Devotional - July 1, 2004

Hezekiah was king of Judah after Israel fell to the Assyrians. He did good in God's sight by removing the high places, smashing the sacred stones, cutting down the Asherah poles and breaking the bronze snake that Moses had made in the desert. Stop! He destroyed what Moses made to be a sign of healing and this is a good thing?

It is a shocking statement, but when sin corrupts something that was once sanctified for godly service, it becomes no better than anything else. The people had been burning incense to the snake and rendered it no better than any other article of sin. Actually, the snake was worse than an Asherah pole because it had the appearance of good, but the smelly stench of pagan worship remained on it. Even good things can be corrupted and represent an obstacle to acceptable worship of God.

In Leviticus 15:31, God told Moses, "You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean. There is no distinction made as to an acceptable manufacturer of an object. God judges the value of something on its use or misuse, not its intended use.

In Numbers 21:9 we learn that while going through the desert God sent poisonous snakes among the people. Moses prayed for relief and God answered by telling him to make the snake, put it on a cross-shaped pole and hold it up for the people to see. Those who looked at it survived the venomous bite of the snake while those who didn't, died.

The snake was made for a holy purpose, but it was later misused and defiled. When that happened, Hezekiah knew it no longer was worthy to be used in worship but had no more worth than scrap metal.

Have you defiled something belonging to God and think nothing you do can make it unacceptable to Him? If so, perhaps you need to remember Moses' bronze snake and reconsider your actions.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( 2 Ki. 18:13-19:37 Ac. 21:1-17 Ps. 149:1-9 r. 18:8 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society