Day 186 – July 5, 2021
Scriptures: 2 Kings 18, Mark 16 Hezekiah was a godly king. One of the few who got it right in the land of Judah. Something interesting happens, the King of Assyria sends word to Hezekiah, “Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hands of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh King of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, ‘We are depending on the Lord our God’ – isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem?’’ This is a fascinating and important moment. Hezekiah tore down the idols that were within the land, and people were worshiping. He even tore down the pole with a. serpent on it that dated back to when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness and they were bit by snakes. The pole that they looked to for healing, in that moment, Hezekiah tore it down also. There is much confusion in the land about what it means to worship the Lord God. The Assyrian King believes that the way you worship Yahweh is through the Asherah poles and the idols of the land. In his mind, how can Hezekiah be worshiping the Lord God, if he has taken down all the altars? Surely, he is in cahoots with Egypt. That’s the only way possible. It is curious that the serpent pole, “Nehushtan” was also torn down. Perhaps Hezekiah saw it as necessary, that a good thing from the past, became an idol in the present. That instead of turning to the Lord, people were worshiping the snake on the pole. Problematic to say the least! Today’s reading brings us also to the final chapter of Mark. Mark 16 outlines the Resurrection of the Lord and the response of the disciples. They believe and go on proclaiming the Good News, healing and helping people, and leading them to the Lord. Jesus does a greater work than Hezekiah. He showed a complete dependence on the Lord, and he was lifted up. We look, not to a snake on a pole for our healing – but to Christ on the cross and risen from the dead. We look to him. This is who we truly worship. The rest of the New Testament is sorting out what true worship looks like. In the days of Hezekiah, even some of the Israelites were confused as to why the Asherah poles would be removed. It had become how the Israelites approached God for worship. They thought it was how to worship the Lord. Even though the Torah explicitly condemns it, it’s what became culturally acceptable form of worship. It leads to an important question. How do we worship the Lord? What have we just assumed is the way that we worship God, that perhaps needs removed as well? We are led to the cross and the resurrection. Everything in our life hinges on this. Jesus is victorious over sin and death. We have new life in him. We approach God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Spirit living in us. Jordan
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AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
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