The Warnings of God  

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 17:1-23

Elijah was a fearless prophet of the God of Israel sent by God to warn the people of Israel of their spiritual failure.  They had turned from the living God who had brought them out of Egypt into a land flowing with milk as inheritance and worshipped idols.  That is why they lost their inheritance!  

This did not happen suddenly without warning.  God sent many prophets to Israel for centuries, asking them to repent and return to the Lord.  But Israel would not listen and wilfully continued in their sin.  Finally, God allowed the Assyrians to crush the rebellious kingdom of Israel!  

Hoshea, the son of Elah, the last king of Israel, was an evil man but by no means the worst of the kings of Israel.  He was definitely, not as bad as Ahab.  This reminds us that judgment may not come at the height of sin. 

When God judges a nation or a culture, He has the big picture in view.  Therefore, the actual events of judgment may not come at the worst time but may be delayed.   It may come when things are not as bad in a relative sense.  The delay in judgment should not make us think that God condones sin and push us into complacency.  

Are you listening to the warnings?  That is the question we have to answer today.

God often speaks to us through His Word, his servants, and the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  But we sometimes are so caught up in ourselves that we do not heed God’s directions and warnings.  Sometimes, we trust our family and friends so much that we do not heed God’s directions and warnings.  The Bible says, “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end, you will be counted among the wise”(Proverbs 19:20).  When we hear the warnings,  we have to change our course.  Otherwise, it is of no value.

My friend, what is the Lord warning you about?  If we harden our hearts and continue in sin, we will end up just like Israel.  Listen to the warnings, repent, and return to the Lord; then, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive and restore us.  

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, help me to listen to Your still, small voice and correct myself so that I will not incur the wrath of God.  Amen

---