Don't Go Back!

Based on 2 Kings 17-18, John 3:19-36

Looking back on our lives, we see many instances where a "re-do" would have been nice...we see many times that God saved us from terrible circumstances, many of them being our own doing. Unfortunately, there are times when we revert back to old habits & behaviors, and we get ourselves stuck in the same messes as before...but God's Word constantly reminds us not to go back! The journey is still worth it! Keep looking forward to Jesus!

"but the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice. And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods. And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods. But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies. Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner." 2 Kings 17:36‭-‬40

We don't want to get stuck in our former ways! God reminded Israel & Judah many times where they had been & how He brought them out. But somehow, they forgot that Egypt was bondage. They forgot the suffering of those before them. And in a crazy turn of events, God's people ended up serving other gods and even bringing gifts to So, the king of Egypt! This caused the king of Assyria to get jealous (because Israel was bringing him gifts too), and the king of Assyria put Hoshea the king of Israel in prison & besieged Israel...sounds a lot like bondage again, right? We can't think that returning to our old negative ways won't have the same negative consequences!

"And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me? Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him. But if ye say unto me, We trust in the LORD our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?" 2 Kings 18:19‭-‬22

Hezekiah was a king of Judah who did trust in The Lord. In all the taunting from the Assyrians (because they were not only going to take Israel, but Judah as well), Hezekiah told the people to hold their peace. They could have fought back. They could have just praised & honored the Assyrians and feared them more than their God...but Rab-shakeh actually reminded them of the reasons why they shouldn't trust anyone but their God! When you lean on Egypt, it comes back to bite ya in the end! He told them that no other god's power was able to stand against the Assyrians...so that leaves our God! The One true God! Rab-shakeh thought that Hezekiah taking down the high places was going to stop God from getting the victory, but Hezekiah was just stopping the worship of false gods so that Judah could only worship our God & be victorious!

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3:19

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36

Dark, or Light? Life, or Wrath? It's our choice where we turn, just like Adam & Eve in the garden. We know what we are capable of, on either side...we know our strengths, and we know our weaknesses...Are we going to repeat mistakes we've been delivered from? Are we going to let God make the best of us, or let this world, ourselves, make the worst of us?