Reading through the four books of Kings and Chronicles is similar to riding a roller coaster. You go from one king who walks in the ways of the Lord and then bang right to the next who turns his back on God.
However what strikes me more is the ones that start off serving the Lord with all their might and by the end of their life have become either apostate or cold in their devotion towards Jehovah. They are the ones that you thought certainly would never turn their backs on God or put their trust in other nations or gods.
From reading the account of the kings and their lives I realize that the Lord is presenting us with a warning not to faint or shirk back from following Him. He desires those who will walk by faith, trusting Him alone when all seems logically impossible.
Did not Moses warn the Israelites before they took their inheritance?
"And it shall be, when the LORD your God shall have brought you into the land which he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you great and goodly cities, which you built not, and houses full of all good things, which you filled not, and wells dig, which you digged not, vineyards and olive trees, which you planted not; when you shall have eaten and be full; Then beware lest you forget the LORD, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. You shall fear the LORD your God, and serve him, and shall swear by his name."
Deuteronomy 6:10-13
We have all seen those who started well in the faith and were joyful to serve the Lord, thanking Him for saving them from their sins and granting them eternal life. Yet somewhere along the way they became offended, or maybe were discouraged, or possibly refused to let go of fleshly desires. Perhaps their faith was being tested and they shrank back into the security of tangible riches. Whatever the reason, ultimately their hearts were drawn away from their first love, the Lord Jesus Christ, to temporal matters of this life.
"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23
Are we letting other things ensnare our heart and cause it to move its affection away from Christ? Do you love things and people more than God? If so, beware you are on the slippery path of idolatry. The apostle John's final admonition in his first epistle was to keep oneself from idols.
Idolatry causes our worship and adoration to transfer from Christ to that of His enemy, Satan. Where is your worship going today?
4 comments:
Hi Jim
So then our problem appears to be one of forgetting that seems to lay at the heart of it. Forgetting Who has done for us that seems to lead to idolatry. Israel began to think that Moses had forgotten them, but they were forgetting what Moses had said and so that led to their idolatry and the golden calf.
"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a 'forgetful' hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." James 1:25
Thanks for this reminder about the kings who very probably forgot Who put them there.
I would tend to agree with you Brian. We must continue looking unto Jesus, as this keep our thoughts focused as well.
God bless,
Jim
Good thoughts, Jim
Nice to see you blogging again
Thanks Rose, it is hard to be consistent.
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