2nd Kings chapter 15. Moral Boundaries.
This chapter is crazy! In 32 years and 7 months, Israel had six different Kings. That's averaging about five years per King per reign. 3 of those kings were assassinated by a person who took over as king. The whole thing is crazy!
People with no moral or value system are left doing whatever they want. Each evil act is justified in their own mind. God's laws become forever broken. People focus on selfish desires and do whatever they want. That's our country now. Homosexuality is very accepted. Lying in politics goes on and on and on and on. Abortion has reached a new height when a baby can be killed, even outside the womb. If a new law is passed they are even saying that a baby can be killed up to six months after it's born if they find things wrong with it that aren't “normal”. Stricter laws are being made against Christians so in due time, in the USA, we will be like those who were in China when they had to meet in secret places for Christian fellowship or church. There will be imprisonment and murderings.
When you don't have laws to protect a group of people, then things can get out of hand real quick. Just like during slavery where there were no strict laws protecting the slaves. Things got out of hand very quickly.
It's no different with our own lives. If we don't set boundaries for ourselves, then our minds are given the freedom to think what they want and then we do what we want. Secret sins increase. We live in deception and justify our actions. God help me to live within your boundaries and not my own so that I don't make stupid decisions and pursue things of the world. May my heart and passion be to live holy in your sight and to live in Christ so that I will be a role model for others to follow. Amen.
There is no shortage of chaos, confusion, intrigue, and assassination in the history of the kings of Israel. While Judah has one dynasty – David’s – Israel has eight dynasties. Judah has some good kings but even they don’t take away the high places where people worship and make sacrifices to pagan gods. Israel doesn’t have one good king in the bunch. It reminds us that we are responsible for the way we influence others. Sin is bad but it’s even worse to encourage others to disobey God.
We see the 1st of the 2 deportations of the northern kingdom to Assyria in today’s reading. They are taken to Assyria and assimilated into that culture – their national identity taken away – so that soon they are no longer an enemy or a threat. This section through chapter 17 always breaks my heart. They are a lost people but God knows where they are, even today’s generation.
The evil done in this chapter is hard to read at certain points (ripping open pregnant women) and reading about the sins against God that took place for so long was discouraging. In that time a king was needed to change paths than that of the king before him, but none of them did. God delivered consequences and the people suffered. Today we can be the ones who stand against sin and for God, even when it’s difficult and even when society is trying to convince people otherwise. We can break the pattern of doing evil in the eyes of the Lord with the choices we make each and every day.
I was reminded today of Amos 5:14-15.
“Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”