Isaiah And Idolatry

See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers. Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.. [Isaiah 1.21-22]

Today's One Year Chronological Bible reading speaks to the problem of idolatry. Having other gods makes people spiritual prostitutes. This is the very thing the 2nd Commandment warns against.

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

 As seen in most all of today's OYCB reading from Isaiah, there are distinct results (signs) of idolatry, one of which is seen immediately following the subject passage above:

Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows. [Isaiah 1.23]

Corrupt leadership is the direct result of idolatry. Isaiah goes on in chapter 2 to define some other results of idolatry:

Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD! For the Lord has rejected his people, the descendants of Jacob, because they have filled their land with practices from the East and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do. They have made alliances with pagans. Israel is full of silver and gold; there is no end to its treasures. Their land is full of warhorses; there is no end to its chariots. Their land is full of idols; the people worship things they have made with their own hands. [Isaiah 2.5-8]

Then, in the 5th chapter of Isaiah, we find another result of idolatry:

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. [Isaiah 5.20] 

The thing is, we could go on for days listing the results of idolatry and still people today refuse to see the obvious signs all around them. They do so because they are ignorant of God's Word. Anyone who genuinely wants to see and know God can see and know Him in His Word. But instead, they are those Jesus spoke of:

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. [John 3.19-20]

There is only one solution to the idolatry problem in the Bible and in our day. It is the solution God saw fit to make the 1st Commandment:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3] 

This demand for singular devotion and commitment is, as would be expected, exactly what God-in-the-flesh, Jesus, demanded:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

It is not enough to look around and complain about the results of idolatry all around us... there is the matter (and demand) of repentance. What that looks like is found back in Isaiah 1:

Zion will be restored by justice; those who repent will be revived by righteousness. But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the Lord will be consumed. You will be ashamed of your idol worship in groves of sacred oaks. You will blush because you worshiped in gardens dedicated to idols. [Isaiah 1.27-29 underline for emphasis]

Until there is shame for idolatry, there will be no repentance - no turning away from idols. But there will be no shame if people remain ignorant of what idolatry is:

Idolatry is trusting anything other than, or in addition to, God. 

People will remain ignorant of what idolatry is as long as they remain ignorant of God's Word. God's people simply must become students of His Word - not students of colleges (even Bible colleges), not students of denominations or churches, not students of doctrines and theology - but students of God's Word. They simply must avoid contamination or dilution of God's Word with the opinions of man. They must stop quoting men, and start quoting God. Genuine believers in God (followers of Jesus) must make every effort to give up every way of their own - the ways of man's self-serving ingenuity and academia -  and instead determine that God's supernatural power must and will be their trademark - their defining characteristic - the distinction that they are God's ALONE - even if it costs them their lives (Matthew 16.24 above and Daniel 3.16-18).

The problem with everything said heretofore is that when we finally set out to identify the idols of our day so that we might give them up, then, and only then, do we realize just what wretched, whorish, adulterers against God that we really are. And then is when our proud religious theologies and academia (not to be confused with the actual knowledge of God's Word only) lulls us back into our idolatrous comfort zone fulfilling exactly what Jesus said in John 3.19-20 above.

Do we trust man's industry of finance to meet our needs? Then we are trusting man and not God. We are idolaters.

Do we trust man's industry of insurance to protect ourselves and our assets? Then we are trusting man and not God. We are idolaters.

Do we trust man's industry of medicine for our health? Then we are trusting man and not God. We are idolaters.

Do we trust man's industry of technology for our convenience? Then we are trusting man and not God. We are idolaters.

How do we know this is true? By considering all the implications of the following question: "Does God want me to trust Him ALONE to meet my needs without debt, insurance, medicine or technology?" The answer is as plain as day in God's Word.

We might also consider where our money goes... The Biblical pattern is that "where our money goes is where our god is." This is especially true where God, in His Word, said He would provide for us, protect us, heal us, and meet our every need if we obey Him (which, by the way, is better than sacrifice - 1 Samuel 15.22). In contrast, man's idol industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology all demand monetary sacrifices made directly to them in exchange for their "benefits" - and, they require no accountability to God whatsoever.

The signs are all around us, and, sadly, the Church is saturated with them. God's Word calls us to repentance... but then, to know that, we must necessarily know God's Word. Hosea's words on behalf of God keep coming to mind:

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me... [Hosea 4.6]

Father in heaven, our eyes to see and our ears to hear will not be functional until Your Word is not just a priority, but our life (or, death as the case may be). May we walk in Your grace to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. So be it. 

