I’ve been reading a lot of ancient Israel’s history these days. Part of that is because I’ve been taking a Hebrew history class, and we’ve been referring very often to the books of Kings and Chronicles. I realized this year that I knew almost nothing about Israel’s history in the Old Testament, so I decided also to supplement my knowledge by reading through the books of 1 and 2 Kings.
As you may know, Israel’s history is not a pretty one. They were called out of Egypt and led to the promised land. Once there, judges ruled over the people until God allowed Israel to have its own kings. After David and Solomon, the moral record of the kings of Israel is not so stellar. These evil kings led God’s people into idolatry and immorality far too often. They forgot God’s love for them and abused His grace.
I don’t know about you, but when I read the accounts of the reigns of these kings, I can never identify with them. I mean, c’mon! Who could be that stupid! Everyone knows that God is the one true God, and that Ba’al, Asherah, and the like are all fakes. How wicked and immoral and despicable and satanic are the kings and people of Israel! It would be so easy to be in their shoes and do the right thing.
But then I think about idolatry then and today. For them, idolatry simply meant worshipping a wooden or stone idol that was not the One True God. For us, idolatry could certainly include that, but it mostly refers to things we chase after to fulfill us that aren’t God. I could run through a list (sex, control, image, power, laziness, etc), but you know what an idol is now: anything that fills our lives with something that is not Christ and makes the glory of Jesus shine any less. Reflecting on that, it is then that I realize that I am no different than the worst of Israel’s kings.
I am Jeroboam, who made an image for God, but for me, I have made myself my own god. I am Ahab and Jezebel and I have tormented God’s people and openly enticed others to worship idols. I am Rehoboam, who divided and angered God’s people. I am Ahaz and I have made deals with the enemies of God. I am Manasseh and my sin makes God’s people look more evil than the unsaved. And so are we all. We are the kings and people of Israel who sin every day, even though God brought us out of our own Egypt of sin and is leading us towards our own promised land in heaven. So in retrospect, I guess that you and I are every bit as bad as the worst of Israel's kings. That strikes close to home.
But that’s not the end of the story. Despite the evil of Israel, God sent them a savior, even through the bloodline of the kings. And that Savior is available to us today. And when we sin, when we mess up, when we prostrate ourselves to foreign idols, He loves us and atones for our sins. Great is His faithfulness, for he looks over sin after sin of his people. Great is His faithfulness, for He hasn’t forgotten His covenant. Great is His faithfulness, for His love reaches even me (and you). We would do well to remember that.
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Ancient people worshipped their gods because to them, it was apparent that it was the right thing to do. So to say "Everyone knows God is the one true God" is kind of an ignorant thing to say. They didn't consider it idolatry. They believed it was the way to please the power(s) that be. It's not much different from why you and a billion other Christians worship your god.
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