II Kings 18:3-4 “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. 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.”
Almost without exception, any king you read of in the Book of Kings was like a king prior to him. The Bible may say a king “walked in the ways of his father” or otherwise compare one king’s reign with a previous king’s. When you come to II Kings 18, you find a refreshing exception to the status quo of the day. Hezekiah, according to verse 3, “did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did.” What we learn from the reign of Hezekiah is that there is a difference between following a relic and following a precedent.
Knowing the difference between following a relic and following a precedent is not complicated. Either it is a good thing, or it is an evil thing. The difference depends on your relationship to God. In the case of Hezekiah and the people, the brass serpent which Moses made (a good thing) had now become some “thing” to worship and burn incense to (a bad thing).
Truthfully, the serpent never healed anyone. What was the purpose for the brass serpent? It was to remind people of God. If they would look to God, they could be healed. What began as a good thing became a relic-an idol-that would enslave the children of Israel for hundreds of years. They failed to follow the precedent and instead followed a relic.
I doubt if you worship a small statue of some sort this morning, but the truth is, we can cling to a relic in our good churches just the same. A pulpit, a building, or a method is not evil, but they can become relics that we follow if we are not careful.
What happened to the brass serpent? Hezekiah broke it into pieces! He called it Nehushtan, which means “hunk of metal.” It was a mere piece of brass, not some relic to worship in place of God. His “reform” was so old it was new again!
In my office is a glass case that is full of arrowheads and other artifacts of special significance to me. Some of the arrowheads are sharp and pointed, while others look like fancy rocks! You may not be impressed with every stone in the case, but each one is special to me for a particular reason. They remind me of something, and that is why I keep them in a special place. A relic can remind you of God and what He has done, but there is a difference between following a relic and following a godly precedent. The way you know is Who you are depending on . . .
Prayer Requests: 1. Bill Rice Ranch Father & Son Retreat today and tomorrow 2. Ranch evangelists preaching this weekend in Troy, OH and Woodbridge, VA
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