2 Kings 17:1-41

God is patient, loving and kind; but He is also holy and just and He must punish sin as He has promised to do.  The nation of Israel had been taught the Word of God but chose to ignore God’s instruction and warnings so they continued to live idolatrous and lives.  God had warned them of the consequences of disobedience and He had promised to judge them and God always keeps His promises.  We are often tempted to think that the delay of God’s judgment somehow means that He will not judge.  That is a mistake.  One day God will interrupt the course of history and step in to judge this world.  We must never mistake the patience of God with His unwillingness or inability to judge. 

ISRAEL’S IDOLATRY LED TO CAPTIVITY: Israel continued to insist on worshiping idols and they refused to follow the Lord whole heartedly.  King after king led the nation further and further into sin and God was angry with them.  Finally, God sent the nation of Assyria to take them into captivity.  It is not that the nation of Assyria was any better; it was simply that the nation of Israel knew better.  Israel had been given the Law of God but simply did not obey it.  We often think that somehow we can tolerate sin in our lives without having negative consequences.  The truth is that sin will lead us into captivity as it will eventually dominate our lives.  God has called us to worship Him, and Him alone.  We must beware of His wrath and judgment so that we do not compromise with sin in our lives and be led down a path of destruction.

ISRAELIS INDIFFERENCE LED TO SLAVERY:  Not only was Israel idolatrous, but they were completely indifferent to the instructions of God’s Word and to the warnings of God’s prophets.  God had been faithful to send many prophets to Israel to let them know that they were in danger.  He proved over and over again that He is the only true God.  He promised to expel them from the land if they did not obey; but they would not listen.  Indifference to God’s Word is a very dangerous thing.  God sends people into our lives that will teach us God’s Word, but we must be willing to listen and make the necessary changes in our lives or we will face the consequences of disobedience.  God is faithful to reveal Himself and His will to us, but we must be faithful to listen and obey.


ASSYRIA’S IGNORANCE LED TO DEATH: When the Assyrians decided to settle in the land that belongs to God and had been given to Israel they naturally continues worshiping their own gods.  Just to clear up any confusion as to the ownership of the land, God sends lions to attack the people.  They wisely send a priest from Israel to teach them about the Lord and the need to worship and fear Him.  Unfortunately they either disobeyed the priest or the priest neglected to teach them that God requires exclusive worship.  They simply added the worship of the Lord to all that they were already doing.  This is all too common a practice in the world today.  Many people will respond positively to the message of the Gospel and are willing to “add” faith in Christ to all that they already believe and do.  However, when they are called to turn from their current position to trust exclusively in Christ; their reaction is much different.  We must be sure that we are worshiping God and God alone.

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