And this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced.
2 Kings 17:7-8
Idolatry ultimately destroys those consumed by it. It beckons those who worship anything other than the Lord with a promise to “fit in” but what it steals is distinctiveness. That is what happened to Israel as described in detail here in 2 Kings 17. Assyria came in, leveled Samaria, killed the finest soldiers, stole away the inhabitants of Israel (that’s the northern ten tribes of Jews living in the Promised Land), and forcibly resettled them to Assyria. Over generations they assimilated fully into the culture and were wiped out. Idolatry gave them ironically what they wanted: to be like other nations. It stole identity and destroyed them.
And it will do so today. History bears this out. Those led captive to Assyria never returned home. Those ten tribes disappeared from history. Assyria resettled Samaria with their own people. What we know of Judaism today is but a remnant of what once was. That is how thoroughly the judgment of God fell on those given to such idolatrous disobedience.
Worship of Jesus makes Christians distinct. And we must guard our hearts from cultural and societal idols that want to replace that distinctive worship and steal our identities! This is why the gospel must never cease to be preached in our gatherings. This is why Jesus is central to our conversation and fellowship. This is why potential idols such as politics, celebrity, and programs must all be placed under the cross of Jesus, never in front of it or beside it! Little children, keep yourselves from idols! (1 John 5:21)
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