“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother abound?” (2 Kings 9:22, NIV)
My dad is one of those golfers who can shoot their age, and he does so once or twice a month. We’ve played many rounds together, so we’ve seen each other’s good and bad. We’ve also heard each other’s excuses.
My own excuses usually have to do with a lack of practice. My dad’s have to do with a lack of focus. If he comes to the course with too much else on his mind—which could be the case if he had a big project going at work—it takes some time for him to move into “golf mode.” His mind, you could say, is not at peace, and his score pays the price. Maybe you know right where he is coming from.
We will be people without peace when our attentions and affections turn to things that rival God.This picture came to mind when I read the question of Jehu in our central verse today. Make no mistake, Jehu was a violent man. As God’s anointed king of Israel, he was called to purge the leadership and the land of all the wickedness that preceded him. This is one of those sections of Scripture that can make readers uncomfortable. But in his zeal for the Lord (2 Kings 10:16), Jehu killed all who stood against the God’s reforms.
These episodes do not stand alone in history. In our fallen world, peace is often purchased by way of war. Why is this so? Because wickedness is never the way of peace. And wickedness does not lie down easily.
Throughout Scripture, idolatry is a literal thing. Both the earlier ancients of the Old Testament and the nearer ancients of the New erected images for the sake of worship. And around these idols, sexual promiscuity, religious commerce, and power plays all thrived.
But idolatry was always a matter of the heart as well. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God made plain what he was seeing in wicked inquirers: “Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?” (Ezekiel 14:3).
In this way, the ancient becomes the contemporary. We, too, will be people without peace when our attentions and affections turn to things that rival God. Our focus is to be Godward. Idols turn our gaze.
Perhaps you’ve never put two and two together here. Your life has not followed the peaceful course you’ve always wanted, but you have never recognized the true cause of your unrest. Is it the presence of idols? Is it a lack of focus on Christ? Idols will not be rid of casually. They may need to be torn from your hands and heart, raided by the purging love of God, submitted to the refining fire of his Spirit. But better this be done by surrender and faith than by a Jehu assigned by God to set you straight!
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Jeff Hopper
April 23, 2019
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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