2 Kings 17: Consecrate Yourselves to the Lord
Verses 32-33: They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in shrines at the high places. They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
◇ After about 200 years, the kingdom of Northern Israel, established by the Lord, was destroyed by Assyria. The prophets were sent to call for repentance and a return, but Northern Israel, not heeding the call, was ultimately scattered in ruin.
Foreign nations then moved into the land and occupied Samaria. They each made their own images and served them at the high places (verses 29-33), taking possession of the promised land given to the descendants of Abraham and filling it with a multitude of idols.
Furthermore, they revered the Lord by selecting from among themselves priests to sacrifice for them. They served both the Lord and idols. The foreigners turned the one true God into just another idol, for their own benefit, as if He were a lesser spirit to be used.
Verse 32 states they revered the Lord, choosing priests among themselves to sacrifice at the high places. Could they truly revere the Lord and engage in such actions? If one truly serves the Lord with fear and trembling, would they act against His will? Serving the Lord as they served idols was not what the Lord desired. The Lord said, "I am holy, and you must be holy too" (Leviticus 20:26). To revere and serve the Lord is not to bow down and dance as one does to idols. It is to strive to align with the Lord's heart, to labor to fulfill His will. It is to live a life set apart, a holy life befitting the people of the Lord.
Can a person who builds shrines and offers lavish sacrifices while living an unethical and unjust life truly be said to revere the Lord?
♧ God, help us to live a life that truly reveres you in 2024! Let us not just call out "Lord, Lord" with our lips, but let our actions and words both call upon and follow you! Holy Spirit, guide us on the path of truth!