I & 2 Kings _______became king; he did evil in the eyes of the LORD; . . . .he did right in the eyes of the LORD.
Throughout these two books, we see the succession of the kings of Israel and Judah (now divided). It's very interesting reading, but very frustrating, as well. Over and over again, the leaders of God's people were not consistent in seeking and serving Him. But, also, over and over again, God continued to send His prophets to speak His word to them to attempt to draw them back to Himself. And thankfully, there were those kings who did revere the Lord and chose to serve Him and lead the people to serve Him. Nevertheless, after the string of unrighteous rulers, God allowed the Israelites to be captured by the Babylonians and taken into captivity.
Jesus says of His followers, in John 17, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." We are in the world, but not of it. The Lord calls us to a higher life. We are called to be different. We are born from above. And yet we are to live the life of Christ while in the world, to share His love and shine His light. And I submit to you that only in receiving new life in Christ Jesus lived in the power of His Holy Spirit can we do so.
Jesus tells us this (John 16:33): ". . . In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 1 John 4:4 says, . . . the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. and 5:4 says, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Revelation speaks of God's victory and reign over all as Jesus Christ is fully revealed. We see a Lion who is a Lamb. We see His enemy, the dragon, the serpent, the devil, Satan hurled down, and it is then said, . . . They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." Death to the old--life to the new--in Christ!
Do we not experience the pull of the world and its temptations? And yet we have victory in Jesus. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). And that, my friend, is where we find our victory--in recognizing our need and the One who is able to meet that need.