Listen and Obey

2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 28; Psalms 46; James 3 

“The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ‘Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees…’ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the Lord their God.”

2 Kings 17:13, 14

How we respond to the Lord’s warnings in our lives influences the ways in which we experience God’s discipline. The tribes of both Israel and Judah were repeatedly warned by God’s messengers, yet their hearts remained hard and their necks stiff. It takes humility to bow our heads before God and his Word to us.

How have we responded to his warnings to us in the past?

Are our hearts getting softer, or harder?

Our obedience to God’s Word is connected to our trust that God’s ways are better than our sinful ways. Walking in the light of God’s Word and ways is our witness to the world that God is at work in our lives. Israel is a reminder to all God’s covenant people that how we respond to God’s Word has consequences.

“Lord God, I humble myself before you and choose to obey your Word and voice today, for your glory.”