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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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