The Omega Times March 2007- A Idol Mind is an Idle Mind Part II

The Omega Times

An Idol Mind is an Idle Mind - Part II

March 2007

In This Issue

Burnt By the Brook Kidron

A Dying Way

The Valley of the Shadow

Can These Dry Bones Live?

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The Omega Times

An Idol Mind is an Idle Mind - Part II

In the first issue of The Idol Mind is an Idle Mind, we examined the idolatry of Israel as portrayed in Ezekiel Chapter 8. We saw how this idolatry affected the temple of our bodies as illustrated by an Asherah set-up in the mind of man, resulting in self-worship and sexual perversion. In this issue, we will take a closer look at the Brook Kidron which was often used to get rid of these idols and examine what that process means for us today.

Burnt By the Brook Kidron

“And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.” II Samuel 15:23

The word Kidron means dark, gloomy, and turbid; it is from the Hebrew word Qadar meaning to mourn. This certainly represents the mood in this Scripture which is the first biblical reference to the Brook Kidron. King David is fleeing from his son Absalom, who was leading a conspiracy against him. Scripture says that Absalom “stole the hearts of the men of Israel” as he called aside those seeking judgment from the King. When he felt he had accumulated enough support to take the throne from his father, Absalom amassed an army to confront David. It is under these circumstances that David leads his followers out of the city and into the wilderness.

It is interesting to note the contrast here. King David was the one called and appointed by God, yet for all intents and purposes, he is the one who looks to be on the run. Meanwhile, the one who sought to pervert judgment in the land seems to be increasing in power and popularity, continually winning more of the people’s hearts. It is the circumstances of that moment – having to leave the city, having been betrayed by your own people, and being forced into the wilderness - that causes the people to weep with heavy hearts as they cross the Kidron.

The Kidron then serves as a line of demarcation and a point of decision among the people. Who will follow God and who will follow man? Who will continue to choose God’s ways when it seems as if the enemy is winning and you are being defeated? Who will go through these dark, gloomy, and turbid waters for the sake of the Kingdom? Doing so takes the kind of faith that can only come from knowing God, such as what was expressed by David, “Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.” (II Samuel 15:25-26) Without this level of intimate faith in God, one would not have the fortitude to cross that river; in fact, one would likely look at the circumstances as proof that God was no longer with you.

We must always remember that God’s ways are not are own and that our temporal situations do not define God’s plan for us. God had a plan to lead David’s enemies away from the city in order to destroy them; He was restoring David’s rightful place on the throne and doing so in a way that at the same time protected the integrity of His holy city. Yet at that moment, it looked like all was lost. I encourage you brothers and sisters not to focus on your current situation, as dire as it may seem. Stay with the Lord to see what the end will bring. He will establish everything that He has promised. If He has built a house, then He will sustain and prosper it.

The next time we see the Brook Kidron is in I Kings Chapter 2. In this Chapter, as David passes the throne to Solomon, he gives advice about how to handle those who have betrayed him. Part of this counsel was to deal with Shimei, who had cursed David after he crossed the Kidron in his flight from Absalom (II Samuel 16). As such, King Solomon decreed that Shimei was to stay within the limits of Jerusalem; the day that he transgressed that boundary, he would die. We know of course that Shimei did in fact later cross over the Kidron and was put to death.
The Brook Kidron is also the place where the wicked Queen Athaliah – the daughter of Ahab & Jezebel - was executed in judgment for her idolatry (II Kings 11:16). Soon after, the Brook Kidron became a common place where the abominations of idol worship were destroyed. In the last newsletter, we examined two such instances from Scripture where Asherahs were taken and burnt at the Brook Kidron (I Kings 15:13 and II Kings 23:6). If we look at a modern map of Jerusalem, we can see why this would be an ideal place to destroy these idols. In addition to being a boundary for the city of Jerusalem, it is also located just outside of the east wall, separating the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives.

Being more than just convenient, the waters that ran through the Brook Kidron wound their way down to the Dead Sea. This sea was aptly named because it contained such high levels of minerals that nothing could live in its waters. Every dead and idolatrous work would then have its end in that sea, where it could not be resurrected. This act truly symbolized a finality and turning away from idolatrous worship, preparing the way for restoration and rededication. When reclaiming the temple back to God in Hezekiah’s day, they took the following actions:

“And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.” (II Chronicles 29:16)

The Asherah stands in front of the inner court of the mind. Likewise, we must go into that inner court, cleanse it, and turn away from all idols. We have no power in and of ourselves to cleanse the temple, but Jesus provides the way and the pattern for that cleansing to occur.

