Daily Reading
Daily Thought
She had selected his wedding band. That part was easy. Now to choose an engraving. The jeweler suggested, “I choo choo choose you.” Not a chance. “Today, I married my best friend”? A little sappy. “August 16, 1986.” It would help him remember your anniversary… “Two hearts, one soul?” I don’t think so. “Eternally Yours.” Boring. “Today, Tomorrow, Forever,” “My Dream Came True,” “This Day And Always” – No, No, No!
On the wedding night, he pulled off his ring and looked inside to discover the engraving she had selected: “Put it back on.”
The thing is, you only see the engraving if you take the ring off–and that was Israel’s problem. God made a covenant with Israel through Moses,“I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Exodus 6:7-8). That’s a wedding vow, a wedding between God and his people.
Judah to the south had some kings who were faithful and some who were not, but the northern kingdom of Israel had no good kings and Israel kept taking the wedding ring off and playing around. “Zechariah the son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria six months and he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2Kings 15:8-9). King Menahem, the same thing, “he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2Kings 15:18). Then Pekahiah (2Kings 15:24), Pekah (2Kings 15:28), and Hoshea (2Kings 17:2). Israel kept taking it off, and God kept reminding them, “You shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you” (2Kings 17:38). Put it back on!
But they took it off, again and again, until finally, in 722BC, “in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away” (2Kings 17:6).
You keep taking off the wedding ring, eventually you lose it.
Daily Prayer
Loving God, You sought me out and rescued me from the darkness I was in. You paid the price of my redemption. You spilled blood for my salvation. You gave Your life for me. I love You back. I promise.
I will not seek other ways, other ideas, other gods. You did not need to seek me, You desired to. I, on the other hand, need to seek You. I pray, my God, that You will be and will always be my one desire, my full desire.
Amen
Daily Question
How can something be tempt you enough to pull you away from Jesus?