Kings 15:1 - What is it that these kings continually failed to get rid of the sex-and-religion shrines that were popular with the people...wonder what these kings wanted more than the love of their God---their own popularity??
II Kings 15:16 - Menahem ripped open the pregnant women because the town didn't welcome him with open arms. II Kings 16:3 They even indulged in outrageous practices of burning their own children.
These are really bad people..."all kinds of things on the sly." "They threw out everything their God had told them." "They prostituted themselves to every kind of evil available." In a lot of ways, it sounds familiar in some respects in our own country. How incredibly sad! II Kings 18:32 - "They honored God but not exclusively."
All I keep thinking about is the quote from 66 LL that says that in the midst of evil times, God's Plan is moving ahead. "Above all else, seek to know Me better and represent Me well in every circumstance, no matter how you feel...You must understand the deceptive nature of evil. [Evil today doesn't rear its head in outrageous practices in most Christian lives---it's more the deceptive evil that leads us astray. I will not be about burning my children but there's still cancer in my soul.) Evil hides itself and does its destructive work slowly, beneath the disease of necessity, reasonableness, efficiency, pragmatism, even morality, even goodness." So what is evil about my necessity, my efficiency, my morality, my goodness? Praise God HE will show us this very day where we are out of His Will. "I have a Plan to restore the Beauty of Eden, to create a community of men and women who live their lives in rhythm with My Holiness, who dance with Me into joy." HE is a Beautiful God in charge and HE chose you!
I agree, Bev, these people keep testing God's patience. The farther they got away from serving Him, the more depraved they became. They forgot what how much God loved them then found other Gods. It does make me sick to read about what they did to their children and to pregnant women, however, how much better is our society? We rip millions of babies out of their mothers of abortion and are more concerned about the rights of women than for the rights of the unborn.
ReplyDelete"And they're still doing it." Before I get any idea that I'm better than these traitors to the Lord, I need to take another look. "They did not serve God exclusively." Who else do I serve this day? What else comes before God? My actions are what answer this question--not my words. My own society rips the unborn from the womb and calls it freedom of choice. My own society is duplicitous and puts even sports games before God on Sundays. My own household does not all worship. And my God sees. How painful it must be to have made a provision for us and have it rejected. How ignorant is man that we cannot see! No wonder the prophets were mostly a depressed bunch of loners crying in the wilderness. And the few, like Billy Graham, this day, who continue to tell of the way of salvation, despite presidents shaming his family, not inviting them to the National Day of Prayer, excluding Christians from praying. We're not that different.
ReplyDeleteLike father, like son.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of what Christ spoke to the scribes and pharisees in John 8.
Who is our father?
Is he The Father in heaven, or the father of lies?
May God reveal areas in our lives that evil possesses.
Yes, Praise God, He will show and guide us when we are out of His Will.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through these scriptures I was humbled that the Lord will bless us, His children, with His Spirit that dwells in us.
I cannot imagine life in these times, under all these kings who over and over "did right in the eyes of the Lord, HOWEVER, did not remove the idols among their people." We are truly responsible for the way we influence others.
And, we are blessed beyond words, as we received Christ as our Savior, that His Spirit dwells in us. And the peace, guidance, provision and conviction is given to us to KNOW when we are out of His Will.
We are truly blessed!!!
Have a great week!
-Kim D.