Corona Devo 882

How would we describe our Nation today?  Our government?  Our public education system or our health care?

How might we describe our family ideals and values?  Work ethics and entitlements?

How might we describe our days?  Our hours--our "family" time or our "alone" time?

And I wonder how God's Word might describe us today?  How might the Bible depict our Nation today?

  • But (the Israelites) would not listen.    ~2 Kings 17:14


  • They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God.   ~2 Kings 17:14


  • They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his warnings.   ~2 Kings 17:15


  • They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves.   ~2 Kings 17:15


  • They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them.   ~2 Kings 17:15


  • They rejected all the commands of the Lord their God...   ~2 Kings 17:16


  • They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters...   ~2 Kings 17:17


  • They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the Lord’s anger.   ~2 Kings 17:17

Do any of these verses apply/ring true/define/describe  "us"--our institutions, our "truths", our selves today?  

Any parallels to people today?  Any shocking similarities to our society?  Any fresh appreciation for how God applies His Word to our lives?


I hope so.


Again and again the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah: “Turn from all your evil ways. Obey my commands and decrees—the entire law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through my servants the prophets.”  ~2 Kings 17:13

Again and again the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn...

I'm no prophet, but the Lord is placing His Word right in front of us (again) today.  Listen to it. May we be warned and affected by it.  May our eyes be opened and may we turn from our evil ways in areas that we are not responding to God's call on our lives.  And might we also realize the reality that God is aware of our infidelity and unfaithfulness to Him.

God never changes.  And likewise, His Word stands true and correct throughout time.  God and His principles are our Truth.  When we slide (and slither) away and begin creating our own truths--this is when we separate ourselves, our families, our society, and our Nation further and farther from God's (good) will and His blessing for our lives and livelihoods.  

The verses above (2 Kings 17:14-17) originally referred to the Israelites, although they describe the U.S.A. in a surprisingly accurate way today.  But I pray that we can rend our hearts (and sin) and have a different outcome than Israel did during the book of 2 Kings.  

Because God cannot bless willful disobedience.  He won't.  Our Lord is pure and holy.  He is not only unwilling, but He is unable to condone sin.  

Because the Lord was very angry with Israel, he swept them away from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land. (19) But even the people of Judah refused to obey the commands of the Lord their God, for they followed the evil practices that Israel had introduced. (20) The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel. He punished them by handing them over to their attackers until he had banished Israel from his presence.  ~2 Kings 17:18-20

These verses should scare us.

If we have convinced and cajoled ourselves into believing that God is (only) love, then we have grossly mis-defined love.  True love involves (and requires) boundaries, order and discipline.  Ask any (Biblically-principled) parent.  And the depth (and reach) of authentic-love (with these facets involved) is more than any superficial and self-serving love can ever attain.

God created love.  He created us out of His love.  But we must turn back to Him and his ways to experience His love, guidance and blessing in our lives and as a Nation.

I don't want our chapter to end like it did for the Israelites during 2 Kings Chapter 17.  But I also know that it doesn't have to.  In every Biblical example where God's people turned back to Him--He welcomed and received them.  

But we have to admit that we (as individuals and a Nation) have veered down our own path.  Down a bad path.  Down a path that no longer resembles God's path for us.  

Get off that path.  Please. 

Again and again the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn...  ~2 Kings 17:13

May we be warned, and may it change us today.

  • What if we WOULD listen!  (2 Kings 17:14)

  • What if we were not as stubborn as (our) ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God.   (2 Kings 17:14)

  • What if we DID NOT reject God's decrees and the covenant he had made with our ancestors.  What if we DID NOT despise all his warnings.  (2 Kings 17:15)

  • What if we DID NOT worship worthless idols, and we DID NOT become worthless ourselves. (2 Kings 17:15)

  • What if we DID NOT follow the example of the nations around us, disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them. (2 Kings 17:15)

  • What if we DID NOT reject all the commands of the Lord our God...   (2 Kings 17:16)

  • What if we DID NOT sacrifice our own sons and daughters...   ~2 Kings 17:17

  • What if we DID NOT consult fortune-tellers and practice sorcery and sell ourselves to evil, arousing the Lord’s anger.   (2 Kings 17:17)

After all, we cannot say that we have not been warned.


 Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com


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