Daily Manna 20 October
KEY VERSE: 2 Kings 17:14 – “Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.”
TEXT: 2 Kings 17:24-41
24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities. 25 And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land.” 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals 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 However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. 30 The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared the Lord, and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the [a]high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.
34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the Lord had commanded the children of Jacob, whom He named Israel, 35 with whom the Lord had made a covenant and charged them, saying: “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; 36 but the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. 41 So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
One of the glaring effects of globalisation is the gradual fusion of different cultures, beliefs and lifestyles into one. These days, we are also beginning to see a mixture and fusion of different religions. For instance, “Chrislam,” a movement which is a blend of Christianity and Islam, is becoming a popular movement in Nigeria and the United States.
The leaders of the Assyrian nation which conquered Israel came face to face with the harsh realities of the consequences of syncretism in worship – that is, mixing up idol worship with the worship of the true God. After the nation of Israel had been carried away from their land as a result of their sins, the Assyrians who conquered them brought other nations to occupy their lands. These new occupants of the land of Israel brought with them their various idols. Though they appeared to be worshipping God, they did not give up their idol worship.
This provoked God and moved Him to visit them with judgment. God cannot be placed side by side with idols. There are people who claim to have been converted to Christianity from their former religions but still bring some of the elements of their former beliefs into the faith and church. There are even some churches today that have imported some practices from heathen religions into their worship styles. One is not surprised then when these so-called believers keep complaining of satanic attacks, afflictions from their ancestral pasts as well as other strange experiences. True believers must ensure a complete and total break from their past.
If you are truly born again and have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, He alone must be the One you worship. There must not be a divided loyalty between Christ and other gods. You must be willing to make a clean break from all your former belief systems.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: You cannot serve God and mammon!
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 61-66
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – No Syncretism in Worship- by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 20 October 2021
