“Little children, keep yourselves from idols (1 John 5:21, ESV). It’s an abrupt and provocative ending to the Apostle John’s letter. It must be especially important. John wrote to Christians who were delivered from pagan idolatry. Yet he knew from his own heritage, how hard it was for the Hebrews to finally rid themselves of idols. Idols are man-made representations of the images of gods; and idolaters think these images attract the power and favor of the gods. We have no problems with idolatry, do we?
When Israel wandered the wilderness God saved them from a punishment of fiery snakes with a bronze snake on a pole. Any Israelite bitten by a poisonous snake was told to look upon the bronze serpent and live (Numbers 21:4-9). About 700 years later, King Hezekiah of Judah destroyed the bronze snake because people worshipped it as an idol (2 Kings 18:4-5). Originally God placed the bronze serpent among the Israelites as a sign of his grace to forgive them and save them from death. This sign was a shadow of his saving presence among his people then, pointing to the reality of his saving presence from this evil world in his Messiah in the future. Indeed, Jesus told the highly respected Pharisee, Nicodemus, that he would be lifted up like the bronze serpent so that whoever believes upon him would be saved rather than condemned (John 3).
Although Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel, dedicated to understanding and teaching the scriptures, he had difficulty understanding the difference between the flesh and the Spirit. Why would a son of Abraham need new birth in order to enter God’s kingdom? If he had thought about it, the scriptures always demonstrated and pointed to the way of the Spirit through the shadows and signs given by God in the flesh. The bronze serpent was such an example. So was God’s revelation of himself in scripture which told the story of his promise, his people and a hope in the future for an everlasting kingdom through the Messiah and a new beginning by his Spirit.
Nevertheless later when Jesus suffered a confrontation with hateful Pharisees, it appears many of them worshipped the scriptures as an idol (John 5). Ironically, they accused Jesus of making himself equal with God, while they failed to even come to know God as God showed himself to them in the scriptures. God had also revealed his Messiah in the scriptures and they failed to recognize that Jesus was he whom Moses had spoke of. Jesus knew what blinded them. It was their hate. They had not even learned to embrace God’s greatest commandment in their hearts. The mind of flesh cannot understand this for the mind of flesh thinks intellect and logic is enough to understand scripture. But the mind of man alienated from a vision of God in the heart and the practice of God’s love can only weave doctrines into a tapestry of institutionalized religion. Jesus however taught that the scriptures were intended to lead to him as the source and giver of eternal life. How can this be? Read the scripture, not to establish the proof texts of the traditions of your church heritage, but to really see God and his Messiah this time.
Buttram, Bryan. Hermeneutics: Keeping Away From Idolatry. WordPress.com: 2007/11/14.
2 Comments
November 15, 2007 at Thursday, November 15, 2007
Brian,
Thanks for the comment on my blog. I enjoy reading yours like hearing what you have to say. Thanks for the encouragement on my blog. God bless.
jt
November 18, 2007 at Sunday, November 18, 2007
Thank you, J.T. I will keep checking in.