September 6th - Reflection

2 Kings 17:24-41 (NRSV)
The Assyrians worship other gods

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.

Reflection
The Lord sent lions? Why not? I guess God can do whatever is needed to correct people, but lions? Totally unexpected! But the people still didn't get it. They knew that they needed to get to know the God of Israel, but in their human ways it still was all wrong. The king sent a priest, but this priest couldn't even straighten this mess out. These people were foreign to the ways of the God of Israel and a priest was unable to straighten it all out. It all ended in a mish-mash of religions.

But at some point the Father sent the Son, a real priest. Jesus didn't bring order either. People still choose all kinds of wild ways to worship gods of all sorts. But more than just sending a priest, God sent his son. We have the answer before us in the life of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We look to our God for direction and actions to take. We must maintain that focus on Jesus and be the disciples we are called to be.

There will continue to be noise around us as we live here in this world. Noise that brings with it all kinds of religions and gods and actions that are contrary to the way Jesus would wish for his disciples to follow. But that's why the focus on Jesus has to be maintained.

Prayer
Lord, as I walk through this world be with me and help me weed out the noise that doesn't follow you. Help me to keep my focus on you and the path you desire for me to take. --- Amen