Whats on your mind? Daily manna! Monday 17, November 2014.TOPIC: The God Of Justice TEXT: 2 KINGS 17:9-23; [King James Version (KJV)] 9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree: 11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger: 12 For they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. 13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them. 16 And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord , to provoke him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. 19 Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight. 21 For he rent Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drave Israel from following the Lord , and made them sin a great sin. 22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they departed not from them; 23 Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day Key Verse: “...So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day” ( 2 Kings 17:23). The dealings of God with the children of Israel reveals a lot of paradoxes: Israel, without deserving the love of God, enjoyed a unique favour and blessing from Him. Apart from that, the original purpose of God for Israel was that they would honour Him and be a light to the world. That is, through them the blessings of God and the word of God would flow to the whole world. What God expected from Israel in return was to be wholly devoted to Him and obey His commandments. But while God is faithful, Israel demonstrated fickleness of character and unfaithfulness to the covenant of God with them. In Exodus 19:8, the children of Israel solemnly promised: “… all that the Lord hath spoken, we will do.” Yet, in Jeremiah 44:16, they defiantly recanted: “… as for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.” Such betrayal cannot be tolerated by men, let alone God. In the passage today, we see one of the examples of the treacheries of the children of Israel. They practised the evil customs of the surrounding nations, worshipping false gods, accommodating pagan customs and following their own desires. Israel had forgotten the importance and benefits of obeying God’s word. The King and the people had become mired in wickedness. Time and again, God warned them of the danger of turning away from Him and calling them to return. Eventually, Israel was swept away just as God’s prophets had warned (Jeremiah 25). Sometimes, obeying God’s precepts is difficult and painful but better if we consider the consequences of disobedience. We need to determine to be God’s people and ask for grace to do what He says, regardless of the cost. God’s patience and mercy are beyond our ability to understand. He will pursue us until we either respond to Him; or, by our own choice and hardness of heart make ourselves unreachable. Then, God’s judgment will be swift and sure. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Man is free to obey God and reap the benefits; or disobey Him and face the consequences.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 05:49:26 +0000
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