Exile Because of Idolatry

                                                                        2 Kings 17:7-18

 

October 30, 2021

 And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.   And the people of Israel did secretly against the Lord their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtowers to fortified cities.   They set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree,  and there they made offerings on all the high places, as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger,  and they served idols, of which the Lord had said to them, “You shall not do this.”   Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes, in accordance with all the Law that I commanded your fathers, and that I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God.   They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them.  And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God and made for themselves metal images of two calves, and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.   And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger.   Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.

 

A reader will notice that it matters not in a home, a business, a church, or a nation, leadership has a profound effect on the people under it. One of the sadist verses in the Scriptures is, “But they would not listen” and history is and has repeated itself over and over.  Has God told us in His Word that murder is a sin, it is never justified, and I’m sure most of my readers agree?  He has told us you and I who are in Christ were bought with a price, we are not our own, yet you keep quiet as our nation has become the chief of mass murders, in the name of convenience, and let me ask you did you believe it was a women rights to kill the child God put inside of her?  What about marriage, were you silent when laws were passed that marriage was not just between a man and a woman?  God’s word was not silent!  And what about homosexuality, once more God has not been silent, but many of our leaders, in and out of the Church sure have been.

When prayers were removed from all government places, even our school, where were the Christian voices, now we the people or paying the price of unbelief, of turning our hearts to the little gods of this nation, pleasure, sports, golf, fishing and stuff like vacations homes and select sports, yes the little gods that have removed the fear of God who has all authority.  One of the most prominent little gods is Self Will over God’s Will,  God keeps His Word, and yes he is a very jealous God, who is not pleased with our nation or any nations that put other gods before Him.

 

Read about His chosen people, and learn from the Scriptures what a loving Father will do to bring His children to repentance.  Wake up Church.  

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice