I was reading 2 Kings 17 this morning, and it sounded so familiar - just like so many 'Christians' of today. We have become nearly resembling the world - in appearance, and spirituality.
2 Kings 17:7-41:
"7It was so, because the children of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, 8and walked in the statutes of the nations, whom Yahweh cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made. 9The children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against Yahweh their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city;10and they set them up pillars and Asherim on every high hill, and under every green tree; 11and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom Yahweh carried away before them; and they worked wicked things to provoke Yahweh to anger; 12and they served idols, of which Yahweh had said to them, "You shall not do this thing." 13Yet Yahweh testified to Israel, and to Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets."14Notwithstanding, they would not listen, but hardened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who didn't believe in Yahweh their God.15They rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified to them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and [went] after the nations that were around them, concerning whom Yahweh had commanded them that they should not do like them. 16They forsook all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served Baal. 17They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger. 18Therefore Yahweh was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.19Also Judah didn't keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20Yahweh rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.21For he tore Israel from the house of David; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king: and Jeroboam drove Israel from following Yahweh, and made them sin a great sin. 22The children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they didn't depart from them; 23until Yahweh removed Israel out of his sight, as he spoke by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day.24The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and lived in the cities of it. 25So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they didn't fear Yahweh: therefore Yahweh sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, "The nations which you have carried away, and placed in the cities of Samaria, don't know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them, because they don't know the law of the god of the land."27Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, "Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land." 28So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Yahweh.29However every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. 30The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,31and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burnt their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32So they feared Yahweh, and made to them from among themselves priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. 33They feared Yahweh, and served their own gods, after the ways of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. 34To this day they do what they did before: they don't fear Yahweh, neither do they follow their statutes, or their ordinances, or the law or the commandment which Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;35with whom Yahweh had made a covenant, and commanded them, saying, "You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them; 36but you shall fear Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, and you shall bow yourselves to him, and you shall sacrifice to him. 37The statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, you shall observe to do forevermore. You shall not fear other gods. 38You shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you; neither shall you fear other gods. 39But you shall fear Yahweh your God; and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies." 40However they did not listen, but they did what they did before. 41So these nations feared Yahweh, and served their engraved images. Their children likewise, and their children's children, as their fathers did, so they do to this day."
God's children feared Him, and worshipped other gods... just like today. Occult and New Age has infiltrated the church. The Holy Bible is no longer enough revelation from God. Many have found God - the Lord Jesus Christ - insufficient. Disturbingly, and nearly overwhelmingly, the Christian community has accepted sensational additions to the Holy Bible (such as 'Jesus Calling' - channeled, by demons, to Sarah Young when she was dissatisfied with the Holy Bible - or the writing of the 'Mirror Bible', which writes hell and judgement out of the Holy Bible). Too many revel in prophecies declaring God is doing a 'new thing'. These are referred to, in the Holy Bible, as 'doctrines of demons'. I, myself, have been so easily led astray. At the point where God, and His Word, were just not enough for me. I questioned the sufficiency of these, to the point where I was led astray by my own desires, and even held accusations against God. Satan is the accuser. I was in rebellion, and remember the time when I was called by God to die to self, so I could be alive in Him, and I refused to. So, philosophies acceptable to me became a doctrine of demons, and I was in darkness. I had to repent and turn from these. Now they are like vomit to me. James 1:13-18 says, "13 Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow. 18 Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures."
I do not rebuke those of the world. Nor do I rebuke for things I have not been rebuked for, and turned from. The scriptures tell believers in Christ Jesus, in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, "9 I wrote to you in my letter to have no company with sexual sinners; 10 yet not at all meaning with the sexual sinners of this world, or with the covetous and extortionists, or with idolaters; for then you would have to leave the world. 11 But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortionist. Don’t even eat with such a person. 12 For what have I to do with also judging those who are outside? Don’t you judge those who are within? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. “Put away the wicked man from among yourselves.” That's right. We are to judge and correct our own. The verses that tell us to judge not, lest we be judged, are a confrontation to hypocrisy in judgement.
Isaiah 53 tells us of God's generous and sufficient provision promised in Christ Jesus:
"1 Who has believed our message? and to whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed? 2For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he has no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we didn't respect him. 4 Surely he has borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, struck of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn't open his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he didn't open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who [among them] considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the disobedience of my people to whom the stroke [was due]? 9They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Yahweh shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
Yes, we all are sheep, so prone to go astray. This is why we are instructed, in the Holy Bible, to put on the Helmet of Salvation (protecting our mind, by having the Mind of Christ), and the Breastplate of Righteousness (protecting our heart by the righteousness of Christ). We fight, and protect ourselves, with the Sword (the Word), and the Shield of Faith. We walk in obedience to carry the Gospel of Peace (between man and God, provided in Christ Jesus) by putting on the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace. We wear the Belt of Truth (Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life), to keep our pants up - keeping us from shame.
As the Holy Bible says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints:” Ephesians:6:10-18
The Holy Bible is enough. God, the Father, and Christ Jesus, the worthy Lamb of God – and the promised Holy Spirit, is enough. His provision and Truth is enough. All else is a doctrine of demons. Amen.
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