Bear
in mind that Israel is referred to as Samaria. The new inhabitants of different
nationalities brought by the king of Assyria to dwell in Israel were steep in
the worship of their gods. Each brought along brought its own deity along. Second
Kings 17:30-31 listed the deities worshipped by the diverse nationalities in
Samaria. “The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal,
the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the
Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak….” Besides the plethora of false gods, the Sepharvites were
said to indulge in the abominable act of burning “their
children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods
of Sepharvaim.” While engaging in worshipping the different deities,
these new inhabitants also feared the Lords and appointed priests to manage the
high places. There was widespread syncretism among the inhabitants.
Israel was not just invaded by a foreign
force but was also invaded by a host of different false gods. The intermarriage between the people of Israel and the diverse
nationalities brought to dwell in Israel, gave rise to the race known as the
Samaritan.
God
wants to be worshipped exclusively. Right from the onset when He made the
covenant with Israel, He stated it plainly. He told them not to have any other
god besides Him. hence Syncretism is dangerous. While it does not totally abandon
the faith, it is insidiously introducing practices inconsistent with the Word
of God. Biblical lingo but not biblical definitions are used to camouflage their
falsehood. In our days where all sorts of Christian-sounding teachings are
so readily available, we need to be more decerning in accepting the things we
hear. Don’t swallow everything, hook line, and sinker. We must be serious students
of the Word of God and seek only to live by the truth.
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