Baasha, the king who followed Asa, is referred to as a bad king. He went right back to the calf-worshipping ways of his father Jeroboam. What in the world possesses people to return to the sinful behavior for which they know full well will have detrimental consequences for the rest of their lives?
None of his predecessors got away with such behavior in Israel, why would Baasha imagine that he would? These are questions we should ask ourselves and our society. One definition of insanity is to continually repeat the same behavior expecting different results each time. It’s like watching a movie over and over hoping the ending will change. It doesn’t. Dilday asks, “Why would an otherwise intelligent person knowing full well the dangers of drugs begin to experiment with cocaine or heroin? Why would informed individuals who read every day the tragic stories of alcohol-related traffic deaths get behind the wheel of a car after taking a drink? In spite of repeated media coverage of an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases in our country, and in spite of God’s clear prohibition, why would a person continue to be involved in sexual promiscuity?”
2nd Corinthians 4:4 teaches us that the “god of this world” has “blinded the minds” of those who practice such things. It’s a spiritual blindness of mind, not eyes, that causes us to repeat our damaging cycle of sin even though we know the consequences. This same blindness struck the Kings of Israel and Judah. Thus, they repeated the same sins of their fathers, perpetuating a tragic cycle of destruction in their own lives and the lives of their children and many who followed. “All of us have sinned” the scriptures teach us. We all need forgiveness.
When Billy Sunday was preparing to preach in a large city, he wrote a letter to the mayor in which he asked for the names of individuals he knew who had spiritual problems and needed help and prayer. The mayor sent him the phone book.
Chuck
“Make allowances for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13