Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

DIVIDED KINGDOM

A beekeeper, expert in knowledge of bees and of their habits, says there can be only one queen to a colony. As soon as the first queen is hatched, she will go around to the other queen cells, rip them open, and kill the other queens about to be hatched just as fast as she can. If two queens happen to be hatched at the same time, the bees bring them together at once and make them fight until one is dead. Somehow the bees know that two queens would be worse than none at all, breeding confusion and indirection. The hive could not survive in such a situation. Thus, if the queens are inclined to tolerate one another and will not fight when brought together, the other bees will force them to fight.

Israel did not accept the life principle of singular leadership. While they wanted to serve God, they also wanted other gods of their convenience. However, if they were allowed this practice, confusion and indirection would have resulted; and God's great plan of redemption would have been thwarted. It is for this very reason that Satan tried to lure Israel to serve multiple gods.

If the principle and pattern of life of the bee could have been practiced, the priests in today's passage would have had no difficulty guiding the people in their worship. But, they wanted to serve many gods rather than one; thus, they were filled with confusion. We were created to serve and worship God and Him only. Unless this pattern is followed, there is only confusion and fear in our life. However, our Lord and King will fight for supremacy in our lives.