Breaking the Nehushtans in Our Lives
Verse:2 Kings 18:4
"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."
The bronze serpent, once a God-ordained instrument of healing (Numbers 21:8-9), had become an object of idolatry—a stumbling block called Nehushtan. What began as a means of deliverance had degenerated into a trap, a relic of past faithfulness that now obstructed present devotion. The people clung to it, not because it still held divine power, but because it was familiar. They venerated the symbol while ignoring the God who gave it meaning. Their worship had become empty ritual, their theology frozen in history, their spiritual vitality reduced to the repetition of old mercies while blind to new ones.
This is the danger of Nehushtans—those things in our lives that once served God’s purpose but now compete with Him for our devotion. They may be past blessings, spiritual experiences, or even godly leaders we elevate beyond their season. When we cling to them, we risk making monuments out of what was meant to be momentary. We confuse the vessel with the Source, the method with the Maker. Like Israel, we grow comfortable with symbols of faith while neglecting the substance.
Hezekiah’s courage to destroy Nehushtan was not rebellion against tradition but obedience to God’s present voice. He recognized that true worship requires the removal of every obstacle—even those with sacred history. The higher anointing he carried was not for destruction alone, but for discernment: the wisdom to distinguish between what God once used and what He now requires.
What Nehushtans have we allowed to remain? Are there spiritual crutches we lean on instead of walking with God? Past revivals we idolize while missing His fresh move? Leaders we venerate more than the Lord they serve? The test is not their past value, but their present function: Do they draw us to God or distract us from Him?
The breaking will require courage. Some will call it sacrilege. But when God calls us forward, no relic of yesterday—no matter how holy its origin—can take His place.
Prayer:
Lord, give us discernment to recognize every Nehushtan in our lives—every good thing that has become a god thing. Grant us Hezekiah’s courage to break what must be broken, not in rejection of Your past works, but in pursuit of Your present voice. Deliver us from the idolatry of nostalgia. Keep our worship fresh, our obedience current, and our eyes fixed only on You. Amen.