Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 35; John 7
Scripture: 2 Kings 23:13 The king also desecrated the high places that were east of Jerusalem on the south of the Hill of Corruption—the ones Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon.
Observation: Wow! This really got my attention. Josiah, as he turns the nation of Judah back to God gets rid of all kinds of pagan altars and idols. But notice here that he is destroying high places which were built by Solomon. I looked it up on Wikipedia and discovered Solomon's reign started about 1037 BC and Josiah's around 640 BC. That's nearly 400 years that have elapsed since Solomon. These pagan shrines were constructed by Solomon to accommodate one of his pagan wives as we are told in 1 Kings 11. He made this little compromise to please one of the 700 wives he had. I wonder did he know that this decision would plague his nation for the next 400 years!
Application: Small compromises can seem like a little ripple in the pond, but as the wave travels outward, the effect can become much greater than we could possibly imagine. It is so important to do the right things because when we give in and violate God's principles, we might be sentencing those who follow to struggles and battles that will set them back years, or decades, or even centuries.
Prayer: Lord, help us to realize the connectedness we have to those who follow, whether they be our children or just the people who take our place when we are gone. Help us to remember that what we do has unforeseen long-term consequences so that we stand and do what is right no matter what.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
Amen. In our society that is so centered on individualism, we don't like to be reminded that nothing we do affects us alone. Our actions, both good and bad, affect those around us. The actions of friends, parents, children, siblings, even enemies, all have an effect on us. I would wish we would all choose to act in righteousness so that we affect others for good and not evil.
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