- We may think it’s unfair that Israel had bad leaders that led them astray. But, let’s remember God gives people what they desire. He lets them find what they seek.
- This is what their hearts wanted. We’re told they despised God’s statutes. There was no love for God here. There may have been some fear, but there was no love.
- They feared God enough to offer sacrifices in His name but not enough to not offer sacrifices to all the other gods too. They didn’t treat Him as holy, set apart. They treated Him like any wooden carving they set up in front of them.
- Does this happen in the church today?
- You bet.
- People worship God on Sunday, lift and clap their hands, sing songs about their Savior. Then they turn right around and go after their other gods.
- They sacrifice…they work, they save, they buy, they sell, they exercise, they dedicate themselves to achieve their goals, to get what they are desiring after.
- Evangelism often just means getting people into the church, not into God’s kingdom.
- Discipling often just means getting people into small social groups so they can “do life together” instead of teaching people to obey all God commanded us.
- Where does your heart lie?
- Do we love His statutes?
- Do we delight in submitting to God’s decrees for our lives, days, moment to moment?
- Do we delight in seeking to know His ways and choosing to follow Him?
- Do we love God enough to trust Him to save us?
- Do we love Him enough to just seek Him and know we desire after nothing else?