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"They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence." (2 Kings 17:33)Because of Israel’s continual idol worship, the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians during the reign of King Hoshea. The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away into captivity and brought people from other nations into their cities in Samaria.Now, this new gang from other nations did not fear the Lord until He sent lions among them. Then they began to fear Him, but it was the wrong kind of fear. They never would have thought of God had it not been for the lions; and when they did think of Him, it was only because they were afraid of Him.Many folks today only think about God when they are in trouble, like during a serious sickness; but they never think of Him when they are healthy. They consider God only in the storm and the wind, but never when life is sunny and warm. They cry out to Him when faced with problems, but never when enjoying prosperity.People from all walks of life will make promises to serve God and follow Him forevermore when facing great difficulties. Ah, but when that difficulty is gone, well, so are all of those promises they made. Many folks these days only want Fire Insurance rather than a faithful devotion to Lord. And what that really boils down to is they want salvation without service. Friends, mixing God, who is the great I AM, with other gods who are the great I'M NOTS will never pan out because the God Who is the God in Heaven will never share worship with an idol made with hands!