They Did Evil in the Eyes of the Lord

Since the beginning of time when man did evil in the eyes of the Lord, everything crumbled. There was death, war, famine, disease, idol worship, dishonoring parents, the murder of children, greed, gossip, men against women, and, women against men, parents against children, and, children against parents, disrespect, cursing God, forgetting the Sabbath to keep it holy, adultery, coveting, nation against nation…, “and they did evil in the eyes of the Lord!”

Reading I and II Samuel and I and II Kings this week something kept jumping out at me about God’s people, how that with each new king the majority, did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They forgot the ways of the Lord and they served other gods. They did not follow YHWH/God at all. God is holy, He has No sin. When people choose their own ways and forget God, death and destruction follow.

As I thought about that last night I cried and I prayed. God, am I doing evil in your eyes? Am I serving other gods? Am I critical self-centered, prideful, arrogant? Am I slandering and causing pain? Or Am I giving you all praise and honor with my life. Am I showing respect for you and for others? Am I showing Jesus in my actions and loving the way you love Lord?

It grieved my heart to think that after all God did for his children, they would not listen they chose the ways of the world over the ways of a loving, giving, gracious God. He delivered them from slavery. He brought them into a good land. He caused their crops to flourish, and their herds to thrive. He multiplied them with children and health and prosperity. But still the majority walked away and lived the way of the pagan, (those who didn’t know God). They constantly complained and murmured. Why?

Only a handful of Kings did what was good in the eyes of the Lord! I am praying today for our country that our leaders will do what is good in the eyes of the Lord! I’m praying that as Christians our influence will righteous before the Lord. I’m praying that our lives will be for goodness and that it will be seen and carried on by our children to future generations. Are we doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord?

Are we setting the example of what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord? Are we calling evil good and good evil? Are we teaching our children to pray to the God of all creation the One true God who loves us so much and sent his son to die for us? Are we keeping the Sabbath day Holy? Are we loving God first and loving our neighbor as our self? Are we honoring our parents? Are we coveting what does not belong to us? Are we giving to God what belongs to him? If not this is why marriages are broken and devastated, there is jealousy, lust and lies? Unfaithful and unforgiveness flows throughout our homes, cities, nation and world. What are we doing? My heart cries out to the living God…have mercy…have mercy save us!!

Look around, open your eyes? Can you see the world we are living in? Are we caught up in the hate and lies? Are we running like a frenzied crowd? Are we slinging mud and shouting contempt? Murder in hearts, this is why prisons are being filled. Our world is sad and broken. Children want to follow Hollywood, war games, making heroes of TV stars and watch movies about the occult and try to carry out blood sacrifices. They pay more attention to evil than good. We are failing miserably. Is this the kind of world you want your children to grow up in?

My heart is heavy today…I’m interceding and asking for prayer-warriors to pray with me for a change. I’m asking that Jesus will hear our prayers, and turn the hearts of people toward Him, and that the family of God will seek God’s face so that healing will begin in lives today and we will see salvation and repentance all across America!

There is only one remedy! Tear down the idols in our hearts. The idols of pride and prejudice! Come before the Lord with a broken and contrite heart. Humility will soften the heart of God. Repentance will bring revival. Walk in the Spirit, pray in the Spirit. Be a person of influence for good not evil.

If we don’t rewrite the story, our history books, if we tarry will read…and they did evil in the sight of the Lord!

The handwriting is on the wall…but we can change it…we can make the world better…but only if we turn back to the one who created all things…return to our first love…our beloved…His name is Yeshua…Jesus…Messiah…He, who did good in the eyes of the Lord! He who brought salvation and victory if we will accept it!

Sin is aggressive. It is like a cancer. It is indiscriminate. The blood of Jesus is the cure!

~Marla Shaw O’Neill October 25, 2018

1 Kings 15:26 New International Version (NIV) He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit.

1 Samuel 8 New International Version (NIV)

Israel Asks for a King

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”