedience to Him.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful life and all that You give me.  Help me to continually worship only You in all that I do.  Protect me from my own pride and self-centeredness that I don’t put anything above You.  Let me show others that all glory and honor is Yours and Yours alone.  I pray this in Jesus’ mighty and holy name.  Amen