Jesus, God's Poster-Child Against Idolatry

“Who does the LORD think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned? He tells us everything over and over—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!” So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen. So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured. [Isaiah 28.9-13] 

Isaiah's writing here is addressing the underlying current of idolatry in God's people. The reference, "He tells us everything over and over—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there," is a direct reference to God's Word (Scripture) up to that time. Based on all the cumulative Scripture being referred to—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, the repeated warnings against idolatry found therein indeed broadly reveal the theme of the Old Testament writings preparing the way for Jesus.

While basic "Sunday School" knowledge may find the transition from Old Testament idolatry to New Testament "Jesus" a difficult task, the true student of the Bible will recognize that the very context of Isaiah's writing above prophesied of Jesus.

Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem. You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.” Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. [Isiah 28.14-16] 

Is it ironic that this prophecy of Jesus says, We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave? This is a direct reference to the benefits offered by Israel's idols, "life" from a source other than God. Why is this noteworthy? Because man's modern idols (man's way) of debt, insurance, medicine and technology today offer the same benefits!

As a matter of pure fact, all of today's One Year Chronological Bible reading addresses Israel's (and Judah's) betrayal of God for idols. It is simply willful ignorance among God's people not to see this fact. But when they finally consider the underlying theme of idolatry (man's way, as revealed when they finally read God's Word in its entirety), Jesus' words take on revelatory meaning:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Further proof that the Old Testament, with all its warnings against idolatry, is preparation for Jesus, is found in Jesus' own words as recalled by John:

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! [John 5.39] 

Jesus is God's literal "poster-child" against idolatry. When God's people finally make this connection between Jesus and the Old Testament, the most famous scripture of the Bible unfolds in amazing revelation:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” [John 3.16-21] 

The default judgment upon those who do not believe Jesus is judgment upon idolatry: they do not want to admit their own way of idolatry (trusting anything other than or in addition to God) because they would have to admit it is wrong. So, they avoid "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" Who is Jesus, the Light of the World so as not to expose their idolatry. They love the darkness of their (way-of-man) idols more than the Light of Jesus. In this condition, they are not followers of Jesus (although they may indeed be "religious").

Isaiah, in concert with all the Old Testament writings, and from the platform of God's disdain for man's idolatry, prophesies of Jesus.

Father in heaven, may our eyes and ears be opened to the Truth Who is Jesus. May we be enlightened by Your Word, understanding that "our own way" is the way of idolatry. May we then be found giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. Really. So be it.

Is God Honored In Our Lives?

For my people are determined to desert me. They call me the Most High, but they don’t truly honor me. [Hosea 11.7] 

The entire context of Hosea is idolatry. 

Hosea's accusation here is prophetic of today's Church. We laud God as "our everything," but turn to our idols for every solution. The most common idols we turn to are debt, insurance, medicine and technology.

The "work-around" that justifies our idolatry is to acknowledge God. We call Him God, but trust our idols to do His work in us. We go so far in this our depravity as to believe God gave us those idols. And then, we have the audacity to really think we are honoring God. Well, Hosea blows that fallacy out of the water. It is a sick religion that calls God "God" but trusts in idols to do God's work in us. How does that honor God? It doesn't.

Because faith is the only thing that pleases God, Hebrews 11 gives us a vivid picture of what trusting God looks like. Trusting God is honoring God. The largest portion of Hebrews 11 speaks of supernatural miracles by which God was honored in the lives of genuine believers. But the last part of Hebrews 11 is where most Christians "choke"...

...But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. [Hebrews 11.35]

Honoring God is refusing to turn from God. The litmus test that determines if we truly honor God or not is this: get rid of anything suspect as an idol and see if God can still provide what that idol would have provided otherwise.

No? Not willing to open that door? 

The apostle Paul clearly instructed the believers in Corinth to examine themselves for genuine faith:

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. [2 Corinthians 13.5]

There is no way to examine for genuine faith unless we remove every other contributor but God. This may require "taking up our cross..."

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. [1 Peter 1.6-7]

No, this does not mean God wants us to suffer... But it does mean He wants ALL the glory and honor ...and He won't get it if we resort to self-preservation (which, by the way, is everything debt, insurance, medicine and technology accomplish). Resurrection power comes only after "the cross." Jesus demonstrated it - and Jesus demanded it:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Father, Your Word is true. You are God. May genuine believers honor You the way the Bible says You are honored. May genuine faith be found among Your people as they intentionally rid themselves of idols to reveal Your power, honoring You. So be it.

