2 Kings 18:11-12 - The king of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes. This happened because they had not obeyed the Lord their God, but had violated his covenant - all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded. They neither listened to the commands nor carried them out.

Do we sometimes want to skirt around the Lord’s commands? Can and should we ever do any less than what Jesus lived and taught and still call ourselves Christians? The background of today’s scripture was a trip of many years that began during Solomon’s time. He began the slippery slope when he took foreign wives and erected worship places for them. But following idols and false gods is much like a cancer. We may not see any detrimental effects at first, but it is eating away at us just the same. Know that Satan lies in wait like the snake he is, hoping for the right opportunity to strike. He delights in our weaknesses and failures, reveling at each and every downfall. As we grow perhaps unknowingly - closer to him, we don’t realize the harm we are doing to ourselves until we reach a point of no return. But there are those around us who remain strong despite every hardship, and if we ever have a glimmer of hope, it will be from them we can learn, as Israel could have learned from Judah’s King Hezekiah had they simply opened their eyes. Hezekiah probably was not too popular when he destroyed Asherah poles and high places, but he was steadfast in his belief of following God’s first commandment, and that is the main reason Judah continued free for a time past Israel’s exile. Although short lived because of their shortsightedness, Judah breathed relatively free air for a while. We cannot hold to hope if we have an on again, off again relationship with God. But by our staying true to the Lord, He will never leave us or forsake us, a promise He has kept over and over, and we will prosper in His name. Fact!