Daily Manna 19 May
KEY VERSE: “So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.” – (2 Kings 17:41)
READ: 2 Kings 17:24-41 (KJV)
24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.
29 Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
30 And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the LORD, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the LORD commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35 With whom the LORD had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36 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.
37 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.
38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.
39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
41 So these nations feared the LORD, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
In many cases, there is no way of telling between genuine and fake products from their look until they are put into use. No matter how good it may look, the fake cannot in any way work like the genuine. The same is true with our faith and worship. Mixed faith is weak faith!
The passage focuses on the nations that were brought to replace the children of Israel who had been carried away into captivity by the Assyrian empire. The new nations now occupying Samaria ran into serious problems. Since they did not know about the ways of the God of Israel and could not worship Him acceptably, they were attacked by lions. When they complained to the Assyrian king, he sent one of the deposed priests of Israel to teach them the ways of God. But even though they professed to fear and serve God in the public, they still had their idols and gods which they served. It was a syncretism of religions which did not profit them.
Many claim to believe in Jesus but have not sincerely forsaken or given up their old and false ways of worship. They delight in worship and show much zeal for prayer, but do not have genuine love and faith in God. It is as a result of this that many ‘Christians’ are still defeated by sin and suffer the attacks and oppressions of demonic powers.
Adulterated things may look cheap but in the long run, they are very costly. The same is true with mixed and adulterated faith. It may come cheap and easy without paying the price of genuine repentance, restitution and separation from the world. But it is a weak and powerless life. Genuine faith may seem costly because it will demand that you totally give up sin and all allegiance to the devil to fully embrace and serve the Lord. If you will be a Christian, be a genuine one.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Adulterated faith easily crumbles when the devil strikes.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 1-2
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Mixed Faith, Weak Faith – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 19 May 2021
