Hezekiah is affirmed in Scripture as doing “what was right in the Lord’s sight” (2 Kings 18:3). The next verse details what Hezekiah did: “He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made, for the Israelites burned incense to it up to that time” (2 Kings 18:4).
Surely people understood a strong, spiritual leader removing the idols (the high places and the Asherah poles) that grabbed the hearts of the people and stole worship from the Lord. They would expect their spiritual leader to insist they stop worshiping other gods. But what Hezekiah did next must have been really unexpected and really controversial. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses made—intentionally. Not by accident. Not “I was carrying it and it fell.” To break bronze takes some effort.
Eliminating pagan idols is one thing, but “that was the snake Moses made!” It was the bronze snake God told Moses to make, the one people looked at to be delivered from their snakebites (Numbers 21).
Hezekiah broke the snake because the people were burning incense to it. They were worshiping a bronze snake. Tools for transformation can become objects of worship. In our sinfulness, we can make an idol of just about anything. In our sinfulness, we tend to make idols of things that are important to us. Thus, a bronze snake that God used to bring healing, held by the leader of God’s people during their liberation from slavery, became an object of worship.
Today is not altogether different. God’s people still struggle with taking tools for transformation and making them objects of worship. Here are three common idols in churches:
1. The Place
Because the Lord does a great work in the hearts of His people when they gather, the places of gathering can move from a tool for transformation to an object of worship. Thus, if a leader mentions “relocation,” the leader is essentially threatening to cut a bronze snake into pieces. We must remind people that the building is not the Church, that His people are the Church. God does not live in the place where we gather; He lives in the hearts of His people.
2. The Past
Because the Lord worked in amazing ways in the past, 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 “former days” were great, they were only great because of the Lord.
3. The Programs
Because God changed lives through a program or event, people can 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.
How can leaders be like Hezekiah? How can modern-day bronze snakes be removed?
Leaders must constantly point people to the person of Jesus. Only He is worthy of our worship and only He can transform hearts. When we help people see the greatness of Jesus, idols look less attractive. As we turn our eyes on Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, the things of this world (place, past, and programs included) grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
Leaders must also continually remind people of the purpose of the Church. (Yes, I know it is another “p,” but it fits.) A church exists to make disciples. When a church embraces the mission of making disciples, programs are viewed as tools and not as ends in themselves. When making disciples is what a church is all about, the place is rightly seen as merely a place to help make disciples.
Though the Lord instructed the snake to be made, the Lord affirmed its destruction. And of Hezekiah, the Scripture says:
Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel; not one of the kings of Judah was like him, either before him or after him (2 Kings 18:5).
I agree. I am an ordained pastor of a Pentecostal/charismatic denomination who has lived many places and worked in more churches than I wished (I would rather stay in one) and I agree that these things are still the stumbling block to many churches. It is a difficult thing because like minded people get together and like what they are doing and so it begins that a church begins to “like itself”. This is not necessarily bad UNTIL people are more interested in having “their church”, with “their music”, and “their programs”…. it used to be HIS church and what made God happy, but now that church is afraid to let go, and they think, “loose” what they have… its not God’s any more, its “THEIR CHURCH”. Other things come into play that require pastors and leaders to be willing to loose everything… what about church mortgages? What about salaries? What about denominations who usually own the property now thinking about how to keep their property rather than surrender it to God’s plan even if that means loosening financially? Just like the Bible says that we all must live by faith, so churches and organizations also must practice what they preach.. they are not exempt from walking in faith and surrender all the Jesus… all the stuff, and history, and even people. I’m not talking about not caring for the people, not talking about relinquishing the responsibility that God has charged leaders with, but when God says change they need to obey too and surrender to God and change and leave the results to him.
Although I don’t want churches to close, I have seen several in my experience that need to close…its time. The people need to change and are unwilling. Its not a new pastor or music leader, or new programs they need to attract new people.. they need to surrender the church again to God…. what does God want? and if he is saying leave, then why are we staying?.. For selfish reasons.
