2 Kings 17:33-41 says,

33 They feared YHVH and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile. [Notice the mixture going on in this verse]

34 To this day they do according to the earlier customs: they do not fear YHVH, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances or the law, or the commandments which YHVH commanded the sons of Jacob, whom He named Israel; [Even though verse 33 says they “Feared YHVH”, in the eyes of YHVH when you say you Fear or Reverence Him and walk in the mixture of the world or the pagan ways, He views it as having NO fear, honor or reverence for Him.]

35 with whom YHVH made a covenant and commanded them, saying, “You shall not fear other gods [#1], nor bow down yourselves to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them. [We will number the amount of times that He says, “You shall not fear (revere) other gods.”]

36 “But YHVH, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him, you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. [The Elohim that delivers us by His power and outstretched arm is the only One who deserves the honor and reverence.]

37 “The statutes and the ordinances and the law and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever; and you shall not fear other gods [#2].

38 “The covenant that I have made with you, you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods [#3].  [Obviously, our Creator knows that other things are going to get our allegiance besides Him since He says three times in these verses “nor shall you fear other gods.”]

39 “But YHVH your Elohim you shall fear;  and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” [There is a promise for those who Fear/Honor only Him through their obedience.]

40 However, they did not listen, but they did according to their earlier custom. [As people, we often continue in, or return to, what is familiar to us; but if we yield and submit to the Seven Spirits of YHVH, He will lead us by His power and His outstretched arm into victory over that which is wrongly familiar.]

41 So while these nations feared YHVH, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day. [Notice how their mixture was passed onto their children and grandchildren.  We need to be a generation that walks out the pure walk of not mixing our worship and this, too, will pass onto our children and grandchildren.]

May we commit today to have a proper honor and fear of YHVH by removing any mixture that may be in our lives!! Consider all of our gates…what is going in our eye gates through what we choose to look at or watch? What is going into our ear gates through what we listen to in choice of music, gossip or profane speech? What is going into our mouth gate in the choices of what Yah calls food and what is not considered food?  What are we allowing to cross the threshold of our homes that may not be honoring to YHVH? And last, but certainly not least, what are we allowing into the gate of our heart? Love or hate; forgiveness or not forgiving; happiness or bitterness?  May it be said of every one of us that we feared YHVH and Him alone!!!

May we have a joyful Shabbat!!

Courtesy of
River of Life Tabernacle
Tammy McLendon
Great peace have they who love Your law. Psalm 119:165a