A Tale of Two Countries

                A Tale of Two Countries or Not Learning from History

It has been the practice of mankind to continue to make the same mistakes over and over. In the story of 2 Kings 17(2 Kings 17 NIV - Hoshea Last King of Israel - In the), there was a nation that God had blessed from its inception. This country started well in obedience, but seem to have a propensity to make mistakes that caused God to discipline them. After a few centuries, they had broken up into two political systems. One rebelled and committed a great sin against God, the other as well had sinned against God but to a lesser degree. God was fed up with the people and their rebellious, hard-heartedness and hard-headedness. He brought judgment against the one who committed the greater sin. 

Their leader became a vassal, a greased monkey in the service and indebtedness to another kingdom. And in turn, the whole country was taken by the other kingdom. And the once godly country was taken and displaced into foreign cities of an even more rebellious nature towards God,

The new overlord king brought over a million plus corrupt and non-God believers into the country to replace those that he took away to foreign cities. The result was a spiritual climate change of even more evil. God intervened. He sent in a disciplinarian that was ruthless and cunning, so much so that the new inhabitants begged to know how to appease the founding God of this new country they lived in. The overlord sent back some who could explain and disciple the immigrants in who the God of the land was. Nevertheless, the people didn’t fully listen and persisted in their rebellion. They took a little of God and a lot of their prior religious beliefs, and made a concoction even more vile than those before them. And their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren inherited a vile and God forsaking nation. 

Now fast-forward thousands of years, another country was founded on the principles and moral laws of the Bible, God’s holy Word. From its establishment, the people brought the worship and the Word of God to this infant nation. It grew in the knowledge of God, but it still had an element of rebelliousness. As the other country prospered, an alliance with foreign countries brought with it bondage to ungodly and sinful mindsets. In its greed, selfishness, pride and arrogance, and immoral lifestyle, it became a vassal to these foreign ungodly rulers. So much so that those who desired to live godly lives were considered outsiders. 

God decided to discipline the other country with ungodly rulers. He gave the people over to their sinfulness, and allowed the ungodly rulers to bring in over a million peoples from foriegn countries who worshiped foreign gods and practiced immorality and idolatry, and they assimilated into every state and major city. The results were catastrophic, for many of these foreigners  were under bondage and control by dark spiritual forces. They struggled against God and he brought upon them a judgment that was killing them. They complained to the ungodly rulers, but got no relief. Unbeknownst to the vile rulers, God chose a remnant of godly people to reach out and share the Word of God with all who were under judgment and to do spiritual battle against the dark spiritual forces who ruled over the ungodly rulers. God owned the land, and he would not forsake those who still believed in Him and followed in His way. 

The end of the story has yet to be written for the other country, but if we look at history, the people continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord even to the third and fourth generation after them. They are still people who do not learn from history (His story).