One way to change this that I have seen work is when the leadership, usually started by the pastor, openly admits that something is missing in the church and they are not going to keep going as if everything is ok. THIS ALWAYS REQUIRES CHANGE AND SOME PEOPLE WILL LEAVE. Not might, but WILL, because their heart is not to really seek God, but only to have what they want. God comes when people are really hungry for him even if its in an abandoned Horse Stable (see Azusa Street Revival)
John MacArthur http://www.gty.org watch Strange Fire on the Charismatic False gospel
Good book. Truth War is another good book by MacArthur.
Agreed. We can also add “smaller” idols such as the pulpit. Someone tells someone else what a pastor said, and the second person asks immediately, “Was that said from the pulpit?” It’s as if the pastor says something outside of the pulpit, it has less weight than if he or she is in the pulpit.
Also I read of two Christians speaking at a conference and one used the podium while the other thought that it interfered with his speaking style. The first person made it a point to bring back the podium (movable pulpit?) back to its place. The author of the article was siding with the second person, basically saying that pulpits are mandatory to any good preaching.
Indeed, even the ‘sermon’ itself is an idol at times. Far be it from most pastors to ever be willing to have a gathering on Sunday morning that deviated from the sacred format of 4 songs and a 20-45 minute sermon. It doesn’t seem to matter that sometimes conversation and prayer might also be a valid way to spend and hour and a half or so on a Sunday morning…
Good point. I do know of one church in southern Vermont that does something like that (forgot their name). What if the pastor came in with a basic message, but also allowed for more inter-action? More questions? People would be more engaged and learn more too, I would think.
This sounds like a great idea!
Agree!
I doubt seriously if Christ had a pulpit when he delivered the Sermon on the mount, or the pray example to the disciples or any other time except maybe when we was 12 and confounds the priest in the temple although the Word just says that he stood, probably where he sat.
Ha! Ha! Agreed. Good points. Too bad I don’t have a copy of that article.
Nehemiah chapter 8 is a good example of worship.
Thanks for reminding us that we need to constantly search our hearts for what needs pruning and to hold loosely to all things, even ministry, lest it become an idol for us. It’s so easy to end up worshipping the wrong thing unless we constantly turn to God.
Ministry can indeed become an idol, as can the minister. As someone who has been in ministry and who has family members in ministry I have battled the feeling that I am somehow validated by ministry, even though I know it is not what I am called to at this time. I recall one family member exclaiming that they wanted to go to a particularly dangerous part of the world to do missions and not just “stay here and have kids”. Considering that was the season God had placed me in at the time, I found it amusing.
But if we put our faith in ministry or in the minister themselves, what happens when those things fail or fall away? Does our faith also fail? Being in ministry is a blessing, not a status symbol. The minister is blessed, but he/she just never become the object of our faith. If everything and everyone else was to fall away we must make sure our faith is so securely grounded in Christ that it does not budge. It may be shaken, but it should remain standing.
Hi, I have been recently reading 1&2 Kings… & In each chapter I have found at least once mentioned about High Places & the Asher poles. Thanks for posting.
Anything and everything we put in place of or before GOD is an idol, pastors, churches, programs, and can also lead to the downfall pastors and churches.
Should we ever forget about personal convictions. Once my personal conviction can indeed be an idol if I judge others that do not have my personal conviction. I’m a pewster and not a Pastor, but somehow I believe that Pastors are in greater danger of yielding to that hidden idol.
I was thinking about pastors, particular versions or translations of the Bible and the cross itself as three additional possible idols.
May God help our understanding of His word in this end time. And may we not fall totally to the temptation of the devil!
Eric, excellent post. Absolutely true. My only concern is that a new, young pastor in a church where these idols are in place will read something like this and seek to take out these idols like a shoot-out cowboy, rather than lovingly leading the sheep to healthy green pastures like a faithful, gentle shepherd. May these young men (and those of us who are older) recognize these issues you have shared, where present, and lovingly shepherd the flock God has entrusted to us to spiritual health as the Holy Spirit works in and through us for the glory of God and the building of His church.
Well said, Randy.
Yes — spiritual leadership requires both boldness and a patient love for the people the Lord has given us to serve.
May I add the seventh day Sabbath to your list? I am a Seventh-day Adventist pastor (Luke 6:1-10).
Potlucks. You forgot potlucks.