2 Kings 17:7-8 “7 Now this came about because the sons of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and they had feared other gods 8 and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel, and in the customs of the kings of Israel which they had introduced.”
JUDGMENT
As I read this passage in 2 Kings I couldn’t help but think about my country, the United States of America. Ours is a country which was built on strong Judeo-Christian principles. Our founding fathers came here originally to escape religious persecution in Europe. We stood proudly for generations as a Christian nation.
Not anymore! Our courts and governments have made a concerted effort to shun the God of Jacob and His Son Jesus. Prayers are not allowed in schools. Anyone standing up for their Christian principles is ridiculed and called intolerant. Why do we think we will escape judgment like Israel received for doing the same thing?
TEACHING MOMENT
Have your children ever thought they had gotten away with a “sin” only to be discovered later and receive the consequence? I bet they have. We, as parents, must follow through on the discipline, no matter how “old” the infraction is. Why? Because of the passage today. We don’t want them to think they can get by with disobedience just because they weren’t caught.
Don’t you understand that our parenting should mirror the Lord’s “parenting” of us? We are teaching our children, by obeying us, to obey the Lord. We want them to WANT to obey out of love, but sometimes they just don’t. That doesn’t mean we let them get by with it. That does them no good.
What are you “getting by with” right now? Do you think you have escaped judgment? Believe me, judgment will come. It may not come until eternity, but it will. There is no escaping a holy God. This may sound harsh and tough, but it simply the truth. Our loving God is also a holy God, and He will not be mocked.
A Moment In Time 