What You Worship
and what you become
Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 17:15
They went after false gods and became false…
Beginning in verse seven of 2 Kings chapter 17, there is a summary explanation of Israel’s exile. Verse seven says, “This occurred because the people of Israel sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt…and had feared other gods…”
The underlying issue was the idolatrous worship of false gods. What/who we worship is not a side issue without relevance to everyday life or the development of our character and conduct. If the world around you seems to be going crazy and you are wondering why, it is a worship problem.
Verse 15 has this interesting phrase. “They went after false gods and became false.” They became like what they worshipped. There is a phrase that I have heard that expresses this idea well. “You become what you behold.” Here are some other ways of saying that:
· What you look at, you will look like.
· You reflect what you respect.
· Our model is our making.
· Our gaze determines our growth.
In this case, the Israelites worshipped false gods. The result was they became false. There is a flip side to this. If we fix our hearts’ gaze on Christ, we will become like Him. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians chapter three as going from glory to glory as we behold Him as in a mirror.
If you want to know what the outcome of a man’s life will be, what he will look like at the end of the day, just pay attention to what he worships and what his heart is set on.
