“He took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple, of which the Lord had said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.” 2 Kings 21:7
Consider the sins of Manasseh! Manasseh dismantled his father’s spiritual renewal. In six chilling verses, the Bible captures his systematization of following the “detestable practices of the nations.” Here are Manasseh’s profaning acts in sequential order: he “rebuilt the high places” (v.3), “erected altars” (v.3), “made an Asherah pole” (v.3), “bowed down to the starry host” (v.3), “built altars” (v.4), “built altars to the starry host” (v.4), “sacrificed his own son in the fire” (v.6) “practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists” (v.6), “he took the carved Asherah pole he had made and put it in the temple” (v.7). Manasseh was a very busy man! He was busy trespassing in the Lord’s house and usurping the Lord’s position as the head of his own family. What Hezekiah did in renewing the institutional practices of the Lord, Manasseh undid in renewing the “detestable practices” of the nations.
Evil is more than a sinful act; it becomes an institution of worship. Evil loves to usurp the attention and adoration that belongs to the Father; instead of running to the Father, we run to alternatives. What begins as a simple lie ends in bondage to sinful habits and a system of oppression. Islam is a clear example of a lie enthroned in a lie structure. Its doctrines are a smear campaign against God, and they work themselves out in financial, political, relational, and religious behaviors that enslave others. Every sin-structure promotes lies, peculiar habits, and the liar’s power over us.
God wants to be enthroned in the temple of the human heart and imagination, which includes our collective institutions as well. It’s not enough to have a conservative government in power, or values-based teachers in school, or a repeal of abortion laws, or military control over our enemies. As necessary as each of these is, the next leader can step in and re-enthrone unjust institutions in service to their personal agenda. It’s not enough to hate evil, we-the-people must love the good.
The Church plays an indispensable role in addressing the spiritual vacuum underneath political and social institutions. The living family of God administers the Living Bread of Christ, the antidote to the fallen human heart. Our country’s recent social and political conservatism movement resembles Hezekiah’s renewal. It won’t last if God isn’t enthroned at the center of our collective imaginations and worship. Let the Church continue to offer the Bread of Life to our friends, neighbors, and community. The Lord wants to heal our fractured worship and set us free from our slavery to many gods.
Tags: worship, sin, salvation, habits, government, healing, idolatry, injustice, spiritual, leaders, renewal, gods, institutions, oppression, altars, systems, conservativism
