2 Kings 17:32

 2 Kings 17:32 says, So they feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places.  The people feared the Lord, not out of acknowledgment of Who He was, but because of the lions, and they made some of the lowest of people priests and not men called by God.  People still go through the motions of serving God today because they fear what He may do to them, but they really don't follow Him because of a love for Him because of His providing the only way to salvation.  Verse thirty-three adds, They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence.  They feared God's punishment, but they still served other gods out of love for and devotion to them.  Matthew Henry says they made a mongrel religion, which tried to appease God and worship other gods out of love for them.  We cannot add any other god to our life and be devoted to God out of love at the same time.  Verse thirty-four continues, Unto this day they do after the former manners: they fear not the Lord, neither do they after their statutes, or after their ordinances, or after the law and commandment which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;  Finally, they began to totally ignore the commandments of God, which they as descendants of Jacob, who was named Israel by God and was the one the nation was named for, were commanded to follow.  We cannot really be a Christian and ignore the commandments of God, since as Christians, we are called by the name of Christ.  Verse thirty-five states, With whom the Lord had made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them:  They were reminded of their covenant relationship with God, when they promised to worship God alone.  As followers of Christ, we have a covenant relationship with Him, and we must worship Him alone and have no fear, or respect, for other gods.  Verse thirty-six adds, But the Lord, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear, and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.  The people of Israel were reminded that God hand brought them out of captivity in Egypt, and they had been commanded to worship Him alone.  As Christians, God has brought us out of captivity to sin, and we should worship Him for His great power in doing so.  It is not something that we can do for ourselves.  Verse thirty-seven continues, And the statutes, and the ordinances, and the law, and the commandment, which he wrote for you, ye shall observe to do for evermore; and ye shall not fear other gods.  The people were reminded that their covenant with God was to be an everlasting covenant, just as ours is with Jesus Christ, once we accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  This meant they were to never allow themselves to worship any other god, just as it does us today.  Verse thirty-eight says, And the covenant that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other gods.  The people of Israel were reminded that they were never to forget their covenant with God if they were to be His people, but they did.  This is still true for Christians today.  We must forsake all other gods and follow God's commandments.  Verse thirty-nine adds, But the Lord your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.  Like the people of Israel, we need to be committed to God and follow Him alone, because He has already delivered us from the power of sin and death.  Of course, unlike Israel, if we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are forever God's people, whereas the people of Israel sometimes lost their status as His true people.  Verse forty continues, Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did after their former manner.  We need to beware of the how-be-its in the Bible.  They usually imply that the people were not following God's word, and we don't need any in our lives today.   Verse forty-one concludes, So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.  Though we are told the people feared the Lord, they had no respect for Him.  They served other gods instead.  We can either put our faith in God alone, or we should fear His coming judgment.