A Dying Way

The last Scriptural reference we see to the Kidron is prior to Jesus’ crucifixion in John 18:1 “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.”

Similar to King David, Jesus also crossed over the Kidron; and likewise, He did so as part of God’s plan to proclaim His rightful place on the throne. David crossed the Kidron because his life was being sought by his son, yet Jesus crossed to willingly lay down His life as a Son. David crossed as a result of curses brought about by his own sin; the Son of David crossed in order to redeem mankind from the curse when He Himself had no sin. In both situations, this crossing was a crushing, dark, and dismal time; a time of great sorrow.

Through His physical death on the cross, Jesus by Himself became the propitiation for our sin and reconciled us to the Father. At the same time, His life and death is a pattern for our walk in Him whereby our minds are renewed and we become the temple of His habitation. As part of this process, there are certain steps we need to take to rid ourselves of idolatry; we must all take a trip to the Brook Kidron.

Remove the idols from the temple

“And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (II Corinthians 6:16-18)

One of the first things that the priests in the Old Testament did when confronting idolatry was to remove the unclean items out of the temple. God gives us a very straightforward solution to accomplishing this: Mortify your members.

“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5)

By denying ourselves and mortifying our members, we are separating ourselves from the world and deadening the inputs the world uses to control us. Jesus was in the world, but not of the world. There was nothing from the god of this world within Him. He was not affected by the world, nor was He moved by it. He had one mission: to do the will of the Father. He was alive to the Father and acted only on His direction. As we submit to God in obedience to His word, He becomes the sole focus of our lives and the idols in our lives are removed.

“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.” (Ezekiel 36:25)

Not only dies submission to the word sanctify us from idols, it is the washing of the water of the word that cleanses that which was defiled by the idol. It renews our mind so that we can better understand and be transformed by God’s word.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

The process of sanctification can be a trying time. It is a time of being viewed as an outsider; of being considered abnormal by the world. The trends that interest the world, no longer interest you. The things that cause a response from the world do not impact you in the same way. In fact, as you lose your identification with the world, it can feel as if you are being disconnected from all that is familiar. This experience may even prompt you to cry out, “How much must be cut Lord? How separate must we be from the world?” Yet, the very question itself shows how tied to the world we still are. We might as well ask how much of the world can we befriend and still be the friend of God. My outlook at this point? Lord, do whatever it takes to remove every hindrance, every tie that yokes me to that which is not pleasing to you. There comes a time of crossing over, where you leave behind what you knew before and move on to face the unknown knowing only this: we can trust God to fulfill what He has ordained. There comes a time when old things really have passed away and all things have become new. This is the process of sanctification, and this cannot happen when our mind is still blinded by idols.

Let them burn at the Brook Kidron

After crossing the Kidron, Jesus ascends up the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

“And when he was at the place, he said unto them, pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:40-44)

Praise God that we have a Savior who can understand and sympathize with the feeling of our own infirmities for He also was likewise touched by them, even while being without sin! God does not paint a picture here of a sacrifice that is easy. This is a time of excruciating pressure and what Scripture says is nothing less than agony. The word “agony” here is the Greek word Agonia and this text is its only use in the New Testament. It means, “a struggle for victory; gymnastic exercise, wrestling; of severe mental struggles and emotions, agony, anguish.”

Jesus was in a struggle for victory over the flesh, which by nature craves comfort, rest, and relief. The flesh does not want to be put out! This is why Jesus admonishes His sleeping disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38)

Gethsemane is often interpreted as “winepress” and is used to refer to the process of applying severe pressure to grapes in order to bring forth the juice used to produce wine. Looking almost like a torture devise, the pressure from the winepress is so great that it actually separates the skin from the juice of the grape. This is what God is after, getting rid of the fleshly nature which stands between Him and the spirit of man.

Once we make up our minds to separate from idols completely and to serve the Lord with our whole hearts, all hell will break loose. Our own souls will fight us as it yearns to go back to the familiar idols from which we have turned. This is why God tells us to patiently posses our own souls (Luke 21:19). Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have to go through; that you can indulge your flesh and still serve God at the same time.

