Day 67 of 365
JUDGMENT ON FALSE WORSHIP
The destruction of the house of Ahab fulfilled God's prophetic words of judgment (1Ki 21:21 - 22). God hates idolatry because it distorts human worship and causes people to direct their passions, sacrifices, affections and loyalties to created things instead of to God. Ahab and Jezebel were guilty not only of personal idolatry but also of leading others to sin against God in this fashion, and their lives illustrate idolatry's destructive effects. Years of pursuing false gods eventually warped Ahab's very identity as king. Instead of caring for his people, he used his position of power to take advantage of them, eventually murdering one of his own subjects and stealing his vineyard (1Ki 21). This sin finally prompted God's terrible punishment. God's judgment comes against all those who exchange the glory of God for worship of created things (Ro 1:18 - 32).
Throughout Jesus' earthly ministry, he issued similarly strong warnings about the destruction that will surely come to those who fail to worship God. Ironically, Jesus often reserved this condemnation for religious leaders who had turned their religious performance into a source of false worship. Jesus warned these leaders of the temporal judgment they will face as well as the fact that they would one day be judged by the one to whom all worship is due (Mt 23:13 - 39; Rev 20:11 - 15).
Jesus, protect me from the sin of idolatry. Help me to only worship you. Amen.
2 Kings 10:9-17 NASB
9 Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, "You are innocent; behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? 10 Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the L ord , which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what He spoke through His servant Elijah." 11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.
12 Then he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds, 13 Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, "Who are you?" And they answered, "We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother." 14 He said, "Take them alive." So they took them alive and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
15 Now when he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, "Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?" And Jehonadab answered, "It is." Jehu said, "If it is, give me your hand." And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 He said, "Come with me and see my zeal for the L ord ." So he made him ride in his chariot. 17 When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah.
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