Future Issues for the Northwest

Scripture: The priests and Levites from all over Israel came and made themselves available to Rehoboam. The Levites left their pastures and properties and moved to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had dismissed them from the priesthood of God and replaced them with his own priests to preside over the worship centers at which he had installed goat and calf demon-idols. Everyone from all the tribes of Israel who determined to seek the God of Israel migrated with the priests and Levites to Jerusalem to worship there, sacrificing to the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 11:13-16

Observation: When Israel divides, Jeroboam immediately changes the nature of worship, creating centers for idol-worship, and a new structure for such worship that removes the responsibility from the Levites. In response the Levites leave Israel (abandoning their ancestral homes) and go to Judah, and in response to that all the faithful believers - those who trust in Yahweh and desire to continue to honor and worship him as defined by the law - also leave Israel for Judah. This means ... Israel is now mostly devoid of anyone who wishes to honor the Lord and obey his instructions for proper worship and living.

The end result is the total collapse of the moral center of Israel. From now on, it will be pointed out over and over again that Israel - later called Samaria - is disobedient to the Lord, they follow the sin of Jeroboam by worshipping idols, they reject the Mosaic covenant practices defined by the Lord, and they are in rebellion against the Davidic covenant. Ahab will take them deep into baal worship, their nation will get attacked over and over, and eventually when the Assyrians take them into exile it will be permanent ... they will NOT be part of the return from Babylonian exile when the country is reinstated.

We know that the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel began when Jeroboam completely cast aside the proper worship practices and set up idols. However, what really removed all hope from their future return to faithfulness was when all the faithful believers - the Levites, and all those who wanted to properly worship the Lord - gave up on Israel and left.

Application: The church I attend has fewer attendees now than it did five years ago, and it isn't because people are leaving our church. It is because people are leavings the Pacific Northwest. We have had hundreds of people just move away to other parts of the country. And make no mistake, yesterday my wife and I had extensive conversations about our future plans to move away, too.

The big question, therefore, is ... where (and when) is the tipping point? What is the 'critical mass' of believers at which, when we get any lower, the region has no hope but to remain mired in sin and idol worship, cursed to devolve until the Lord decides enough is enough? How many believers are needed to give hope that this region could be pulled back from moral collapse, and ... have we already crossed that line?

With God, all things are possible. Elijah thought he was the 'only one' left in Israel who believed, but he wasn't; God let him know there were thousands more. That said, Israel didn't recover.

Every day I see something on the local news that represents another step down the path of normalizing the unthinkable depravity of sinful rebellion. Every day I think 'there is no way back'. Every day I hope I'm wrong. However, learning from Israel, and seeing all the Levites and believers departing for other regions of the country, perhaps my prayer should be that I stop hoping with my human mind, and instead lean into the Lord's will.

Prayer: Lord, I was born and raised here. My family has roots here back 200 years. My mom still lives in the home my parents bought 60 years ago, two years before I was born. Today I heard someone say that praying "thy will be done" is scary because your will may not align with our plans. Well, I pray "thy will be done". If this region is to see revival, so be it, and please send help. If this region is surrendered to the sins so strongly embedded in the hearts of the people here, so be it, and please send us away to your safety. Amen.