To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the LORD nor adhere to the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel. When the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did. 2 Kings 17: 34-41, NIV.
Gracious God, as we study Your Word, we cannot help but reach to the conclusion that You are holy and just in all Your ways. You are not a respecter of persons, but a God of mercy and righteousness. May we be inspired to be faithful to You as we study Your Word today. This is our prayer in the name f Jesus Christ, our Savior and LORD. Amen.
Yesterday, we looked at the way the people of Israel spiralled downward as they refused to be obedient to the will of God, but preferred to walk in the ways of the nations of whom the LORD had warned them not to walk in their ways. Today, we come full circle back to these nations. It is rather interesting how this chapter is written. We are permitted to see the behavior of these pagan nations alongside the behavior of Israel, and notice how God dealt with both sets of people, and why. Although God’s ways are not our ways, and many times we do not understand what He is doing, we cannot help but observe that God is just!
Another aspect of God’s dealings with His creatures is the high aspirations that He has for all of us. He does not have one set of standards for Israel and another set of standards for the rest of the world. What He expects of one, He expects of all. There is only one law that He will use to judge all people (James 2: 8-12). Yesterday we mentioned that His standards are high because God expects great things from us. After all, we are made in His image and after His likeness. God knows that by His grace we “can do all things” (Philippians 4: 13). Today, let us just sit back and listen to God as He speaks and explains to us certain aspects of human nature. Perhaps then, we will be able to better understand, not fully understand, some of His dealings with the children of humankind.
“To this day they persist in their former practices. . . To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.” As we struggle with the way God dealt with these other nations during the Old Testament dispensation, let us remember that we are observing this cosmic phenomenon from our limited human point of view; while God, who is neither limited by time nor circumstances, He who is the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the One who has all the information that we lack about human behavior, has always been able to see what would be the final decision of every individual, and the end of the controversy between good and evil. He sees what would have been their final decision, and He respected it.
” ‘ “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. You must always be careful to keep the decrees and ordinances, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. Rather, worship the LORD your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” ‘ “ Every command that the LORD has given to us has always been given in love. We have already seen the purpose of His laws, to help us to be the best that we can be, creatures made in “His image and likeness.” This would have secured their protection, not only from their national enemies, but also from, “the enemy within.”
“They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols.” I believe I have shared this saying from my native Republic of Panama with you before. Let me share it again: “No hay nadie mas ciego, que el que no quiere ver” (“No one is blinder than the person who does not want to see”). Whatever God did on behalf of His people, He did it for all to see (crossing the Red Sea, crossing the Jordan river, the fall of the walls of Jericho, etc.) In so doing He was speaking to the surrounding nations of His power and majesty. They were “without excuse” (Romans 1: 18-23).
Today He continues to speak. “[Those] who have ears let [them] hear . . .” (Revelation 2: 7)!