Honest about our true condition and repent of our sin


2 Kings chapters 15-17 is an apt description of the disasters that we bring upon ourselves when we use our human reason and do the things that seem good in our own eyes in order to solve our perplexing problems instead of seeking direction that comes from God’s Word and obeying the same in all humility!

Right at the onset of the division made between Israel and Judah, (on account of king Solomon’s sin) we see king Jeroboam seeking his own and changing the laws of God inorder to build and secure his own kingdom! Sad to say, the succeeding kings of Israel all followed in Jeroboam’s sins and this eventually led to their calamity and the subsequent deportation to Assyria, *2 Kings 17: 1-6.

It is also sad to see how most of the kings of Israel continued to follow in the sins of Jeroboam, vs 20-23! This goes to show how deeply rooted in our flesh is the desire to seek our own fame and build our own kingdom instead of seeking God’s kingdom to come, His will to be done and His Name to be hallowed, just like how Jesus lived and taught us to pray.

Is it any wonder then that we see the result of the use of such earthly wisdom, (which is steeped in selfish ambition and bitter jealousy) lead to the confusion, chaos and pain that eventually follows? We also notice that most of the kings of Israel took the law in their own hands and killed other kings in order to grab the throne for themselves, 2 Kings 15:8-14; 23-26,30!

This sad truth is also seen happening in many Christian circles! We also see how when King Ahaz of Judah followed in the evil ways of the kings of Israel, God sent king Resin of Syria to attack him, 2 Kings 16:1-6.

Instead of responding in repentance, king Ahaz seeks help from the king of Assyria and compromises greatly in order to do so, 7-18!

Thus, we see that in order to seek the Lord’s help, we have to repent of all known sin, or else God will not hear us, however, if we don’t desire to turn from our evil ways then we invariably end up seeking help from man, and may also end up compromising inorder to do so! Yet, such help that is received will only be temporary and what is worse still, is that we will still continue to live in bondage to sin and Satan and also lose out eternally, if we don’t realise our folly and repent before it is too late!

Eventually, the king of Assyria brought in foreigners from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites, 2 Kings 17:24. These nations worshipped the Lord and at the same time served their idols, vs 41! Thus, instead of God’s people influencing them, they became a negative influence to the people of God! So, let us be enlightened that our disobedience to God’s Word attracts the punishment of God and makes us a bad witness and example to the unbelieving world around us as well.

How is it with us today?
Are we experiencing the blessing of Abraham through Christ Jesus our Lord or are we on the receiving end of God’s discipline on account of our disobedience?

The good news is that, as we are honest about our true condition and repent of our sin and put our trust in Christ, God is able to reverse things for us and will enable us to enjoy the blessing of Abraham that has come to us who remain in Christ Jesus our Lord! Amen.

Rowena Thomas
Mumbai, India.