Contemplative Bible Reading

2 Kings 23:15 (New Living Translation)

The king also tore down the altar at Bethel—the pagan shrine that Jeroboam son of Nebat had made when he caused Israel to sin. He burned down the shrine and ground it to dust, and he burned the Asherah pole.

This verse describes what the King of Judah was doing. This King went so far in reforms that he tore down an altar that the first king of Israel had erected many generations before.

In many respects, people of that day were what today we call “superstitious” (except that few people today use that word as it is judgmental and “bad”). If these people saw a place where people went to pay homage to god, well, when in Israel do what the Israelites do, or something like that.

The King’s theory was simple: remove the places of worship to gods and people wouldn’t worship gods. I believe that was well meaning, but perhaps not the best way to spend your time. Perhaps a better remedy to worshiping these gods was to replace it with something good: worshiping the one true God the Creator.

I guess that falls under the theme of “replace something bad with something good” instead of “destroy the bad thing.” Both approaches have their merits. Experience, at least in this case, shows that people merely rebuild the bad things.