“[Hezekiah] 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).”
II Kings 18:4
In reading the account of King Hezekiah again in II Kings 18 recently, I found myself asking questions concerning what I thought was precious and what is truly not. Better put, I found myself contemplating trash. Odd, right? But let me explain. In II Kings 18:4, we read about how this 25 year old king of Judah began to take a stand. Idols had replaced God, as the people began to worship all the things that were not of God. So then, Hezekiah made the demand and took the actions to remove the high places, smash the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles. He even busted the golden snake from Moses' time which they were still worshiping. Following this in verse 6, we read that the young king held fast to the LORD and did not cease to follow Him, keeping the commands as were originally given to Moses. It was because of this that the LORD gave him success in all he did.
Now with this brief outline of the story, let’s talk ‘trash’. This passage has me questioning of myself just how much 'trash' I need to take out. Is it possible that in some way I too am worshiping or giving time to what I need to give up? Very much so. But how? Let me explain it this way. Back in March we purchased a home. While the thought of moving into a new home is always exciting, the thought of packing for the move can be far from it. Not only did we need to grab all the heavy furniture, but we also needed to go through everything as we were packing. The more trash we got rid of in the process meant the more excess trash we weren't taking with us to the new home. With a family of six, however, you can imagine this was a long process of sorting and throwing many things out. But this cleaning was not for nothing, for in it we removed a great deal of what was no longer needed. We had been holing on to it because we thought it was precious at the time, but in the end it waste we hadn't removed prior. Still, isn't this the exact same thing we do spiritually? We hold on to what we think is precious when all along it is a weight that simply holds us back from the freedom God wants us to have, and ultimately from God.
In a way, this trash is nothing more than an idol. Agreed, you may not be bowing down to it like the high places, scared stones, Asherah poles, and the the snake that Hezekiah dealt with, but anything that takes the place of God is indeed an idol. Any trash that we fail to remove can also become an idol as it prevents our relationship with God. In a season where I want to move freely in God's work, I find that I need to get rid of things in my life. I need to 'take out the trash' so to say. And in order to do this I am going to need to go through everything in my life, take an honest inventory of whether it is still needed or just assumed precious, and throw away the garbage.
What are a few of these "trashy" items that need to be tossed? Consider attitude. In all honesty I find myself battling (even at 43 years old) my attitude. I want it my way and in my timing and in demanding this I am being selfish, putting me above others and above God. For me, this is a high place in that I put myself in this high place of status and prominence. Another piece of trash in my life is very easily my devotion to watching television. You may not think this as an idol, but to me the ability to watch TV, and even control to a degree what is watched in the house, is a sacred thing for me. This may even be a sacred stone in my own life that needs to be smashed. And I think pride also battles for my devotion, a pole that needs to be chopped down. While I go through the waves of esteem, I also battle with thinking I am better than others, be it spiritually, mentally, or in talents. In taking this look into me, I see a great deal of trash.
But Hezekiah also dealt with the snake, Nehushtan. Going back to Numbers 21:4-9, we see that Moses was told by God to craft a snake and put it on a pole to prevent the people's deaths when bitten by a snake. These biting snakes, however, were a result of the people's words against Moses and the LORD. They were instructed to look at the snake in order to live, but as John 3:14-15 points out, the intention was not to worship the snake but rather to aid the people to look up to heaven. Years after Moses, this snake was still being looked at, and worshiped. What in my life is the same, meant to have brought me to God but that I have turned into an idol? Perhaps food. I have become somewhat of a glutton. While food is a gift of God to aid in our survival, I have allowed myself to be a little too cozy in my relationship with food, and have allowed it to lead me to areas of weight gain, health issues, and the like.
When Hezekiah got the kingdom right, and in essence took out the trash, what happened? He received the benefit of God’s blessing. Because Hezekiah got right, the LORD gave him success. That is what I want for us. I want you and I to be doing things right per God that even the sweat of our brow is blessed by God. So this is why I feel that the trash must be taken out that has been crowding up our hearts. We need to get out of the house the things that have managed one way or another to come in and are not of God. We need to do it now so that we too can see the fullness of God's blessing like Hezekiah did.
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