Devotional - June 30, 2004

It's been said "All good things must come to an end." If that's true, then it's logical to conclude that all bad things must also come to an end.

Hoshea was the last king of Israel to "provoke the Lord to anger." God had seen some bad "stuff" before Hoshea came along, so what exactly was the thing that pushed his tolerance over the edge? What was so bad that God said, "Stop it; enough is enough?" Well, the laundry list of their sin is a long one:

They worshipped other gods and followed the practices of the pagan nations around them as well as some pagan practices their own kings had taught them. They hid sin in their heart thinking God couldn't find it. They built altars to false gods in sacred places dedicated to the Lord's service. They ignored God's word, failing to learn a lesson from the sin of their forefathers and resisted its principles altogether.

The Israelites acted like the nations living around them and broke every commandment in God's law. They worshipped astrology, practiced sorcery, worshipped devilish idols and even sacrificed their children on altars dedicated to them. Scripture says at the end of this list that God removed them from his presence by allowing Assyria to take them captive. (1Ki 17)

The twentieth chapter of Acts includes Paul's farewell to the elders at Ephesus. His charge to the leaders of the church included instructions for being a shepherd to God's people. He was speaking, not of the house of Israel, but to the church of Jesus Christ. You might be wondering what happened to Israel and what factors make the church the people of God in this age?

God's people are defined as those among whom God abides. Because the Holy Spirit lives in those of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we are called children of God. What happened to Israel's preferential treatment? Well, God's judgment on Israel is on pause. It's not complete, but neither are the promises he made to Abraham. One day, God will draw Israel home to receive one last great judgment for their many sins. Daniel called it the Time of Jacob's Trouble. Revelation calls it the Great Tribulation lasting 3-1/2 years. Then they will enjoy the promises God made to Abraham for one-thousand years.

You may think poorly of the Israelites for the bad things they did. You might even think their actions deserve judgment for the way they offended God. But have you stopped to consider you might be condemning yourself by judging them?

After all, the Holy Spirit didn't dwell in the Israelites. God's manifested himself in the cloud or fire above the assembly of Israelites. In the tabernacle worship, He rested between the cherubims on top on the Ark of the Covenant on what's called "the mercy seat." He spoke through prophets, angels, donkeys, but today, He speaks through His Spirit and Word. He never dwelled in the heart of an Israelite, but He lives in those of us who are redeemed through the blood of Jesus.

Christian friend, we are so blessed, but aren't we guilty of doing the same things as the Israelites and giving it a different name? The fact we consider our sin as "small" doesn't mean God is more tolerant of us than of the Israelites. It's time to consider the absence of God's movement in our churches and homes might mark the beginning of the end of God's tolerance.

1 Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( 2 Ki. 17:1-18:12 Ac. 20:1-38 Ps. 148:1-14 Pr. 18:6-7 )
2. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society