DCLM Daily Manna 20 October 2021 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — No Syncretism In Worship
TOPIC: No Syncretism In Worship
TEXT: 2 Kings 17:24-41
24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.
25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the Lord: therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
26 Wherefore they spake to the king of Assyria, saying, The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land: therefore he hath sent lions among them, and, behold, they slay them, because they know not the manner of the God of the land.
27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land.
28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
29 Howbeit every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.
30 And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.
32 So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.
33 They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.
34 Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
35 With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:
36 But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.
37 And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.
38 And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.
39 But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
40 Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.
41 So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.
KEY VERSE: “So they feared the LORD, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places…and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence” (2 KINGS 17:32, 33).
MESSAGE:
One of the glaring effects of globalisation is the gradual fusion of different cultures, beliefs and lifestyles into one. These days, we are also beginning to see a mixture and fusion of different religions. For instance, “Chrislam,” a movement which is a blend of Christianity and Islam, is becoming a popular movement in Nigeria and the United States.
The leaders of the Assyrian nation which conquered Israel came face to face with the harsh realities of the consequences of syncretism in worship – that is, mixing up idol worship with the worship of the true God. After the nation of Israel had been carried away from their land as a result of their sins, the Assyrians who conquered them brought other nations to occupy their lands. These new occupants of the land of Israel brought with them their various idols. Though they appeared to be worshipping God, they did not give up their idol worship. This provoked God and moved Him to visit them with judgment. God cannot be placed side by side with idols.
There are people who claim to have been converted to Christianity from their former religions but still bring some of the elements of their former beliefs into the faith and church. There are even some churches today that have imported some practices from heathen religions into their worship styles. One is not surprised then when these so-called believers keep complaining of satanic attacks, afflictions from their ancestral pasts as well as other strange experiences.
True believers must ensure a complete and total break from their past. If you are truly born again and have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, He alone must be the One you worship. There must not be a divided loyalty between Christ and other gods. You must be willing to make a clean break from all your former belief systems.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
You cannot serve God and mammon!
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Isaiah 61-66
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
