I’ve been thinking about the Samaritans lately… I know, crazy thing to think about!
Quick history lesson :)
When Assyria conquered Israel the Israelites were exiled to Assyria, and other people were brought in to live there. These people were eventually known as the Samaritans. This picks up in 2 Kings chapter 17…
The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 When they first lived there, they did not worship the LORD; so he sent lions among them and they killed some of the people. 26 It was reported to the king of Assyria: "The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires."
27 Then the king of Assyria gave this order: "Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires." 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the LORD.
29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. 30 The men from Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men from Cuthah made Nergal, and the men from Hamath made Ashima; 31 the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 They worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed all sorts of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. 33 They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.
What I’ve been thinking about is… these people served God just enough to keep from being killed by lions and that’s it, no more. They still held on to all their old habits and beliefs.
How many times are we like that?
No, we’re not being killed by lions, but the idea is the same. We want to be saved, be Christians, spend eternity in heaven… but we still want to hold on to all our old habits and beliefs, too. We still want to do what we want to do and so we make excuses or we ignore God or we try to justify our actions and make them seem okay.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we can earn our salvation… it’s a free gift (Ephesians 2:8). We could never be good enough or do enough to earn it, our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). BUT, once we’re saved, Jesus said if we loved Him we would keep His commands (John 14:15).
And, I believe, that there are some things we can do for Him that He doesn’t require, but we can do just because we love Him. (Now what I do may be different from what you do, that doesn’t mean that what I do is better… just that different people have different ways of showing their love!) As parents, doesn’t it please us when our kids go above and beyond? Why wouldn’t it please God, too?
My friend Katie had a wonderful blog post about something her son did that blessed her. It wasn’t something she asked or even expected of him, but when he rose to the occasion she was so proud of him. We need to rise to the occasion for God, stop making excuses and trying to justify our actions and just do the things we know will please Him.
It might not be easy, and we may have to get out of our comfort zone, but it will be so worth it!
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9
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