SCRIPTURE
2 Kings 17:24-41 (NRSV)
The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria in place of the people of Israel; they took possession of Samaria, and settled in its cities. When they first settled there, they did not worship the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. So the king of Assyria was told, "The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land; therefore he has sent lions among them; they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land." Then the king of Assyria commanded, "Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there; let him go and live there, and teach them the law of the god of the land." So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel; he taught them how they should worship the Lord.
But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the people of Samaria had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived; the people of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the people of Cuth made Nergal, the people of Hamath made Ashima; the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. They also worshiped the Lord and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. So they worshiped the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. To this day they continue to practice their former customs.
They do not worship the Lord and they do not follow the statutes or the ordinances or the law or the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel. The Lord had made a covenant with them and commanded them, "You shall not worship other gods or bow yourselves to them or serve them or sacrifice to them, but you shall worship the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm; you shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice. The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment that he wrote for you, you shall always be careful to observe. You shall not worship other gods; you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not worship other gods, but you shall worship the Lord your God; he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies." They would not listen, however, but they continued to practice their former custom.
So these nations worshiped the Lord, but also served their carved images; to this day their children and their children's children continue to do as their ancestors did.
DEVOTION
Today I see a reminder in scripture to be careful not to worship any other god besides the Lord.
Yesterday in church we talked about how we are prone to making family members our idols. It is so easy to place spouses, children, and/or parents on a pedestal where they do not belong.
Also, we talked about the fact that we often worship things--houses, cars, bank accounts, jobs, and other man made articles, but this is very dangerous, my friends, because things are transitory and they come and go!
The only One who is sure, unwavering and eternal is our God; that is why God should be our number one priority! When we think about how good God has been to us, it will be easy to put God first! And when we put God first, scripture promises us that all other things will be added unto us as we have need of them.
Let us trust God today! Let us worship only God in spirit and in Truth. Let us pour out our love and devotion on our loving God who gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life.
No person, place, or thing, is more worthy of our worship, honor, and adoration than God!
Let us praise him!
Let us pray: Holy and Wonderful God, how I praise and magnify your holy name! You alone are worthy of all of my praise, adoration, and honor. Please forgive me for putting other people, places, and things ahead of you. Today, I give you first place in my life. Please help me to hold you in that place of honor--today and always! I love you and I want to share our love with others. I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.
INVITATION
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