Hosea's Life And Writing Are Graphic

“Israel has built many altars to take away sin, but these very altars became places for sinning! [Hosea 8.11] 

Hosea's life and writing are graphic. All of today's One Year Chronological Bible reading is about idolatry in Israel and also Judah.

It is pure fantasy for a modern-day Christian to read Hosea's writings and not believe idolatry is as much or more a problem today. Unless of course... the very place Christians go to worship promotes idolatry, then Christians have a problem!

Idolatry is trusting in anything other than, or in addition to, God.

Churches today do not decry man's modern-day industrialized idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology. In fact, when it comes to these idols, man runs to them like Israel ran to Assyria:

Like a wild donkey looking for a mate, they have gone up to Assyria. The people of Israel have sold themselves—sold themselves to many lovers. [Hosea 8.9]

The subject passage of this article reveals Israel's attempt to appease God while holding onto their idolatry just like the Church today (with a church on nearly every corner) tries to appease God but is holding onto idolatry.

What's more, the Church today fits the description of Hosea 8.12 perfectly:

Even though I gave them all my laws, they act as if those laws don’t apply to them. [Hosea 8.12]

Yes, the Church today touts, "Grace!" as if God's laws don't apply to them. In particular, the first three of the Ten Commandments are trampled by man's unrestrained lust for the idols of debt, insurance, medicine and technology that do for man what God jealously said He would do for man.

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7] 

And yet, the Church hides behind its invisible wall of "grace" while in unrestrained "orgy mode" with its idols (corporately and individually), conveniently ignoring Jesus' words:

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. [Matthew 5.17-19]

And, even worse, the Church unashamedly disregards Jesus' version of the first three of the Ten Commandments:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

The "grace" today's Church promotes is indeed its altar to "take away sin" but that altar has become the very place the Church sins. Biblical grace does not negate Jesus' demand that we give up our own way. Biblical grace does not negate Jesus' demand that we take up our cross, not life. Biblical grace demands that we follow Jesus.

To be clear, we are not burdened to keep ourselves from idols so that we will be saved. We are burdened to keep ourselves from idols because we are saved. That is grace. But, as long as the Church today condones and even promotes whoredom with the world's idols, indistinguishable from the world in any perceivable way, the Church will remain powerless, albeit entirely content with its highly emotional worship, preaching and teaching.

The people love to offer sacrifices to me, feasting on the meat, but I do not accept their sacrifices. I will hold my people accountable for their sins, and I will punish them. They will return to Egypt. [Hosea 8.13]

Egypt represents bondage to idolatry. It represents the powerless condition of God's people when they are sold to slavery.

We can worship, preach and teach all day long with emotions ranging from joyous jubilation to woeful wailing but if God's irrefutable miraculous power does not manifest, we are only kidding ourselves. In this condition, we are in bondage - bondage to Egypt - bondage to our idols - and our altars are simply places for sinning. In this condition, we are void of the power to be provided for, protected, healed and unburdened but worse, we are void of the power of grace to overcome sin.

I am not mad at the Church but I believe God is. I believe He is mad because all the places of worship (altars) have become places where idolatry is not only condoned, but embraced - they have become places for sinning. They worship God with great emotion, but do so while stubbornly retaining their other lovers that offer them everything God promised... wealth, protection, health, and convenience. These idols are the industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology.

Father, I cannot unlearn what Your Word has been saying all along. Idolatry was, is, and always will be (as long as the earth continues) man's adulterous betrayal of You. May this truth be revelation to Your people and may they be found giving up their own way, taking up their cross, and following Jesus in response. May this truth prepare Your spotless bride for Whom Jesus will return. May I be among those few. So be it.

Stop Trying To Be Reasonable

At that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria for help. [2 Chronicles 28.16] 

King Ahaz's request of the king of Assyria was a reasonable move. Certainly, Judah was in a tight spot and needed help:

The armies of Edom had again invaded Judah and taken captives. And the Philistines had raided towns located in the foothills of Judah and in the Negev of Judah. They had already captured and occupied Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages. [2 Chronicles 28.17-18]

Reason, however, is never a good platform upon which to stand when it involves trusting anything other than, or in addition to, God. It never has been and it never will be.

