2 Kings 17

2Ki 17:16-17 So they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. (17) And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.

It starts with taking your eyes off God. The children of Israel had been given the very commandments of the Lord. Yet, because of their desire to be like the other nations, they demanded their own king. This leads us to today, where we find king after king leading Israel down the path of destruction. What had started as a simple desire to be like the other nations and have a king, had turned into complete rebellion against the Lord.

The above verses are startling. The fact that men and women would be driven to a point that they would volutarily send their children through the fire (living offering) is just sickening. We are also told that they practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, or better noted, demonic activity. It says that they had become sold to evil. Remember that this all took place because they took their eyes off Jesus.

A teacher I was listening to challenged the congregation by saying, "What would the entire world be like if Jesus never came?" There were numerous different thoughts. Everything would be effected. Slavery would be rampant, women would not have any rights, war would be eminent, and even the way we measure time would change. Now I was forced to think, what would my life be like if Jesus had never come? Oh the sin I am capable of. It is humbling to know that apart from Christ, I am just as stooped in sin as the children of Israel, yet with Christ, I am very much saved. I am free from sin.

Live for Jesus. Keep both eyes on Him. He is the reason you are taking time out of your day to read this. He is the reason you are helping others. He is the reason we are capable of any sort of good. To fall away from Him is to become so calloused, you find yourself like Israel.