Trees . . . might be time to get out and sketch some 💙

The Story spinning around in my heart lately comes from 2 Kings 17.

(Melechem II 17)

The People continued to do things that hurt the very Heart of the Holy One.

The People behaved in such a hurtful way, eventually they were removed from the land.

Honest.

Shalmaneser, King of Assyria took The People away, captured them and moved them far away . . .

(it's hard to imagine the unhappiness this caused,)

Then, the the king of Assyria moved people from other nations and cultures in to occupy The Land.

Those people lived according to their cultures, disregarding the Holy One altogether.

So, lions were "sent among them, which killed some of them."

The king of Assyria was informed:

"the nations moved into The Land do not know how to honor The Holy One of The Land

so lions have moved in to kill them."

The king of Assyria commanded

a priest and the helpers he needed,

should be returned to The Land

and teach everyone there The Law of the Holy One of The Land.

The Priest and his helpers

(not named in the story)

lived/served in Bethel.

The foreigners learned to respect The Holy One

while continuing to serve the gods from their home countries.

(they practiced some scary stuff

BUT

the text reminds us

The People were doing similar stuff . . and not paying attention to The Holy One.)

Still, The Holy One was being honored in The Land.

Often, studying these things, it seems The Holy One was being Faithful to/for you and me . . .

waiting for us

and loving us

all the time.

Someday this text will take form in my heart for telling.

Right now it continues to "spin in my heart."

💙 The Tree of Life 💙

love & love,

-g-

#loveloveg