Scripture:
2 Kings 10:28-31 ESV
[28] Thus, Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. [29] But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. [30] And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” [31] But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.
Observation:
Jehu had a great zeel for the LORD. Stepping up and taking out all those who worshiped baal. Destroying the temple that the worship took place in. Rounding up everyone who had anything to do with it and putting them to the sword. His zeel was sure one might think. But there was one thing that got overlooked. One skeleton in the closet. The sin of Jeroboam. The thing he did that caused Isreal to fall away from the LORD. So this leads me to a question. Why would Jehu go to such great lengths to achieve only half the process? What was it about what Jeroboam had done that was so hard to let go of? This sin seemed to keep finding its way back into the heart of GOD’S people. My guess is it was something subtle that could go one notice. Jehu took the time and made the effort to drive out baal worship, and that did not go unnoticed, but the secret little sin of Jeroboam did.
Application:
How often have we gotten halfway to the destination and thought that might be good enough, and well, it just might be that I’m sure our efforts don’t go unnoticed by GOD. My thought is conditioning probably has a lot to do with the reason we don’t complete the task. Sanctification is a process. We must press on to get everything that is not of GOD out of our lives. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not by any means saying that we earn our salvation, which is a gift, and there is nothing we can do to earn it. What I am saying is that once we have it, our life will reflect that. That being said, we must let GOD determine what gets to stay in our lives and what does not. That thought… well, this is how my grandpa did it. It may not be how GOD would do it. If our righteous heavenly Father says it’s sin, it has to go, and that’s that. Now, in order to determine that, we have to know HIS word and HIS heart. Now I know that some things will slip through the cracks. Have you ever seen a weed growing up through the cracks of a sidewalk. If not attended to, it will overtake the sidewalk. A regular attempt to pluck those little suckered out is necessary to keep the sidewalk in good shape. This is the way I think. I want to stop at nothing to walk as close to GOD as I can, leaving no stone unturned.
Prayer:
Father, we come to you today wanting to serve you with all our hearts. We know that it’s your path we want our feet on. Your word is our plumbline. Help us to see how our lives line up to it. Let our walk reflect the face that you guide our steps. When you look at us, we hope you see your reflection. Because if you do, we know that everyone else will as well our heart, and our desire is to reflect you. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen