Week of 2/10-2/16: Scattered - The Rise and Fall of the Northern Kingdom

Day Three: 2 Kings 17:12-18 Still, the LORD warned Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and statutes according to all the law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through My servants the prophets.” But they would not listen. Instead, they became obstinate like their ancestors who did not believe the LORD their God. They rejected His statutes and His covenant He had made with their ancestors and the warnings He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and became worthless themselves, following the surrounding nations the LORD had commanded them not to imitate. They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God. They made for themselves molded images— even two calves—and an Asherah pole. They worshiped the whole heavenly host and served Baal. They made their sons and daughters pass through the fire and practiced divination and interpreted omens. They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the LORD’s sight and provoked Him. Therefore, the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained.”

MY DAUGHTER IS STUBBORN with a capital “S.” Recently, just before bedtime one evening, I told her to come with me to brush her teeth, as we do every night. For some reason, on this particular night, she responded with these words: “No daddy, mommy brush my teeth.” Since my wife was busy at the moment, I gave her a choice. I told her that she could either, A) go brush her teeth with daddy immediately, or B) wait for mommy, but also have her brand new Barbie swimming pool taken away for an entire day. Since the Barbie swimming pool was a new toy, and this 3-year-old thought it was about the coolest thing in the world, I was certain that this plan would result in a quick teeth-brushing. Boy was I wrong!

Instead of just doing as she was told, she voluntarily decided to just take her punishment. She knew what was expected. She knew the consequences of her actions. Yet she still chose that path.

The crazy thing is that we often do this exact same thing with God. 2 Kings 17 shows a great example of this truth. God gave clear expectations. And He told of the punishment to be expected if the expectations were not met. We must learn to take heed of God’s warnings and be obedient to His word!

PAUSE AND REFLECT

▷▷Why do people often do things that they know are wrong?

▷▷How do we stop ourselves from doing things that we know are wrong?

▷▷How should we respond to sinful actions and thoughts in our lives?