Author Archive for: meiling

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:34-41.  Let’s go!

On verses 34-41:  We see some of the main lessons of 2 Kings reiterated here in these verses:

1.  We were made to worship the Lord alone (v36).  Three times in this short passage it says “Do not worship other gods” (v35, 37, 38). How do you know if you’re worshiping something other than the Lord?  Whatever we put first in our lives is what we worship.  What you worship is reflected in three things: your wallet, your time and your thoughts.  What we spend the most money, time and thought on is an indicator of what we truly worship.  

2.  Only in the Lord do we find real hope and deliverance (v39).

3.  Despite being admonished repeatedly to worship the Lord alone, the Israelites stubbornly persisted in their idol-worshiping ways, putting other things before God (v34, 40, 41a).  We too can be stubborn in our idol-worshiping ways.  We must be careful to guard against idol-worshiping tendencies.  

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:14-23.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 17:22-23 (NIV) 
22  The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them
23  until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there. 

On verses 14-23:  These verses summarize the overall story of 2 Kings: Despite the Lord warning His people about sinning against Him and about the consequences that would result from their persistent sin, the Israelites both in Israel and in Judah persisted in all forms of sinning against the Lord (v14 to 19).  So the Lord does as He had warned: just as Abijah had prophesied approximately 200 years before in 1 Kings 14:15-16, God thrusts the Israelites from His presence and out of the land that He had given to them (v20-23).

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Kings 17:1-13.  Let’s go!

On verses 1-13:  One thing that strikes me as I read this passage is how much more merciful and gracious the Lord is compared to Shalmaneser king of Assyria.  King Hoshea of Israel had been Shalmaneser’s vassal; in other words, King Hoshea had a relationship with Shalmaneser such that King Hoshea would pay tribute to Shalmaneser each year in exchange for Shalmaneser’s agreement to protect and not hurt Hoshea’s kingdom of Israel.  But secretly King Hoshea began to side with Egypt and stopped paying tribute to Shalmaneser.  In response to Hoshea’s rebellion and disloyalty, Shalmaneser seizes Hoshea, puts him in prison, lays siege to Israel for 3 years and deports the Israelites to Assyria.  

Just as King Hoshea was unfaithful to King Shalmaneser of Assyria, the Israelites were unfaithful to the Lord.  Verses 7-12 describe how the Israelites worshiped other gods, imitated the religious practices of foreign nations, and secretly did things against the Lord that were not right.  Rather than putting them in prison or taking away their land immediately the way Shalmaneser did, the Lord was patient with the Israelites from generation to generation, warning them not to worship idols.  It was only after persistent rebellion that the Lord finally disciplines the Israelites by allowing Assyria to invade Israel and deport the Israelites to Assyria.

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 King 16:1-20.  Let’s go!

2 Kings 16:3 (NIV) 
3  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 

On verses 1-4:  Ahaz replaces his father Jotham as king of Judah. Unlike his father, Ahaz is a staunch idol worshipper.  As part of worshiping an idol, Ahaz sacrifices his child in the fire (v3), hoping it will bring him prosperity. As horrific as such an act is and sounds, it is also a warning for parents today. Sometimes parents can be tempted to sacrifice their children for the sake of their careers or their financial gain.  So we neglect our children and deprive them of our presence all in the name of “making money for the family”.  While working and being providers for the family is important, let’s remember that in all our working and striving that our real treasure is our children and that what they need even more than money or material things is us, our time and our presence.