When We Deny Sovereign Creation

Scripture: Manasseh set up the carved image of Asherah, which he made, in the temple that the Lord had spoken about to David and his son Solomon: "I will establish my name forever in this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel." 2 Kings 21:7

Observation: The first list of Manasseh's sins is terrible, including human sacrifice of his own son, and every other wicked thing. However, this one sin is the retold ... that Manasseh set up the Asherah, which he himself made, in the temple. It is also this act that is explicitly aligned to King Ahab, the king who sent Israel down their darkest path, in verse 3.

It is this establishment of an idol to Asherah that is clearly very, very serious to the Lord, and that may be because it is this belief in a female counterpart that explicitly denies the Lord's authority as sovereign creator. The Lord did not co-create with a female, and he does not have an equal side-by-side with him that is independent of himself.

There are so many very serious sins performed by many throughout scripture, and Manasseh seems to rapidly compile most of them himself. However, it is this act - worshipping a co-creator side-by-side with Lord God almighty, denying the Lord's authority over all creation - that truly crosses the line.

Application: As I consider all my sins, I do see how this one idea is beyond all others. I may do things contrary to the law, even harming others along the way. However, none of these sins approach the idea of declaring the Lord is not God.

And yet, I can imagine that. I almost did it once. I actively questioned if God existed, and if he did, if he was really some kind of all-powerful creator of heaven and earth. I challenged that idea to the point of thinking that, if he did exist, he probably couldn't really act in the world, or wasn't really powerful enough to do anything within the world.

This is the mindset of our society, and it is rapidly crossing the line into a cultural behavior that says creation itself is so flawed that it must be fixed by human hands, right down to the very nature of individuals. We celebrate the idea that 'nature' has variability and flaws in a manner that denies intelligent creation, purposefully created by a great creator. In this manner, our society has set up a model that declares we can choose how we are created, denying the Lord's sovereign creation.

I am living in a time that embodies the sins of Manasseh and Ahab. The Asherah's are all around me, they are very intentionally made by leaders, and uninformed masses who have lost the truth in their hearts follow the example in their ignorance.

I have many sins, for which I am sad and upset. However, I have a creator who is all-powerful, and has a plan and purpose for all, encompassed by a love so strong that he would allow his creation to deny him, while offering salvation from that false belief through simple hope in his son. I hope we can remove the Asherah's from the hearts of this time.

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me of my sins, and give to me your gentle, soft heart. I have so many flaws, and I understand the mind that infests others, so I try not to judge. However, we need a major repair job in the temple of this world. May one of two things come: revival, or final judgment. Amen.