Tearing Down the Idols

This morning during my quiet time I was hit with something so hard I just had to share it. I was doing my "Breaking Free" homework. We are in the first week, and we are starting with a little history. Our focus during this study is in the book of Isaiah, and to make sure we understand the context in which he is writing, Beth is taking us through a brief recap of the kings who reigned during Isaiah's life and what sort of influence they had on him and on Israel (Judah). Today my study was on a king named Ahaz, son of Jotham. Both Ahaz's father and grandfather were kings who, to some degree, sought the Lord. They both had failures and were by no means perfect, but their foundation was in a faith in God. Ahaz did not have such a faith. He worshiped pagan gods and sacrificed his own children (yes, you read that right) upon altars in the high places. Because of this defiance, God allowed his kingdom to be defeated and his people to be exiled. In short, Ahaz worshiped idols instead of God and he was a failure as a king.

Here is the part that struck me. This is what 2 Kings 15:34-35a says about Ahaz's father, King Jotham:

Jotham did everything that was pleasing in the Lord's sight. He did everything his father, Uzziah, had done. But he did not destroy the pagan shrines and the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense there.

Despite the fact that Jotham strived to be a godly man and king, he made a fatal error that ended up being the destruction of his son. He did not tear down the idols. Even though he did not worship them himself or condone the worship of them, he left them up for others to worship and that eventually included his own boy. Ahaz is and was accountable for his own actions, but in what way could his father have helped to spare him the mistakes he made by creating an idol-free environment for him to be raised in?

What idols am I leaving up for my children? Am I exposing my children to things that could become areas of worship for them above and beyond our God? Are there areas in my life where I am misplacing my worship? This morning I can't tell you the answers to these questions. I don't know. What I do know is that I have a renewed sense of responsibility towards my boys. Someday they will be responsible and accountable for their own actions. Until that time, I want to do everything I can to make sure that I am tearing down the idols that could snare them. This is my prayer.