Scripture

Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel. However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin. – 2 Kings 10:28-31

Observation

After the reigns of David and Solomon, the nation of Israel began to spiral into a chaotic state of civil war and rebellion against God and was ultimately conquered and led into captivity. There were a few leaders and kings who followed God and tried to lead the people back into the blessing of their covenant relationship with God. Once such king was Jehu, who in his zeal for the Lord, destroyed the temple of Baal and killed those who worshiped him. However, in our passage today, we see that for some reason he stopped short of completely obeying the Lord in ridding Israel from other forms of idolatry and sin. The Bible doesn’t say why Jehu only partially obeyed God. Perhaps it was out of his own traditions that he stopped short of complete obedience, or maybe it was for convenience sake. It could have been that some of his relationships would have been affected by such radical following of God’s Word. Whatever the reason, we know that Jehu’s unwillingness to obey God completely ultimately affected not only him, but his family and the entire nation of Israel.

Application

As children of God, we are constantly challenged by Scripture and the Holy Spirit to respond in obedience and faith in different areas of our lives that God wants to make us more like Him. There are any number of reasons that we don’t always respond fully to Him, including those I mentioned earlier. The truth is that when we obey Him, His blessing always follows, but when we don’t, it affects us and those around us. I often tell my children that partial obedience is really disobedience. God’s work in our lives is always to bring us into a greater experience of His blessing and abundance in our lives, but it often requires that we go through periods of difficulty, sacrifice, adversity and suffering. The promise of Scripture in 2 Corinthians 4:17 is this: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Is there some area of your life that God is asking you to respond to Him in faith and obedience, but your response has been partial at best? Trust Him today, obey Him completely, and see His faithfulness and blessing work mightily in your life and circumstances!

Prayer

Father, grant me the courage today to completely trust and obey You. I want Your best in my life, and I don’t want to settle for partial obedience and partial blessing. I want all that You have for me, my family, and those around me. For Your glory, and in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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