There is another occasion of real faithfulness in the life of Hezekiah, of which we have not yet spoken. More than 700 years before and towards the close of their time in the wilderness, Israel had murmured against the Lord and against Moses, complaining about their manna and the lack of water. In consequence, the Lord had sent “fiery serpents” among them, and it is recorded that “much people of Israel died” (Num. 21:66And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:6)). When Moses prayed to the Lord, He directed him to make a serpent of brass and place it upon a pole. A look to the serpent of brass was enough to heal anyone who had been bitten. It was a type of Christ made sin for us on the cross, and the Lord Jesus Himself could say, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:1414And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:14)). As the Israelite of old was healed of the serpent’s bite, so sinners today can be healed from their sins by simple faith in the Lord Jesus.
Idolatry
It seems, however, that this serpent of brass had been carried through the rest of the wilderness journey, brought into the land of Canaan, and carefully preserved all through Israel’s history until Hezekiah’s day. Having turned to idolatry, the people of God actually worshipped that serpent of brass, and they even “did burn incense to it” (2 Kings 18:44He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. (2 Kings 18:4)).
A similar occasion occurred in the life of Gideon. He had faithfully destroyed an idol right on his father’s property and thrown down the altar of Baal. But later in his life, he too had a different and perhaps more subtle kind of altar. It is recorded that he took all the golden earrings of the slain Midianites, and out of them he made a golden ephod. Here again was something ordained of God, as a garment for the priests when they approached to God, yet Scripture tells us that “all Israel went thither a whoring after it” (Judg. 8:2727And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. (Judges 8:27)). The ephod was of no value without the priest who wore it, yet it became itself an object of veneration.
Present Forms of Idolatry
While we, in the light of Christianity, may deplore this idolatry of material objects, yet we must recognize that in some branches of Christendom, such things still go on. Beautiful buildings, supposed relics, images of so-called “saints,” instrumental music and many other things take the place of the worship of Christ Himself. More than this, even true Christians have made idols of such things as baptism, ministry, prayer, the church, and other precious truths that God gave for the blessing of His people and for His glory. But separated from Christ, they become idols and a supposed approach to God which is of no value.
Often added to this kind of idol are the traditions of men—traditions which in some cases were originally founded on truth. However, when the enjoyment of the truth is lost, often the traditions are kept, and these become an idol that has no value without the accompanying communion with the Lord and the seeking of His honor. Like the Pharisees of old, believers can become attached to traditions that make them seem very spiritual, belying their walk and ways which are far from the Lord. In one sense, the sin for true Christians in this dispensation is greater, in the face of much greater light than they had in the Old Testament.
The Destruction of Idols
Hezekiah in his day faced up to this serious idolatry of the brazen serpent, and as he destroyed the heathen idols that his father had brought into Judah, he also “brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made” (2 Kings 18:44He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. (2 Kings 18:4)). It must have taken courage to do this, for the relic had been around for many centuries. Although no such remark is recorded in Scripture, yet it is quite possible that some accused him of sacrilege and of destroying an important memory of Israel’s past. But faithfulness to the Lord demanded it, and the people no longer had before them something which took their hearts away from Him.
We all need to take this lesson to heart. We may be ruthless in keeping ourselves from idols in the world, but the temptation for the believer is far more subtle, and correspondingly far more serious, when something given of the Lord becomes an idol. Christ wants our hearts to be attached to Him, and what He has given us for our blessing is of value only insomuch as it draws our hearts to Him.
W. J. Prost