They feared The LORD, yet they served their own gods

“They feared The LORD, yet they served their own gods…” 2 Kings 17:33

I just read 2 Kings 16 – 17, and 17:24 – 41 are about the King of Assyria resettling the cities of Samaria after he took the Israelites captive and resettled them in Assyria. It says that the LORD sent lions into the land to kill those who resettled it and that they complained to the king so he sent a captive priest of the LORD to teach them the “…rituals of the GOD of the land.” (vss. 25-27).

Most of 2 Kings is about the kings of Israel and Judah that did not fully serve the LORD nor lead their nations in serving the LORD. So in chapter 17 the King of Assyria captures Samaria and takes the people captive to Assyria, resettling it with Assyrians, because the children of Israel served the gods of the nations around them at times ignoring Jehovah altogether.

Verses 33 and 34 say, “They (the Assyrians) feared the LORD, yet served their own gods-according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the LORD, nor do they follow the law and commandment which the LORD had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel.”

In John 11 the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead after 4 days in the grave is told. The most revealing verses are 45-53 with 47 and 48 being the key to the Church of that day, “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.’”

I see a parallel between Israel, the resettled Assyrians, the Jews of Jesus’ day, and the Church in America today. Many fear the LORD yet do not serve the LORD as He set forth in the Bible.

The Church in America battered the gates of hell and they were pushed back during the election of 2016, but they are gearing up for another assault on the Church. Do you not hear their threats and insults? If we do not come together in unity, faith, and obedience then we will return to being defeated and defamed by the enemies of GOD.

It’s not about America, I am proud to be an American, I served twice in the US Navy, I’ve voted in every presidential election since 1976, I’ve paid my taxes every year. But my life is not about being an American, it is about being a Christian, a member of the Body of Christ, The Church. As a citizen of the Kingdom of GOD I am a good citizen of America but my loyalty is to my eternal redeemer Jesus Christ. In December 2015 and January 2016 I wrote two papers on America, Israel, and the Church. Like Israel America is a called nation, it is formed of people who were not a people into a nation that was not a nation, all by the sovereignty of GOD and America has a special place in GOD’s Kingdom on the earth.

I see in the Church in America today the same mind set as of the ancient Israelites, the Assyrians that resettled Samaria, and the Jews of Jesus’ day. Many in the Church today are about their ministry, their calling, their work, their purpose. But it’s not theirs its GOD’s! We need to stop fearing losing our ministry and start fearing losing our salvation. (Study Matthew 7:21-23; 10:27-31; 25:1-13, 31-46; John 12:42-50) Remember Jesus is talking to believers not to people who do not know the Word and are not looking for Him.

The Church is divided into many camps that have differing views and speak against or judge each other, there is no unity, Psalm 133 should be our guide for unity. Jesus’ command should be our standard, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” ”If you love Me, keep my commandments.”  (John 13:34-35; 14:15) John reemphasized this, “If someone says, ‘I love GOD,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love GOD whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him; that he who loves GOD must love his brother also.” “By this we know that we love the children of GOD, when we love GOD and keep His commandments. For this is the love of GOD, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” (I John 4:20-21, 5:2-3) Study Luke 10:25-37.

Paul teaches us that the Church is the Body of Christ and is living and built of living stones built on the foundation of Christ. That we are like a human body each part is necessary and important to our call and purpose of becoming the Bride of Christ. (Study all of his writings and Revelation).

We, the Church, cannot and will not accomplish our call, also known as the great commission, (Luke 24:44-49, Mark 16:14-18, Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:4-8), until we come together in unity and there will be no unity as long as we believe we are right, Proverbs 3:34 says, “Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.” Scornful also means prideful, James says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD, and He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:10-12). In Matthew 7:1-6 Jesus taught us not to judge others because we will be judged the same as we judge.

We have to stop being for GOD and start being of GOD! When we are of GOD and He is in us as His Holy Spirit and His Living Word then we can see that His Kingdom is not about us or our ministry but it is about Jesus Christ and the call He gave to us before He ascended to the throne on the right side of the throne of The LORD to reign over His Church as we make disciples of the nations of the world and make His enemies His footstool (Study Hebrews and Revelation). Our gifts and call which GOD places in every human being when He forms us in our mother’s womb are for the purpose of serving His Kingdom on earth not for our personal use or gain. (Study Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:4-5, Isaiah 49:1-6, Luke 1:26-35).

Humility brings unity and unity brings the Grace and Power of GOD, without the Grace and Power of GOD we are just another religious group who believe that by living according to the standards that we believe GOD has set we will go to heaven, maybe, and receive great rewards, even greater than the ones we seek here on earth. The commission Christ gave us is not to just follow the rules and hang on until the end hoping for the best. He calls us to tell people where we live, work, and play about Him and GOD’s love for them, to pray for people who are sick expecting them to get healed, to cast out demons, tread on serpents, to raise the dead, and to make disciples of the nations, making His enemies His footstool.