PURIFYING WORSHIP

“He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan” (2 Kings 18:4 NKJV).

One of the best kings of Judah was Hezekiah. The first thing he did as king was to clean up the nation’s worship practices. No improvements in a nation will be worth much if it does not worship correctly. The spiritual health of the nation is more important than anything else. So Hezekiah set about purifying the worship practices of the people. His efforts were directed at where the people worshiped and what the people worshiped.

Where the people worshiped – “He removed the high places.” The proper place for the Jews to worship then was the Temple. That was where the presence of God was manifested, for the ark of covenant was located there. God had said He would manifest His presence between the cherubim of the ark (Exodus 25:22). Worshiping in high places was where the heathens worshiped and was associated with idol worship. It makes a difference where you worship. If you are worshiping in a church that is not sound in doctrine, you are worshiping in the wrong place; and it will corrupt you. Worship in a church that honors the Word of God and the Son of God, that proclaims salvation through Christ, and that upholds holy standards of conduct.

What the people worshiped – “He… broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it.” Hezekiah cleaned the land of idols. His action was both forceful and fearless. His action was forceful as he broke the idols to pieces. Many would disapprove of such strong action. But the fight against evil cannot be won with a timid approach. Hezekiah’s action was fearless because idol worship was very popular. This meant that Hezekiah had to be very courageous. He was not concerned about danger but about duty. He was not concerned about popularity but about purity. Would to God that all our leaders were like that.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The word worship is a shortened form of the old word worthship, which means showing God the worth he holds in your life!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Desire (lust)

In Matt. 5:28 we read, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart!” (NKJV)

Desire (lust) is the Greek word epithumeo (επιθυμεω). It is made up of two words: “epi” which means at, towards, upon, and “thumos” which means passion. Literally, the word means to fix the desire upon, and carries the idea of having one’s passion toward. Thus it means to have a strong desire to do or secure something, to desire greatly, to long for, to set one’s heart upon. In sum, epithumeo describes a strong impulse toward something so that one’s passions or affections directed toward some object, thing or person.

In classical literature epithumeo means desire for, long for; it is neither a negative nor positive impulse. The term can be used of a longing for food, of political attachments, or of sensual desires. It can simply denote a desire to do something. In the Septuagint, epithumeo has been translated in a majority of instances as to long for. In the NT epithumeo is occasionally used in a good sense. For ex. Jesus uses the word when speaking to His disciples in Luke 22:15 – “I have earnestly desired (epithumeo) to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Epithumeo is used in a good sense when referring to the natural, legitimate and necessary God given desires (e.g., hunger, thirst, sex, etc.) which are fulfilled in a God honoring way.

However, most often epithumeo is used in the NT to describe strong desires which are perverted, unrestrained and which originate from our sin (flesh) nature, which is corrupt and fallen. The Lord Jesus uses epithumeo with its evil connotation here in Mt 5:28, to describes a husband’s lustful passion directly toward a woman who is not his wife

Bible Facts

Thanksgiving counteracts bad language – “Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (Eph 5:4). Thanksgiving is the secret to conquer the wayward tongue. Get your lips into the habit of giving thanks, and you get them out of the habit of speaking evil.

Bible Quiz

How did the apostle Paul advise the Philippians to respond to anxiety?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: According to Hebrews, in whose order was “Jesus made an high priest?” Melchizedek (Heb. 6:20).

That’s in the Bible

“Take under your wings”

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matt. 23:37 NKJV).

The phrase “taking under your wing” carries the idea that you like someone enough to take care of, teach, and nourish that person, if need be. Jesus demonstrates His love for us by comparing what a hen does to its chicks and what He does for His children. David echoed the same sentiment when he declares in Psalms 17:8 “Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings.”

Did You Know – Christian History

John Hyde was born November 9, 1865 in Carrollton, IL. He was an American missionary who preached in the Punjab region of India. Hyde was the son of a Presbyterian minister, who prayed that God would raise up more missionaries. Thus as a young man, John learned to pray expecting results.

After graduating seminary in the spring of 1892, Hyde sailed for India the following October. As he was partially deaf, he struggled to learn the native languages. Nevertheless, he continued to focus his study mostly on Scripture. His mission at first gained few converts and endured persecution, so he began to pray very intensely. From 1899 he began to spend entire nights in prayer to God. In 1904, he began to attend a conference at Sialkot. He formed the Punjab Prayer Union, the members of which set aside half an hour a day to pray for spiritual revival. In 1908 he told the conference his dream that there would be one conversion a day, and a year later over 400 more converts had been made. The natives referred to Hyde as “the man who never sleeps.” However, he came to be called “Praying Hyde” for his passionate prayers to reach lost souls. His constant plea was “give me souls, O God, or I die!”

Hyde was instrumental in establishing the annual Sialkote Conferences, from which thousands of missionaries and native workers were empowered and refreshed for the work of reaching India with the Gospel. Hyde’s life of sacrifice, humility, love for souls and deep spirituality, as well as his example in the ministry of intercession, inspired many others to demonstrate these graces in their own lives and ministries. He died February 17, 1912. His last words were, “Shout the victory of Jesus Christ!”

A Little Humor

A man stopped by the local church to talk to the Pastor. He told the Pastor “I stole a turkey this morning on my way home from work.” The Pastor told him “That was a terrible thing to do.” The man replied “Yes, I know that now, do you want it?” The Pastor replied “No, take it back and give it to the man that you stole it from.” The man replied “I tried to give it back but he refused it.” The Pastor told him “In that case you keep the turkey.” The man thanked the Pastor and went on his way. When the Pastor arrived home later that day he discovered that his turkey had been stolen!

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“What we do with Christ now determines what God will do for us later!’”