SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 17
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
“All this I will give you,” Satan said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” [Matthew 4:9-10]
To worship is to honour, respect and serve; we were created to honour, respect and serve God.
But since the beginning, Satan has been luring our hearts away from God to honour, respect and serve other things – food, money, self, pleasure, other gods, success, work, etc.
God says, ‘worship me, and the joy of my creation is yours’; Satan says, ‘worship me, and I will give you everything you desire’.
Throughout history, Satan has followed the same strategy: lure our hearts to the “all this” in order to take our hearts from God.
And once we take the bait, we’re trapped.
The world that we live in, filled with dangerous delights tempting us, is a world of misery, bondage, despair.
One look at this world is to see the lie of Satan’s offer.
Our reading from 2 Kings 17 shows how Israel (and later Judah) are sucked into Satan’s lies, turning from the worship of God to the demons and delights of this world.
They become more and more perverse, shameful, cruel – even sacrificing their children to the gods.
Finally God gives them what they want – life without Him, life in the bondage of worldly powers and pleasures.
This is what happens when we reject God, when we refuse to live according to God’s truth; Satan promises freedom but delivers bondage!
God sends us warning after warning, but eventually He allows us to taste the result of our folly.
This passage also shows the origins of the Samaritans, the non-Jews who populate the land with the Jews exiled as slaves in Assyria.
They mix their religion; they serve both God and Satan, and end up losing.
And yet, even though both the Israelites, and later the Samaritans, wander far from God, His mercy does not end.
We see through Jesus God’s mercy for the Samaritans.
No matter how far we fall, our God is merciful.
He may give us over to our foolish choices for a season, allowing us the experience of exile from Him…
But He is always ready to welcome us home.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to resist Satan’s lies like You did.
In the beginning . . . God told Adam and Eve, do this and live. Disobey and you will die. They did not listen to the Word of the Lord. Time and time again, God gave His people new beginnings, but each time, the children went their own way and listened to the tempter’s voice. Only Christ Jesus carried out His Father’s wishes and was obedient, even unto death on the cross so that I can live forever.
Time and time again, the Lord gives the people what they desire and they experience death, desease, hardship, etc. But we do not learn from our past story. We, like little children, still desire to have our own way today because we are wise in our own eyes. We walk in our own light. We do not walk with our Father.
Thank You Lord for providing a Way – our Saviour Jesus Christ so that we may turn our eyes on You and have life in Him. Turn our hearts toward home this day and may I hear Your voice clearly telling me, ‘This is the Way. Walk in it’ Then I will live forevermore.
O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Refrain
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!
Refrain
His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!