by Dave Hintz
Imagine you found out that you had a highly malignant form of bone cancer which if left unchecked would quickly metastasize to other vital organs. Sensing the severity of the situation you quickly schedule a surgery, hoping that the doctor might swiftly remove the cancerous cells, thereby extending your life on earth. After many consultations with doctors, bone scans, and much prayer the big day arrives when you check into the hospital. All seems to be according to plan, the nurses prep you for surgery and wheel you into the operating room. You begin to count backwards from one hundred and wake up in the recovery room. The surgeon emerges from down the hall and beams with delight as he stoops to your bedside. “Great news!” he exclaims. “We removed 99% of the cancer. So we’ll release you tomorrow.” Any sane individual with any knowledge of cancer would fire that doctor. Even with 99% if the cells removed, the remnant of the cancer is just as lethal. It must be eradicated otherwise your battle for life would be a loss.
The fallacy of the surgeon exemplifies the error of many of the “Good” kings of Judah. For instance, kings such as Asa (I Kings 15:9-24), Amaziah (II Kings, 14:1-22), and Azariah (II Kings 15:1-7) all had a similar assessment. They did what was right in the eyes of the Lord but they failed in one area. In the case of Asa he put away the male prostitutes from the land, he removed the idols which his father made, cut down the Asherah poles. All of these acts, sought to eliminate the temptation to commit idolatry. Yet, the King came short in one area, the high places. By allowing the high places to stand, he sanctioned a state policy which promoted non-interference with idolatrous forms of worship. These high places served as a venue for demonic sacrifice, allowing a cancerous remnant of false teaching to survive in the land.
In the same way, many of us engage in sin head on. Our zeal for holiness compels us to rid ourselves of temptations to ungodliness. We refrain from all movies with a certain rating, we reprogram our radio presets to certain stations, we join accountability groups, we through out our TV, but we still keep our connection to the internet. Would good is it, if in your struggle against sin, you purge yourself of most of your vices, but leave one untouched. Our struggle against worshipping the idols of the heart, must be persistent, vigilant, and complete, only when we reach the threshold offered by author of Hebrews “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin (Hebrews 12:4) can we rest.
