2 Kings 17:33,34,41 – “They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. 34To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the Lord had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel… 41So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.”
The king of Assyria invaded the land of Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria who had lived there. Chapter 17 chronicles the sins of Israel and their disobedience. God’s response to their continual repudiation of His laws is summarized in verse 18, “Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.” The king of Assyria replaced the deported Israelites with different people groups. These immigrants were ignorant of God’s laws and He sent lions among them who killed some of the people. A deported priest was sent back to Samaria to teach the people the “rituals of the God of the land” and to know how to fear the Lord.
As I read this passage I see a parallel concerning today’s Christian. The people feared the Lord and worshipped Him, yet they continued practicing their former rituals. This “mixed bag” of Judaism is something that has lasted for centuries and I believe is alive and well in the modern church today. There appears to be a disconnect between worship and lifestyle. On one hand people love to praise the Lord. On the other hand they do not live according to His word. I see this pattern over and over again. There must be an integration of worship and lifestyle if we are going to experience the transforming power of the Spirit of God, not only in our lives, but also in our society. We cannot effectively communicate the power to change others if it does not change us.
The sad commentary is found in verse 41: “…also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.” Our children are going to imitate our lives, whether devoted to God or devoted to “half and half” Christianity.
The good news is that across the border in the land of Judah a godly king was being raised up by the name of Hezekiah who would bring tremendous reform to the nation. God always has an answer in times like these.