READING: 2 Kings 9-11
The words are ominous ones: “Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart” (2 Kings 10:31). He had done much good, including standing against idolatry and Baal worship. Even the temple of Baal had been turned into a bathroom (2 Kings 10:27). What he did not do was remove the worship shrines at Dan and Bethel. He got rid of one form of idolatry but left the worship of golden calves in place. Thus, while Jehu’s reign was positive in many ways, it also led to God’s bringing judgment on the nation through military defeat.
The biblical text reminds us again of a truth we must not forget: partial obedience is still disobedience. It’s far too easy for us to determine to give up one sin while holding on to another. For example, we might break patterns of pornography while still lusting after material possessions, or we might repair some relationships while choosing to remain disconnected from others. We go only so far in obedience — seldom so far that we eradicate all sin patterns from our lives. We go far enough to live differently, but not so far that we’ve broken all our idols.
What idols are still gods for you today, even though you’ve rejected other idols in the past? Fame? Dollars? Sex? A relationship? Position? Sports? Work? Busyness? Power? Bitterness? Anger? What would you not give up, even if God demanded that you do so? Giving up all idols but one is still idolatry.
ACTION STEPS:
- Ask God to show you all day what idols remain in your life. Ask Him to make you spiritually sensitive to His response.
- Turn from those idols.
PRAYER: “Father, sometimes I ignore some entrenched idols even while I’m repenting of others. Please, God, help me to eradicate all the idols in my life.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Kings 12-14
