Are you Living in Exile?

Today I am in II Kings. And I was struck with this thought: it didn’t have to be this way. Every time I read this passage, I am sad all over again for the people of Israel and the choices they made that caused them to be sent into exile.

And this is what we are told about the people of Israel: ‘Because the Lord was very angry with Israel, he swept them away from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained in the land. But even the people of Judah refused to obey the commands of the Lord their God, for they followed the evil practices that Israel had introduced. The Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel. He punished them by handing them over to their attackers until He had banished Israel from his presence. For when the Lord tore Israel away from the kingdom of David, they chose Jeroboam son of Nebat as their king. But Jeroboam drew Israel away from following the Lord and made them commit a great sin. And the people of Israel persisted in all the evil ways of Jeroboam. They did not turn from these sins until the Lord finally swept them away from his presence, just as all his prophets had warned. So, Israel was exiled from their land to Assyria, where they remain to this day.’ (2Kings 17:18-23).

How sad! Exile can be defined as a forced expulsion from your native land as a punishment. They did not choose to go to Assyria. And we are told that the prophets warned them again and again.  And this is what we are told that their sins were:

-stubbornness. Do you see yourself here? I was here once, when I was walking in sin. I did not want to let it go, so I ignored advice and distanced myself from Christian friends. This is such a dangerous place to be, but if you are here and you are still unhappy, that is a gift from God. I remember the day I reluctantly opened my Bible to see what God might have to say, and I was amazed at what I saw. I had no idea how loved I am and how good my life could be!

-refusing to believe in the Lord their God. This goes along with stubbornness. And I found myself here once too. How could God’s plans for me be better than my own? There’s a lot of pride wrapped up in that thought. But when you stop to consider things, the way I finally did, you too can enjoy a paradigm shift: ‘Wait, what if I have it wrong: What if what God says is true really is true?’ That’s the best thought I ever had, and I’m thankful to God for giving it to me.

-rejecting his decrees. I was here once too. When I walked away from God because of the pain in my marriage, I no longer considered his word trustworthy. But the problem was that I did not really know God, and so I blamed Him for my hurt. But now that He has drawn me back to Himself, I love His word! Another paradigm shift. I love what David said about it in Psalm 19: The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them your servant is warned, in keeping them there is great reward.

-despising his warnings. Are you living in a way that you know is wrong? I was. And I knew it: but I justified it and stayed away from anyone who might dare to speak some truth into my life. But one day He came and got me when He saw that I had wandered away long enough. I am so thankful for that day! And right now, we are living in a time of God’s grace to us: if you are reading this today, and you sense Him reaching out to you, don’t ignore it! It’s His favor toward you, but it will not always be this way. There will come a time of exile for you if you persist.

-worshiping worthless things. Do you have time for God? There was a time in my life that I did not have time for Him. I was too ‘busy’. But the real answer is that I was worshipping other things. If you’re not sure about this, just look at how you spend your time, and then you will know what’s most important to you.

-sacrificing sons and daughters in the fire;

-consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery;

-sold themselves to do evil.  All these things are a product of walking away from God. Sin is described in the Bible as ‘ever increasing wickedness’. We may think, well, I would never do THAT. But what I have discovered is that my heart apart from God is wicked and capable of anything. But if you’re like me, someone who tried to live life without God and finding it impossible, maybe it helps to keep a humbler perspective. Even today, I am aware that I could fall away from God again. But after having fallen away from Him once, and finding the joy of forgiveness and restoration, I never want to go that way again.

If your life is not one that has God at the center of it, maybe you are living in exile. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Choose not to be stubborn, and repent and turn from whatever is keeping you from knowing God. I love what the psalmist said in Psalm 119:71,72 ‘It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.’