"Just as the Lord has found great pleasure in causing
you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in destroying you. You
will be torn from the land you are about to enter and occupy. For the Lord will
scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There
you will worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known,
gods made of wood and stone! There among those nations, you will find no peace
or place to rest. And the Lord will cause your heart to tremble, your eyesight
to fail, and your soul to despair." Deuteronomy 28:63-65
There is much detail in Deuteronomy twenty-eight regarding the
destruction of Israel if they chose not to obey God. Unfortunately, they chose
not to obey God.
And so...
"This disaster came upon the people of Israel because
they worshiped other gods. They sinned against the Lord their God, who had
brought them safely out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. They had followed the practices of the pagan
nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of them, as well as the
practices the kings of Israel had introduced. The people of Israel had also
secretly done many things that were not pleasing to the Lord their God. They
built pagan shrines for themselves in all their towns, from the smallest
outpost to the largest walled city. They set up sacred pillars and Asherah
poles at the top of every hill and under every green tree. They offered
sacrifices on all the hilltops, just like the nations the Lord had driven from
the land ahead of them. So the people of Israel had done many evil things,
arousing the Lord’s anger. Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the Lord’s
specific and repeated warnings.
Again and again, the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel
and Judah: “Turn from all your evil ways. Obey my commands and decrees—the
entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through
my servants the prophets.”
But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors
who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and
the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised all his
warnings. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves.
They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord’s
command not to imitate them.
They rejected all the commands of the Lord their God and made two calves from
metal. They set up an Asherah pole and worshiped Baal and all the forces of
heaven. They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They
consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil,
arousing the Lord’s anger.
Because the Lord was very angry with Israel, he swept them away from his
presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land. But even the people of
Judah refused to obey the commands of the Lord their God, for they followed the
evil practices that Israel had introduced. The Lord rejected all the
descendants of Israel. He punished them by handing them over to their attackers
until he had banished Israel from his presence.
For when the Lord tore Israel away from the kingdom of David, they chose
Jeroboam son of Nebat as their king. But Jeroboam drew Israel away from
following the Lord and made them commit a great sin. And the people of Israel
persisted in all the evil ways of Jeroboam. They did not turn from these sins
until the Lord finally swept them away from his presence, just as all his
prophets had warned. So Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria, where
they remain to this day." 2 Kings 17:7-21
God was very specific.
"If you do this, you will be blessed beyond measure."
And He told them exactly how they would be blessed.
"However, if you do this, you will be destroyed."
And He explained exactly how they would be destroyed.
I'm mystified as to why many folks choose not to serve God.
"They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless
themselves." 2 Kings 17:15
Are you struggling with commitment to God? Are you an
unbeliever?
Why?
1. You simply don't believe.
"And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to
come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who
sincerely seek him."
Hebrews 11:6
2. You are living in delusion, believing a lie.
"And for this cause, God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie:"
2 Thessalonians 2:11
3. You are planning to serve God later in life. You are not
ready to leave your current lifestyle which may be against God's word.
"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is
like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone." James 4:14
4. You feel like God has forsaken you. Serving God hasn't worked out very well
for you.
"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will
personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor
abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8
5. You have been hurt by Christians or family.
"Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and
each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” Luke 17:4
6. God is not drawing you any longer.
"For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to
me..."
John 6:44
7. Living the Christian life is simply too hard.
"I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is
another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a
slave to the sin that is still within me."
Romans 7:22-23
8. You are concerned about losing friends and/or family.
"Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will
hold me close." Psalm 27:10
I'm sure there are more reasons for not serving God.
I can understand why you may feel like the bad sometimes
outweighs the good for those who live for God. I agree, living for God can be
difficult at times. But, if you are honest with yourself and God, you will find
that the end reward, whether good are bad, is real.
Look to the children of Israel and learn from their mistakes.
Look to God for direction. He is waiting for you to lay all your doubts at His
feet. Do you feel Him drawing you? I hope so.
If He decides to cease gently tugging on our hearts, then we
will no longer have hope.
I'm reminded of another scripture.
"He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his
winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat
into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.” Matthew 3:12
"Dear Jesus, there are those of us who are half-hearted in
our walk with You. You continue to draw us and we continue to hang back. I pray
that You will not give up on us! I pray that You will continue to draw us! We
are helpless and hopeless without You, dear Jesus. We must continue to follow
Your tug on our hearts, lest You stop drawing us. We don't want to become
worthless chaff thrown into the fire. Forgive us, oh Lord! Thank You that You
hear every prayer and see every tear. In Your precious name, we pray these
things, AMEN."