An Ancient Problem

2 Kings 17:41 (NIV) ''Even while these people were worshiping the LORD they were serving their idols.''

I've been working my way through the Old Testament from bumper to bumper, and it is certainly true that it is easy to become bogged down in places, nearly stuck in the mud. Most of Leviticus and Numbers were very slow going for me. I'd take small daily bites, but would mix in a helping of Psalms or Proverbs to make the day's reading a bit tastier. I really enjoyed Deuteronomy though. In fact, I might advocate someone undertaking the O.T. in its entirety for the first time reading it before Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Deuteronomy is Moses's sort of farewell message to the Israelite people, and is a tidy summary of the forty years they have been wandering the desert, and a condensed summary of the extensive and detailed rules-The Law-revealed in Leviticus. It is also a caution to the people that are about to enter the long-elusive Promised Land to adhere to these Laws, and not adopt the practices of the current occupants, namely the worship of false gods, man made idols, or the moon and stars.

I'm now very near the end of 2nd Kings. If I were to summarize in only one sentence (probably a mistake to try), the overarching theme of all I've read between the books of Moses and this point, it is the failure of God's people to keep their end of the Covenant-to respect the jealousy of the one true God, and have no part in the worship, practices, and celebrations of idols and false gods. With a very few notable exceptions, leader after leader, king after king, generation after generation to varying extents ignored this command and either actively worshiped these pagan gods, or at best allowed these practices and the ''high places'' of these gods to coexist with the worship of the One True God. Even King Solomon, wise Solomon, who did much to glorify the Lord, the God of Israel, near the end of his life fell into the worship and following of the goddess Ashtoreth, and other ''detestable'' gods.

So, by the last half of 2nd Kings, God's anger with his people was burning. He allowed first Israel, then Judah to be delivered into captivity, removed from the land promised to Moses, and gave the land and the cities to their conquerors.
Like Leviticus and Numbers, the two Kings books have, at times, been tedious. The stories of Saul and David, in the two Samuels, are certainly suspenseful, dramatic, and tense-captivating reading. Likewise the story of Solomon's reign in 1st Kings is a picture of an unequaled period of grand splendor. But much of ''the Kings'' is 'so and so became King of Israel at age 16 and reigned for six months, was murdered, and was succeeded by his son so and so. Meanwhile so and so was King of Judah, served 28 years, died and his son so and so became King.' Generation after generation, on and on and on. Some honored and obeyed God, most did not. Until finally, by chapter 17 of 2nd Kings, God had had enough! The Assyrian King invaded and exiled the people of Israel and “removed them from His presence.” (verse 18)

The last verse of Chapter 17, verse 41, quoted at the top, neatly describes the ongoing, many generational problem between the Lord, the God of Israel, and those people. In the midst of some slow progress passages I wanted to just get through, this verse jumped off the page! Yes, it speaks to the ''stiff necked '' people of the ancient world, but it screams, and slaps us in the face-right here, right now, today.

The God of Israel, is the God of today. He is still a jealous God. He still demands that we have no other gods. He still finds false gods, divination, sorcery, pagan rituals, witchcraft, the worship of stars, planets and nature detestable abominations. He still does not allow idolatry. Few of us, hopefully, have carved images or statues that we worship. And, hopefully, most of us steer clear of the occult, even when it's disguised as harmless fun. But I fear modern western culture has replaced statues and carvings and Asherah poles with upward mobility, achievement, career advancement, and status. This generation's false gods, our Baals, have names like Lexus and Armani and Rolex and BMW and Harley.

''Even while [we] were worshiping the Lord [we] were serving....'' our houses, and our cars, and our 401ks, and our closets, and our egos, and our self-image. It is so easy to read the accounts of these ancient peoples, and recognize their too short memories, or their stubborn refusal to obey, and to imagine if we were in their place we'd do things differently. Perhaps, though, those ancients were just going along with what their culture, their society, deemed normal and acceptable-even admirable. Perhaps, when what seems so plainly disobedient and detestable to us from our vantage point of 3000 years of hindsight was current events, it didn't seem wrong at all. After all, they were worshiping the Lord. Right? They're going to church most Sundays; they sing in the choir; they volunteer for nursery duty; they pray out loud; they even raise their hand during worship sometimes. Doesn't that trump a little obsessiveness about square footage, or a newer SUV? I put something in the plate every Sunday, so it's not my fault people are hungry just a few blocks away! Is it? Besides, I've wanted this watch for a long time, and now I can afford it.

''Even while these people were worshiping the Lord, they were serving their idols.''

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again,
there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)