that's not Jesus

The Word for today:
2 Kings 17

mark this: 2 Kings 17: 32-33

2 Kings chapter 17 marks the end of the line for the ten northern tribes of Israel.

For hundreds of years, the Lord called to His people, but they would not respond. They continually went off into idolatry. And because they would not respond to His goodness, they began to experience His judgment. The Word of God is very clear that he sent them into captivity because they insisted on worshiping other gods.

On the tops of the hills and under the trees shrines to other gods were built and the worship of these idols was carried on.

God had put the Canaanites out of the land for their immorality and idolatry. Certainly, he will not permit His own people to stay in the land and do the same things. So He allows Assyria to come and carry them away into captivity.

Carrying people into captivity was a common practice of the day. A conquering country would take the conquered people back into its own region so that, over time, the new arrivals would be absorbed into the host culture and lose their national identity. The people of Israel were divided and placed in various areas in order that separation and isolation would keep them from rebelling.

When the king of Assyria took the northern kingdom captive, he brought in other people to inhabit the land. The area of the northern kingdom was called Samaria. The Samaritans of the New Testament are the descendants of the colonists brought in by the king of Assyria.

God had sent the prophets Ahijah, Elijah, Micaiah, Elisha, Jonah, Amos, and Hosea to these people in the northern kingdom of Israel. To the southern kingdom of Judah he had sent the prophets Shemaiah, Joel, Isaiah and Micah. Later on He will be sending Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah.

Every prophet warned the people of both kingdoms what would take place if they did not return to the LORD God.

Idolatry at its core is an attempt by man to diminish God. Whereas God's image lifts us up, man in rebellion makes an image in order to tear God down to the level of creature, not creator. We in our era don't bow down to images of birds and crocodiles and frogs. Our image-making is more pernicious. We cannot lift ourselves up to God, so in an attempt to deify ourselves, we have to bring God down to our level.

Our generation’s favorite form of idolatry involves remaking Jesus in the image of man. We remake Jesus in movies, books, and even in our churches.

Pretty soon we are worshiping a Jesus we've concocted ourselves.

The only real Jesus--the only Jesus Christ who ever lived--was the Son of God, virgin-born, who performed miracles, died for our sins in accordance with the prophetic scriptures, was buried, and rose again the third day in accordance with the prophetic scriptures. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

The only real Jesus is the Jesus of the Bible, the Jesus according to scripture (1).

As we study God's Word, absorbing the truth about Jesus Christ, there is yet another thing to do in order to know Jesus better. We must pro-actively kick out the Jesus made in the image of man--the Jesus of Hollywood, the Jesus of contemporary culture, the watered-down Jesus you'll meet in many of your churches. That "Jesus" becomes entwined with the real Jesus we meet in God's Word, unless we drive him out of our hearts and minds.

Two days ago, we learned that King Jehu had exterminated all the prophets of Baal. But he didn't demolish the golden calves in Dan and Bethel.

Today we read these odd lines--
They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. (2)

They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. (3)

Breathe in the real Jesus. Spit out the "Jesus" that man has made in his own image.
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(1) 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; (2) 2 Kings 17:32; (3) 2 Kings 17:33