10/10/2026
2ND KINGS 17:33
THEY FEARED THE LORD YET SERVED THEIR OWN GODS
When we read the seventeenth chapter of 2nd Kings, we begin to realize something sobering. An entire nation—delivered from the house of bo***ge in Egypt and brought into a land flowing with every good thing—had only one requirement: obedience to the Lord and His commands.
Instead, they mingled with the natives of the land, and slowly they began to act just like them.
The Lord sent prophet after prophet to warn them and call them back. But they grew complacent, content with a mediocre existence instead of the abundant life the Lord had prepared for them.
Their disobedience brought affliction upon themselves and their children—until they were carried away from the fruitful land the Lord had given them and found themselves right back in bo***ge. Soon, foreigners dwelt in their cities, took control of the land, and did not fear the Lord or even consider Him. So, He sent destruction into their midst, until Israel sent a priest to teach them of the Lord. Yet even then, they served idols—and even placed them in the shrines where God Himself had dwelt.
They learned to fear the Lord, yet they served their own gods, despite being taught the things of the Lord. Much like some do today—having a form of godliness, but denying the power of Him, to their own demise.
As Spiritually Minded Believers, we do not deny God's power. But we do deny the power these so-called idols may seem to have.