2 Kings 24:8-17 / Matthew 7:21-29
The word "rebellion" means an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler.
In the Old Testament, we see this happening countless of times and the price that was paid for it.
The people of God rebelled against God insistently despite God sending prophet after prophet to call them to repentance.
Because of that, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was annihilated in 721BC, and yet the kingdom of Judah thought it would never happen to them.
But in the 1st reading, we heard how the Babylonians finally took Jerusalem and sent the king and the nobles and the skilled workers into exile to Babylon.
Yet the lesson was not learnt and later the Temple of Solomon was eventually razed to the ground, with not even one stone on another.
So are we learning anything from this lesson? We have to be aware that rebellion lurks in our hearts and we want to be independent and free from any obligations to God.
Listening to the Word of God and acting on it means to be obedient to the will of God.
We will certainly remember what Samuel told Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22-23
Is the pleasure of the Lord God in holocausts and sacrifices or in obedience to the Lord God?
Yes, obedience is better than sacrifice, submissiveness better than the fat of rams.
Rebellion is the sin of sorcery, presumption a crime of teraphim.
Let us pray that we will build our lives on the rock of God's love and follow His ways and do His will.