Anything man trusts in other than, or in addition to, God, is an idol.

In today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, we have several dynasties documented of both Israel and Judah. The subject passage above occurred in the reign of King Ahaz of Judah. Ahaz's call upon the king of Assyria was indeed an act of trusting anything other than, or in addition to, God. What followed describes idolatry perfectly.

So when King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria arrived, he attacked Ahaz instead of helping him. Ahaz took valuable items from the LORD’s Temple, the royal palace, and from the homes of his officials and gave them to the king of Assyria as tribute. But this did not help him. [2 Chronicles 28.20-21]

Later in time, in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, after wicked Ahaz's reign and into the reign of mostly righteous Uzziah, we have the prophecy of Hosea against Israel that provides a telling comparison to Judah:

Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to Hosea, “Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah—‘Not loved’—for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God.” [Hosea 1.6-7]

God was telling Hosea that Israel, during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, was acting like a prostitute while Judah (ruled by Uzziah) was remaining faithful to God and was therefore shown love by God. What that love shown by God looked like is where we need to pay attention!

God Himself said to Hosea: I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God.

The benefit of trusting God meant that Judah did not have to even resort to the conventional (reasonable) weapons of warfare!

Now, contrast the statement above with the fact that Ahaz called upon Assyria for help. Ahaz's misplaced faith in Assyria was an affront to God. 

GOD NEITHER NEEDS NOR WANTS MAN'S HELP!

God wants man to trust Him implicitly. 

So, back to the perfect description of idolatry mentioned above... The very "idol" Ahaz trusted to remedy his woes became a tribute-imposing captor. This is precisely what man's "helpful industries" (idols) of debt, insurance, medicine and technology ALL DO! Their "benefit" comes with tribute-imposing captivity - all for the sake of providing what God says He alone reserves the right to provide for His people. Man reasonably pays money for the reasonable benefits of these reasonable industries while God irrationally promises His power will provide those benefits without assistance—not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God. God's power is incalculable, let alone irrational.

The story of the Bible is God's desire for man to unquestionably trust Him ALONE. By "Bible" I mean the ENTIRE Bible. Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) was naturally no less demanding of man's unquestioning trust:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

"Religion about God" is man's response to God with reasonable "faith" mixed with the fear of death (loss, etc.). In contrast, "Relationship with God" is man's response to God with irrational faith and zero fear of death (loss, etc.). 

The Bible confirms this whether we think it's reasonable or not.

How we should respond to God and His Word then is modeled perfectly by Hezekiah:

Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. He did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan. Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its territory, from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city. [2 Kings 18.1-8]

Like Hezekiah, and as directed in the words of John, 

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. [1 John 5.21 NKJV]

Religion will tell us, "be reasonable." But, if we are to have a relationship with God that is anywhere close to Biblical (and pleasing to God), we will intentionally rid ourselves of idols and follow Jesus with no concern for the "life" everyone else is so fearful to maintain.

Father, Your Word could not be clearer. You fully expect that I give up my own way, take up my cross, and follow Jesus. May I stop trying to be reasonable. So be it.

What Man Fears Is His God

The LORD has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the LORD of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. [Isaiah 8.11-13] 

How do we not think like everyone else does? In simplest language: "Fear nothing but God."

The world is fearful, but not fearful of God. 

The world is fearful of lack. 

The world is fearful of not being protected. 

The world is fearful of sickness and disease. 

The world is fearful of discomfort.

Because the world does not fear God, it fears everything else. To remedy this fear of everything else except God, the world has made for itself, a plethora of named idols found in the industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology. Through fear, the world makes these idol industries "holy" unto itself, thus making them gods. No one can deny the monetary homage paid to these gods through interest payments, premiums, prescriptions, and must-have highly entropic gadgetry. What man fears is his god. The gods of debt, insurance, medicine and technology are abundant and widespread ...even in the Church.

Fear is trust.

Plainly put, because God promised in His Word every provision and protection for His own, one cannot fear Him and still fear anything else.

In the context of today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, Isaiah reveals the truth above, but also reveals the Messiah - Jesus Christ:

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9.6]

Why is this important? Because Jesus' demand upon His followers contains wording that addresses not only man's fear, but his ultimate fear of death:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

To please God, our only option is to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.

When we "take up our cross" we effectively snub our nose at every other fear up to and even including death. When we give up our own way and take up our cross, we make Jesus (God With Us) holy in our lives AND NOTHING ELSE. If we fear anything besides God, He is not holy in our lives - He is not wholly ours and we are not at all His.

