Turning Away From God

This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods. They sinned against the LORD their God. . . . They worshiped idols, despite the LORD’s specific and repeated warnings.   2 Kings 17:7, 12

God’s people became divided after the death of Solomon, and the northern tribes declared their independence from the southern tribes. The tragedy of the northern tribes was that they separated themselves from the blessing of God.

God promised to bless the line of David’s descendants who ruled in the South. There the royal line of David continued, with each king transferring power to his son. But in the North, most kings came to power by murdering their predecessor.

Nineteen kings ruled over the northern kingdom’s two hundred years, and every one “did what was evil in the LORD’s sight” (see, for example, 1 Kings 15:26). Eventually, God allowed their enemies to overrun them, and the people were deported. The whole area became a wasteland.

When Jeroboam, the first northern king, set up two golden calves, it was the beginning of two hundred years of turning away from the Lord. Amos described the northern kingdom in its later years: the rich lived in opulence, showing a total disregard for the poor, and the streets were filled with violence. Some parents even allowed their unwanted children to be burned in the fire.

This society had become sick, but the first charge God brought against his people was not violence, murder, greed, or cruelty. His first complaint was that they had worshiped other gods (see 2 Kings 17:7). Why?

The first four commands are God’s fundamental requirements: “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind. . . . You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. . . . Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Exodus 20:3-8). Our first calling is to give God his place.

When Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment, he answered, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind” (Matthew 22:36-37). This is godliness.

For further reading, see Exodus 20