2 Kings 17:24-33 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:24-33. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Kings 17:24-26 (NIV)
24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns.
25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people.
26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”
On verses 24-26: Shalmaneser king of Assyria has deported the Israelites from Samaria (Israel’s capital city) and replaces them with people from foreign lands. These foreigners do not worship the Lord in Samaria and are attacked, and in some cases killed, by lions. This is the third case in 1 Kings and 2 Kings where someone is killed by a lion.
What can we learn in this case? When we do not worship the Lord but instead focus on other things, we become vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy, who is described as a lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
2 Kings 17:27-33 (NIV)
27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.”
28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.
29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places.
30 The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima;
31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places.
33 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.
On verses 27-33: Hoping to end the lion attacks, the king of Assyria orders that an Israelite priest be sent back to Samaria to teach the people how to worship the Lord (v27-28). After receiving this teaching, the foreigners living in Samaria worship the Lord but they also continue to worship the gods from their own national groups and set up shrines in the names of those gods. In addition to worshiping the God who made them, they also worship gods that they have made. In addition to worshiping the God who would give up later give up His Son for us, they themselves would sacrifice their children in the fire to worship the idols they had made.
What can we learn from this? Are you trying to worship God while worshiping other things at the same time? You were made to “worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” (Matthew 4:10). As Jesus says, no one can serve two masters. Otherwise you will hate the one and be devoted to the other. Keep it simple and seek to please God alone.
Lord, no matter where I am, may I be committed to worshiping You alone. In my life may You have no rival or competitor. May You alone take the throne. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
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