Those PESKY Temple Idols
I am reading through my Bible again this year, and one of the interesting facts I have been reminded of is the number of different kings of Israel or Judea that there were.
Some bad, some evil like Ahab, others good, but even good kings were often reported to be good EXCEPT… for leaving up a few Temple Idols. Compromise is a road well-traveled.
One of the kings who stood out to me was King Josiah.
Now, when Josiah became king, he was EIGHT years old! And while my grandson Everett was a great kid at eight, I don’t think he was ready to be king. Anyways, Josiah was a good king and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord 2 Kings 22:2
One of the great undertakings of Josiah was to clean out the Temple of the Lord of all the idols to Baal, etc. Please read below..
2 Kings 23:4-8
… the king commanded the high priest and the priests … to bring out of the temple … all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields … carried their ashes to Bethel.
He deposed the priests … who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. He brought out the Asherah (pagan goddess idols) … and burned them … and beat them to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the ordinary people.
… he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the House of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, … and
he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua.
Now in our modern world of Idols, if Josiah were, let’s say, our 8-year-old president, where should he start? With our nation’s misguided interpretation of the separation of church and state, and the fact we give equal time to all gods with the one true God we in effect enable idol worship.
Some of these efforts are more misguided than others. IMO
But even in church, idols are everywhere hidden in plain sight. For example, many churches feature a preacher who takes center stage and prospers while God is somewhere in the back or left out all together.
Too many churches follow a man, or a denomination above and beyond God’s Word.
No expense is spared in many church SHOWS and church buildings where the people come to worship, but worship what?
Too many churches share a pop concert with a pep talk to be a better you, with very little, if any, scripture spoken at all. They function as a house of church entertainment rather than a house of WORSHIP.
BUT ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, at least our churches do not allow for male cult prostitutes. (see 2 Kings 23) <pause> That I know of… but I did not check San Francisco.
Oh, well it is easy to point out temple idols, But…
what about the idols in MY LIFE?
Our society offers so much to worship without mentioning God.
So, where is my worship/focus? Am I in a constant attitude of prayer, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, or in a continual attitude of distraction?
I love sports, especially my favorite Wisconsin teams (Packers, Brewers, Bucks, Badgers, etc.). Sports are a good thing, but I can spend too much time and emotion watching a game.
Or maybe I get caught up watching a movie out of curiosity that ends up having zero redeeming value. Hollywood does not feed the soul.
So.. what is your idol? Career, fitness, status, and/or leisure? Maybe it is even a vice like DRINK (that was one of mine for about 15 years).
No matter, it is time to clean out those pesky temple idols in our lives. Always time to reexamine our hearts for the compromise of who or what we choose to worship.
You may say, "Just checked, and no temple prostitutes in my life," but maybe lust and/or the dark power of porn is a lure to you. In all these things and more, let's give them up.
Throw these idols out of our lives.
If you think the Bible is dry and difficult to read, church is honestly boring, and you find no genuine interest in spiritual things, I would challenge you to go deeper.
If you are in awe of this fantastic world, from the wonder of nature to the infinite cosmos, know there is a creator.
So my question is, 'What is more fascinating and breathtaking.. to study more about the CREATION (our world, the cosmos), or the CREATOR of our world and the cosmos.
May God bless each of you in your lives. May He be real to you and the focus of your worship.
Blessings
Jeff (cleaning out my idol junk closet) Larson
