He Called it Nehushtan

Tonight's mid-week scripture focus will be Hezekiah's prayer recorded in II Kings 19:14-20. In this prayer Hezekiah: laid his concern before the Lord, praised the Lord, asked the Lord for help, and listened for the Lord's response. He prayed humbly and boldly. His prayer serves as a helpful guide for our prayer lives.

In reading the text surronding our focus text I ran across a passage that I had completely forgotten. In describing King Hezekiah the writer said, "He removed the high places and shattered the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah [poles]. He broke into pieces the bronze snake that Moses made, for the Israelites burned insence to it up to that time. He called it Nehushtan." II Kings 18:4 (HCSB)

Hezekiah's leadership at this point was profound. The people of God were serving a "method" God used to bring healing in a former day. Instead of depending on God in the present they burned insense to the remnants of past glory. Hezekiah saw the snake for what it was - a bronze thing (nehushtan).

A question to ponder -
What religious "thing" are you tempted to worship instead of God?