This is why Jesus’ first instruction to the disciples in this text was to pray that they enter not into temptation. The only thing that will get you through this time is prayer. Jesus spent this time in agonizing prayer, and as a result He was prepared to face what lied ahead. Knowing what was before Him, He could have taken this time to rest, but He knew that He needed strength from above in order to endure. His disciples did not spend this time in prayer, and when the time was at hand, they fled in fear. I am not condemning the disciples, I want you to see an important truth about this moment. We may be going through a hard and crushing time, but God in His mercy allows us time to come before Him for strength. He does not remove the pressure, but He sends His angels in the midst of the pressure to minister to us. Failure to take advantage of these times, failure to make that sacrifice of prayer when we have the opportunity, may just leave us unprepared at the most inopportune time.

Don’t pull back from this testing; it is the fire of these trials that is burning the Asherahs. The pressures in life will intensify beyond what you have ever experienced before. Why? Because the devil knows what lies ahead: the death of a cross. This translates into freedom from, and power over, him; and he will do anything he can to deter you.
Washed away into the Dead Sea

Once the idols were removed from the temple, and burnt at the Brook Kidron, the waters would wind their way down to the Dead Sea. This is what awaits us, the death of the cross.

Jesus’ cross was embedded into a hill called Golgotha, meaning “the place of a skull.” This provides a picture of what God is doing to the carnal mind; He is taking a stake and driving it through the carnal mind of man. Remember, the carnal mind is the enemy of God and is not subject to the law of God. He will not reason with it, nor will He reform it. The answer for the carnal mind is the way of the cross.

God is not after our outward works, He is after our minds. There is nothing from without a man that defiles. Our tithes, church attendance, and testimony mean nothing if we have not submitted ourselves in obedience to God. God will not honor our works if they do not come from a heart/mind that has become one with His.

Before we can be made manifest as sons of God, we too must cross over this Kidron. We must come to the place where all idols and images we have about ourselves are cast aside and we are forced to make a choice. Do we choose God’s will or our do we choose our own? Again, it is a fight for control of our minds, the seat of idolatry. Jesus poured out His soul unto death; likewise we too will pour out our lives as we journey through the valley of the shadow.

The Valley of the Shadow

Jewish tradition places the Valley of Jehosophat (also called the valley of decision) within the Kidron Valley. According to Joel Chapter 3, this is the place where God will return to judge the enemies of Israel. As a result, the Kidron valley has been a popular burial ground for Jews since Josiah’s time. Today, the Kidron Valley remains filled with ancient tombs; it is in essence a valley of dead bones, a valley of death.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Psalms 23)

The trip through this valley may seem arduous, but we must keep our eyes on Jesus. Even during the most pressing times of the journey, we need not fear; God’s providence and His hand abides with us still. He is taking us through this time on His way to bring us to a wedding feast, where he will declare our place with Him forever.

There is a song by Rhonda Gunn called Valley of the Shadow which reflects the hope and comfort to be found in God, even in the midst of this journey.

Valley of the Shadow

I find myself here once again
in this lonely place
nothin' sustains me through the crushing wind
but Your amazing grace

though the dark is long it's clear to see
Your goodness & mercy have followed me

Chorus
here where I learn to live & I learn to die
& my world & my flesh get crucified
& I am refined by the heat of the battle
but I will survive - You keep me alive
You wipe away my tears
I will not fear the Valley Of The Shadow

I walk the dark fields remembering
sunny mountain highs
while through the aching & hungering
strong faith grows inside

my reflection is clear in these waters below
but You lead me here to restore my soul

Repeat Chorus

I will not fear the Valley Of The Shadow
I will not fear the Valley Of The Shadow
the Valley Of The Shadow

“And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the LORD; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.” (Jeremiah 31:40)

This valley may seem dark at times, but we must be mindful of the end of the matter. The end is not in death, but in resurrected life! This way of the cross may leave us feeling dried-up and spent, but Scripture assures us that these pile of dry bones shall be holy unto the Lord and will be established firmly by Him for His purposes.

Can These Dry Bones Live?

Ezekiel Chapter 37 gives us a better understanding of how God will take these dried bones of His church and revive them with by the power of His Spirit.

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.” (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Just as God did not leave Jesus in the grave, God will not leave us in a dead and dying state. You cannot look at your circumstances. It may seem like you have reached the end of yourself, that God has forgotten or forsaken, but God says that you will yet live! God wants to use a pile of dry bones, ones who have divested themselves of every idol and have gone through the process necessary to have their minds renewed. Then, He can call us forth from the grave and resurrect us by the power of His Spirit. What remains after that is an exceeding great army.

Friends, I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of that army. If you do as well, then seek God for your place in His command. Put your hand to the plough, and don't look back. And finally, I leave you with this:

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Philippians 3:8-11)

	The Next Omega Times:
	Roll Back the Stone

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