S) "25 At the beginning of their living there, they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, 'The nations whom you have carried away into exile in the cities of Samaria do not know the custom of the god of the land; so he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them because they do not know the custom of the god of the land.'"
2 Kings 17:25-26 (NASB)
O) The people mentioned in this passage were not Israelites, but they were exiles from other countries, that the Assyrians had then supplanted into Samaria, in place of the Israelites formerly driven out of the city. The new residents did well to recognize that there must have been a reason, even a divine one, for the lions coming and killing their people. When the king heard their complaint, he sent a priest of the LORD to teach them about God (vv.27-28). The real problem was manifested later in the chapter, when these new inhabitants did not revere the LORD as they should have, and they reverted to the idol worship they practiced in years past (vv.38-41).
A) Here is the problem of these inhabitants: they were seeking a god of salvation, instead of a god of sovereignty. I use a lower-case "g" there, because these people were searching in ignorance. This is very much like many people in today's world. People are searching for a solution to the problem they face. They are looking for a god of salvation - even if they do not call it that. They want a supernatural solution to a problem, but they aren't looking for a new allegiance. The LORD is the only living God, however - He gets capital letters. Furthermore, the Lord GOD is not satisfied being our god of salvation. He is sovereign. He isn't simply looking for damsels in distress, He is looking for citizens for His Kingdom. So, if I am seeking a god to save me, or even The God to save me, I will end up walking away, because I will not treat Him as Lord, as sovereign, with the faithfulness He requires. In the midst of my struggles, I should not be looking for salvation, I should be looking for sovereignty.
P) Father, You are holy, powerful, just, and sovereign. Thank You for being my Lord, my God. Rebuke me when I am tempted to treat You as a common solution to a problem. Remind me with fierce discipline, that You are my Master, and my faithfulness to You is not optional. Remind me that I am a citizen of Your Kingdom, which will never pass away. When I face a trouble, a problem, or a conflict, let me seek You because You are sovereign, not simply because You can save me. I submit to seeking Your will to be done, however You decide. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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