They Feared God and Served Their Graven Images
Blessings Folk!!
Assyria had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel.
The king of Assyria brought men in from other portions of his kingdom to live in the cities of Samaria...a common practice to establish presence.
As you read, watch for…
- what happened when they first lived there?
- why did the Lord cause this?
- what did the people do?
- what was the response of the king?
2 Kings 17:24-41
24 The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.
25 At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them.
26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land."
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Take there one of the priests whom you carried away into exile and let him go and live there; and let him teach them the custom of the god of the land."
28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away into exile from Samaria came and lived at Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
So, those imported to live in the cities of Samaria did not fear God. Therefore, the Lord sent lions among them to kill some of them!!
Even these pagans realized that something was happening. They spoke to the king. The king provided the solution by sending back a priests who knew “the custom of the god of the land”. The priest taught them how they should fear the Lord.
Some interesting things here.
The Lord God is the God of the land.
There is punishment for not adhering to the custom of the land.
Even those who did not “believe”, who were not of the “children of the Lord”, were to fear the Lord.
Now, watch what happens...this is important...
29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the houses of the high places which the people of Samaria had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived.
30 The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the Lord and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.
34 To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which the Lord commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel;
35 with whom the Lord made a covenant and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them. 36 "But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice.
37 "The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods.
38 "The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods.
39 "But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies."
40 However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom.
41 So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.
NASU
Those of the nations did fear the Lord, yet they served their own gods.
Again, they feared the Lord yet served their own gods according to the custom of the nations.
I believe that many do that today.
Many fear the Lord, yet serve their own gods. They will acknowledge that God is real, yet they have not confessed nor repented unto salvation. They continue on as children of the nations, as offspring of the world, serving the gods of the evil one, destined for eternal separation from the Most High God…
Some others are like those that we see in verses 34-40. There is a shift of attention here. It looks like the Lord is speaking to the children of Israel who were refusing to walk in the covenant of Lord. They are not observing the ordinances and the law and the commandment of the Lord. They are tempted by the idols. They are not fearing the Lord. They are fearing the other gods!!
The Lord told His people to fear Him and to fear not the other gods - the idols.
They did not listen.
Many within the professing church do likewise. They claim a fear of the Lord, yet they are tempted by idols. They do not truly fear and serve the Lord.
They fear other gods rather than the Lord.
The nations feared God and served their idols.
The children of Israel did not fear God and feared the idols.
Be certain today to fear the Most High God.
Fear not the things of the world.
Blessings!
New Podcast available - Vertical Vision
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Have had a couple of folk inquire as to how they can participate in the Judges study via distance. I’ll be posting a Video Synopsis of each lesson. If you would like to do the study, procure a workbook from Precept Ministries...the “Judges - Precept Upon Precept” book. Precept Ministries International:
Always feel free to ask questions, inquiries, etc.
Today’s reading from the “So That’s Why” Bible consists of pp. 815-820.
Judges Are Wolves of the Night...
Blessings Folk!!
Judges Are Wolves of the Night...
Israel was walking in rebellion to God.
So have we.
Jerusalem was rebellious, oppressive, defiled and refused the way of the Lord...trusting in themselves.
So does “Washington.”
Hear the Word of the Lord to His people/His city…
Zeph 3:1-8
Woe to the city that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressive city!
2 She has not obeyed; she has not accepted discipline. She has not trusted in the Lord ; she has not drawn near to her God.
3 The princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the night, which leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are reckless— treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to instruction.
5 The righteous Lord is in her; He does no wrong. He applies His justice morning by morning; He does not fail at dawn, yet the one who does wrong knows no shame.
6 I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant.
7 I thought: You will certainly fear Me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place would not be cut off based on all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions.
8 Therefore, wait for Me— the Lord 's declaration— until the day I rise up for plunder. For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, in order to pour out My indignation on them, all My burning anger; for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy.
(from Holman Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 by Holman Bible Publishers.)
So, the city of the Lord was…
- rebellious
- defiled
- oppressive
She did not...
- obey
- accept discipline
- trust in the Lord
- draw near to God
Therefore…
- the princes within her are roaring lions
- her judges are wolves of the night, which leave nothing for the morning...all consuming...the nomination of Sotomayor to the Supreme Court is what precipitated this line of thought…
- her prophets are reckless, treacherous men
- her priests profane the sanctuary, the do violence to truth...to instruction
The state of affairs was grave.
So it is today.
Leadership is corrupt...political...local, state, national.
Leadership within the “church” is no better.
Still, we are not to fear. We are not to worry.
For…
- the righteousness of the Lord is here
- the Lord does not wrong
- the Lord applies justice in the morning
- the Lord does not fail
Therefore, wait upon the Lord. The day is coming when He will…
- cut off the nations
- lay waste their streets
- devastate cities
- rise up in plunder
- gather the nations, to assemble the kingdoms in order to pour out His indignation, anger and wrath, for the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealosy!!
Are you ready?
In Whom do you trust?
In Whom do you live and breath and have your very being?
Blessings!
A new podcast is available… Vertical Vision
Also, several short videos of where we are this week… Vertical Vision
Also, this week’s Prayerline...not certain if it was broadcast over TV27...but available here… May 25, 2009
Also, the balance of the Joshua video synopsis is available...all 7 lessons online.
Joshua Video Synopsis
Pray for these folk… Pray for...
We are beginning a study in “Judges” this week...how appropriate…
