2 Kings 17

This chapter had so much in it. There's quite a bit to unpack. At this point, In the chapter, Ahaz is king, and a lot is going on. Israel sinned against God and was not following the ways of the Lord. As I read this chapter, I was reminded of another scripture: Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, "History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 1 King 17: 13-17 says, "13 Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, in accordance with all the Law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets." 14 However they did not listen, but stiffened their necks as did their fathers who did not believe (trust in, rely on, remain steadfast to) the Lord their God. 15 They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, as well as His warnings that he gave them. And they followed vanity [that is, false gods, idols] and became vain (empty-headed). They followed the [pagan practices of the] nations which surrounded them, although the Lord had commanded that they were not to do as they did. 16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; and they made an Asherah [idol] and worshiped all the [starry] host of heaven and served Baal. 17 They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire [as human sacrifices], and used divination [to foretell the future] and enchantments; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger."

This is still going on today. Many of us are not following what God has told us to do. Some of us know God is speaking to us, but we're choosing to go our way anyway, and some of us are so far from God that we can't hear his voice anymore. I believe that when we are not following what God wants us to do, he will warn us. He may speak through people, billboards, T.V. shows, and other ways. We have to pay attention and obey what he is asking of us. Again, God will send you warnings for you to get back on the right path. People are worshipping things that aren't God. When most people think of worship, I know they think, "Ok, I don't bow down and praise or worship(Fill in the blank). You may not be bowing down physically, but anything we put before God is considered an idol. Let's use work, for example. Often, we may have a goal in mind or even something going on in our personal lives, so we work. We pick up extra hours to buy that brand new thing, or we pick up extra hours so we can avoid something that is bothering us. Is it ok to pick up extra hours? Absolutely. When we are shutting God out, like skipping church, small group meetings, or anything pushing God out so we can participate in that thing, it becomes an idol. When we forget that God is the provider for us and not our jobs, that's when this job has become an idol. We have got to remember who our provider is. God provided the job you have, and he provides for you through your job. That job can let you go at any time, but God will never let you go.

Let's continue with verse 21. "21 When He had torn Israel from the [royal] house of David, they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and made them commit a great sin." We also have to remember where our blessings come from. We also have to be mindful of who we are connected to and who we allow to influence our lives. Some people in our lives can cause us to turn away from God. You may have that one friend that always calls you up on Friday night for happy hour or to go out to the club. The longer you get exposed to that environment, God's voice will likely get snuffed out. You won't be able to hear God.

Let's continue to verse 27. 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, "Take back [to Samaria] one of the priests whom you brought from there, and have him go and live there; and have him teach the people the custom of the god of the land." 28 So one of the priests whom they had exiled from Samaria came [back] and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear [and worship] the Lord.". I believe that God will bring people into our lives to remind us of where we are supposed to be. God will send someone into your life, You may be at a restaurant by yourself, and a perfect stranger may come up to you and tell you that God loves you, or they may offer to pray with you. Those are little nudges that God will deposit in our lives to place us back in his will. Don't ignore those warnings and encounters because God may be trying to speak with you. And then, on the other end of the spectrum, you may have a prophet talk to you and tell you exactly what God is saying. God has ways of getting our attention; we need to pay attention and act according to what he says.

Another verse that stuck out to me was verse 33. "33 They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods, following the custom of the nations from among whom they had been sent into exile." I love how the Message translation says it. "32-33 They honored and worshiped God, but not exclusively—they also appointed all sorts of priests, regardless of qualification, to conduct a variety of rites at the local fertility shrines. They honored and worshiped God, but they also kept up their devotions to the old gods of the places they had come from." The message translation says they worshiped and honored God, but not exclusively. When I think of the work exclusive, I think about when you're dating someone, and you guys are exclusive. It's like you're their one and only, and they are your one and only. In this verse, God was not their one and only. They were dabbling maybe in horoscope reading, maybe tarot cards, crystals, and still honoring and worshipping God. As followers of God, we can't dabble in a little bit here. We have to be exclusive with God. He has to be our one and only. How would you feel if you were dating someone or married to someone not exclusive to just you? They dated you or were married to you and a few other people. You wouldn't feel special. In most cases, most people wouldn't like it if their significant other was dating someone else. In our walk with God, we have to be devoted only to God, worshipping and serving only him. 

The last verses that stood out to me were 34- 39 (MSG). "34-39 And they're still doing it, still worshiping any old god that has nostalgic appeal to them. They don't really worship God—they don't take seriously what he says regarding how to behave and what to believe, what he revealed to the children of Jacob whom he named Israel. God made a covenant with his people and ordered them, "Don't honor other gods: Don't worship them, don't serve them, don't offer sacrifices to them. Worship God, the God who delivered you from Egypt in great and personal power. Reverence and fear him. Worship him. Sacrifice to him. And only him! All the things he had written down for you, directing you in what to believe and how to behave—well, do them for as long as you live. And whatever you do, don't worship other gods!And the covenant he made with you, don't forget your part in that. And don't worship other gods! Worship God, and God only—he's the one who will save you from enemy oppression."

 We have to make sure that we follow what God says in his word. God tells us how we should conduct ourselves. If God tells us not to have other idols and not worship other things, I believe it's for a reason. Yes, God doesn't want any other God before him, but I also think that worshipping other things leaves us empty and doesn't allow us to experience the God of the Bible truly. God, to me, is interactive. He speaks to us and causes miracles to happen. We saw how God parted the Red Sea, and things like that strengthen our faith in him and allow us to tell people what God has done and what we've seen him do. I also think that serving other things leaves us empty because you're sad and frustrated when that thing doesn't happen. And depending on what you're worshipping can open doors that should have stayed shut. People participating in tarot cards and crystals and any things in the demonic realm can wreak havoc on their lives. When you go to a fortunate teller, where are they getting their information? It doesn't come from God. God tells us not to participate in such things, and when things happen in your life, you have to understand that those could be consequences for doing something that God said not to do. We must remember that although God does forgive us when we sin, we still sometimes have to reap the consequences of our actions. In this verse, God tells us that we have a part to play, and we do. We have to choose not to chase and idolize things. We are to walk exclusively with God. Also, remember that God saves us from our enemies. We have to choose to walk in his ways and be on the side of God. I believe that God does rescue us from those trying to cause harm or pain to us.