Father, our idolatry makes everything said here sound radical or even fanatical. But Your Word is no lie and Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life. May we find the courage to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him. May we not be found thinking like everyone else, but be found fearing nothing but You! So be it.

The Universal Problem And The Universal Solution

The LORD gave this message to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The visions he saw concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem. Attention! Let all the people of the world listen! Let the earth and everything in it hear. The Sovereign LORD is making accusations against you; the Lord speaks from his holy Temple. Look! The LORD is coming! He leaves his throne in heaven and tramples the heights of the earth. The mountains melt beneath his feet and flow into the valleys like wax in a fire, like water pouring down a hill. And why is this happening? Because of the rebellion of Israel—yes, the sins of the whole nation. Who is to blame for Israel’s rebellion? Samaria, its capital city! Where is the center of idolatry in Judah? In Jerusalem, its capital! [Micah 1.1-5]

Micah called out both Israel and Judah on idolatry. He did this in the reigns of Judah's kings Jotham, his son Ahaz, and Ahaz's son, Hezekiah.

The interesting thing about Micah's words leveled against Judah in particular is the last question in the passage above: Where is the center of idolatry in Judah? In Jerusalem, its capital!

We should consider what the Scriptures say about each of the kings of Judah in whose time Micah wrote.

Jotham son of Uzziah began to rule over Judah in the second year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. Jotham did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done. But he did not destroy the pagan shrines, and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there. He rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple of the LORD. [2 Kings 15.32-35]

Ahaz son of Jotham began to rule over Judah in the seventeenth year of King Pekah’s reign in Israel. Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. He did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had done. Instead, he followed the example of the kings of Israel, even sacrificing his own son in the fire. In this way, he followed the detestable practices of the pagan nations the LORD had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the pagan shrines and on the hills and under every green tree. [2 Kings 16.1-4] 

Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. He did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan. Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its territory, from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city. [2 Kings 18.1-8]

I cannot help but believe that Micah's prophecy came very early in Hezekiah's reign as king of Judah. In fact, Micah's prophecy could easily have been the driving force behind Hezekiah's notable reforms.

Jotham was a good man, but failed to lead Judah (including his own family) out of idolatry. Ahaz (Jotham's son) was an idolatrous and corrupt man and led Judah further into idolatry. Hezekiah was a good man and led Judah to actively reject idolatry and pursue the LORD.

Micah's prophecy highlights the importance of political leadership not only following God, but leading the people in that same pursuit.

Micah's prophecy also confirms that idolatry was the "problem" in his time just as it had been centuries before his time and would be centuries after. 

In the Bible's message of God's redemption, idolatry is the timeless, antithetical, underlying, and universal problem of mankind.

Speaking of Samaria, Israel's capital, Micah implicates Israel as the primary driver of the idolatry that reached Judah.

All her carved images will be smashed. All her sacred treasures will be burned. These things were bought with the money earned by her prostitution, and they will now be carried away to pay prostitutes elsewhere.” Therefore, I will mourn and lament. I will walk around barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and moan like an owl. For my people’s wound is too deep to heal. It has reached into Judah, even to the gates of Jerusalem. [Micah 1.7-9]

The role of money should not be overlooked in comparison of Israel's (and Judah's) idolatry to prostitution. This role of money should not be ignored in today's idolatry that this author insists is cloaked in today's industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology.

Ahaz's leadership needs no explanation. Jotham's leadership was non-existent (even though he was a Godly man). Hezekiah's leadership gave action to his Godliness that righteously affected the people.

Hezekiah had a relationship with God and his relationship with God righteously affected what he had control over as king, the people of Judah. To be clear, under Hezekiah's rule problems still arose, but his leadership of trusting in God alone led to Judah's victory.

Righteous political leadership is essential for a nation to enjoy God's blessings and protection. It always has been and it always will be. The Biblical defining characteristic of righteous political leadership is the recognition and eradication of idolatry in the pursuit of God. One must look no further than man's ingenuity to find his idols. The way of man, independent of, and rebellious against God, is idolatry.

In timeless wording, Jesus addressed this universal problem with no uncertain demand that it be addressed head-on:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Father, may the eyes of Your people and their leaders be opened to the universal problem of idolatry and Your universal solution of Jesus Christ. May Your leaders and Your people be identified today by giving up their own way, taking up their cross, and following Jesus. So be it.