Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother's name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.
Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than their fathers had done. They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. He carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. Whenever the king went to the Lord's temple, the guards bore the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.
As for the other events of Rehoboam's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. His mother's name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite. And Abijah his son succeeded him as king.
1 Kings 14:21-31
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In the early part of Chapter 14, we read about how evil Jeroboam had become in the way he led his people. And we saw how that evil transferred to the way his people lived, ultimately resulting in God’s judgment on him and the people of the Northern Kingdom. Recall these words detailing the consequence that Jeroboam and his people, Israel, would suffer:
“ 'Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel — slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has spoken!' “
"The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Yes, even now. And the Lord will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their forefathers and scatter them beyond the River, because they provoked the Lord to anger by making Asherah poles. And he will give Israel up because of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit." 1 Kings 14:10-11, 14-16
There was no doubt that God would discipline anyone who chose to abandon Him in exchange for other gods.
So that was the Northern Kingdom. What happened to the Southern Kingdom?
As we look at our passage, we see where they followed a similar path as the north. For under the reign of Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, we read where “Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord, stirring up God’s “jealous anger” over the “sins they committed”…”more than their fathers had done”. Like the Northern Kingdom had done, Judah had “set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree”. But the Southern Kingdom took their evil to another level as they tolerated “male shrine prostitutes in the land” while “the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites”.
You’ll recall that God had warned Israel when they entered the Promised Land that they would be adversely influenced by the people already in Canaan if they didn’t drive them all away. And so when Israel began to allow the people of Canaan to live with them, God’s prediction came true and God’s people turned to the false gods worshipped by the Canaanites.
So what would God do to the Rehoboam and the Southern Kingdom?
He removed his protection and providence from them.
For we read where “Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem” in the fifth year, carrying off the “treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace” and taking everything which included “all the gold shields Solomon had made”.
Clearly, all the wealth that Solomon had attained was now gone, so much so that all that was left to make new shields was bronze. Rehoboam assigned the bronze shields “to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace” and scripture tells us that “whenever the king went to the Lord's temple, the guards bore the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom”.
We read where God also removed the blessing of peace in Israel. For evil in the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, only resulted in conflict as “continual warfare” raged on “between Rehoboam and Jeroboam” while they were alive.
Truly, things had deteriorated terribly in Israel, showing us just how bad things can get when we turn our backs from God.
So how about our world today? How about your city? Your community? Your neighborhood? Your home?
How bad will it get?
The answer to that question is completely up to us.
One thing is certain. God will not tolerate disobedience today any more than He did in the early days of Israel. We would be well served to not test Him.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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