“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. But Thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.
By this I know that Thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. And as for me, Thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before Thy face for ever.
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.” Psalm 41:9-13 (KJB)
LORD God of Israel
Putting Away Evil
“He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not.” 2 Kings 18:4-7 (KJV)
Hezekiah, a king that did right in the sight of the LORD (v. 3). He was the son of an ungodly king (Ahaz), and “did not that which was right in the sight of the LORD” (16:2).
Hezekiah loved God, the LORD with all that he had. He even destroyed an article which Moses had made in the wilderness – the brazen serpent (Numbers 21:4-9). He called it “Nehushtan” believed to mean “that bronze thing”. The people of Judah had gone to worshipping it making an idol of it, even burning incense to it. It is believed that they may have taken on the Canaanite demonism of believing that serpents were fertility symbols.
A symbol that had been lifted up in the wilderness portraying sin being put to death on a tree (John 3:14-15); and looking to it to live; made a source of grief to a godly king.
Evil in any form should be scorned, despised and held in contempt by any child of God. It is evil to worship any God, but Jehovah. He is worshipped solely though the death, burial and resurrection of the Son of God, God the Son Jesus Christ.
As Hezekiah “clave to the LORD”; so too must we who are called Christian. To be Christian is to be “Christ like” or “Like Christ”; and He hated evil. He hated it so much He went to the cross in our place and took the punishment for our sin; even becoming sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21); and taking the wrath of the Father in our place.
Believe Him today, and be saved for eternity.
…Thus Saith the LORD… 012214
“Up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, ‘There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.’ In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.” Joshua 7:13-15
The Fire and Hammer 