In A Nutshell

Scripture

Israel served idols, although the Lord had told them, “You must not do this.” The Lord warned Israel and Judah through every prophet, saying, “Turn from your evil ways”…But they would not listen. Instead they became obstinate like their ancestors…They rejected his statutes and… the warnings he had given them.

~ 2 Kings 17:12-15 (CSB)

Quote

Man, living by God’s law is the noblest of all creatures but when man defies God’s law, he becomes the vilest of all creatures.

~Ya’akov [Adapted From Aristotle]

God gives us rules not to restrict or punish us but to help us enjoy life. Anarchy destroys any chance of happiness on this earth. Even Solomon recognized that the way of the transgressor is hard. The surest way to make your life difficult and even miserable is to become a perpetual law-breaker. The writer of 2 Kings sums up Israel and Judah history {period of the kings} in one brief paragraph that is stated above. They rejected God’s law, they spurned His commandments and lived according to the dictates of their own hearts. God warned them time and again but it did no good: they were obstinate like their ancestors in the wilderness. They refused to listen and they continually worshiped other gods [idols]. There is no such thing as a noble idol worshiper. They who worship worthless idols become worthless themselves. We become what we worship. Israel had no character and it was reflected in their kings. The only king of Israel {Northern Tribes} who gets and honorable mention is Jehu. Although he purged the house of Ahab and destroyed the prophets of Baal, he never stopped worshiping the golden calves set up by Jeroboam. In brief, none of Israel’s kings tried to please the LORD. Judah had a few good kings, Israel had none. The results of their pig-headed defiance was defeat and deportation. The Assyrians moved them out of the country into the territory of the Medes. Now they are referred to as the lost tribes of Israel because they assimilated into the foreign cultures to which they were sent. What you know as Israel today is basically the Jews; the descendants of David {Judah} along with the tribe of Benjamin. Many of the descendants of Aaron [Levi] survived because they moved to the South so they could take part in Jehovah worship. If the Northern Tribes are still in existence, only God knows where they are.

What is the moral or lesson of this story. Rebellion against God is a sure recipe for your personal destruction. Be like the Northern Tribes and live by the dictates of your own heart and see where it gets you. I promise you one thing: when you get what you want, you will not like what you have. I have been young and now I am old and I’ve learned the secret to a happy life, obey God–that is it in a nutshell. His way is always better than our way.

  • Well, the football season has gone by fast and I’m sure today will probably fly by as well. I have decided to watch the game. It will be the first time in about 5 years. I think Auburn will play their best game of the year and I’m afraid it will be close. June says I’m crazy and I agree. It’s a stupid football game for Pete’s sake. I missed the State/Ole Miss game last night and they had a donnybrook. I have not been able to find any footage on the computer.
  • More cold weather on the way, they say and I’m just not ready for it. Literally, I am not ready. I was sure I would get my little building underpinned before it got cold and I didn’t.
  • We are going to try to get started on the DIGEST Monday and I had the kids do a picture for our CHRISTMAS edition. I hope this picture doesn’t mean we are going to have a black Christmas: what has happened to red, green and white? Personally, I am not dreaming of a black Christmas, are you? Just checking. We had 21 but Landon’s fiance` is not picture: he is engaged too you know. June and I started out in the middle but the right side got over loaded. We going have to use risers next years so we can get in a little tighter.

BAILEY FAMILY CHRISTMAS PHOTO FOR DIGEST

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *