How far have we strayed?

For the full context of this post read 2 Kings 22:1- 13.

8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it. 11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes (2 Kings 22:8&11, NIV).

At one point, the Israelites had lost the Book of Law. 2 Kings 22 recounts when it was found. It is important to note that at the time that the Book of the Law was found, the Israelites were renovating the temple, doing the work of God, and living a life which they believed honored God. They modeled their lifestyles after the lifestyles of those who they knew loved God. They built their faith in God by listening to and believing that which their God fearing ancestors had told them. The Israelites were desiring to do God’s will.

When the Book of the Law was found, the king was shocked to see how far the people had strayed from God. He recognized that those who had gone before them had not obeyed God and acted in accordance with the Book of the Law. The lifestyle that the Israelites had adopted honored culture not God. Culture had slowly corrupted God’s people to the point that they did not even recognize how far they had strayed from God.

How far has our culture allowed us to stray? Are we guilty of busying ourselves by doing the work of God while letting our Bibles get lost in the culture of life? Do we judge our lives against the lives of other believers, or against the pages of God’s word? Have we allowed culture to corrupt us? If we aren’t sure how to answer these questions, it might be time to dust off our Bibles and take a look inside. If we want to follow God’s ways we must follow his word above our culture’s word. Culture corrupts; God’s ways will never fail.