Category Archives: Suffering / Adversity

Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Obeying God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Protector / Deliverer, Share the Good News, Strong in Our Weakness

Obey God Rather Than Men

True followers of Jesus Christ have faced persecution since Yeshua came to walk among us in His earthly ministry. In truth it may actually serve at times for an external measure of our personal testimony for Christ. If we claim to follow Christ but never suffer even the slightest bit of persecution or rejection from others, there is likely one of two things happening. Either we have compromised the true message of the gospel and watered it down such that it no longer makes non believers uncomfortable or we are not proclaiming Yeshua among non believers.

When Yeshua and His disciples preached, people were moved in one direction or the other… there is no middle ground. You either accept Yeshua and follow Him, changing your life to be more like His example, or you reject Him as God and probably get tired of hearing genuine Christians keep telling you about Him.  Someone who hears the true gospel of Christ, that we go to hell and suffer for eternity because of our own sinful nature unless we submit to follow Christ, can not accept it as true and then continue to ignore it, changing nothing in their lives. If this message does not move you to change your life… you have not accepted it genuinely and wholeheartedly. You are just going through the motions, or “checking a box” on a checklist. Perhaps you are just following traditions of what your parents did before you… but this will not lead to salvation through Christ.

Because the message of Christ makes people uncomfortable, many will come against you when you live and share a life and message that truly reflects Yeshua and God’s revealed word in the Bible.  We must decide whom we shall obey… will we obey God or men. The disciples faced strong persecution over and over following the death of Christ. All but John ultimately died for their faith in Jesus. John was exiled to an island, Patmos. Acts 5 shows one such example of persecution and how the disciples reacted to it.

Acts 5:17-32

Imprisonment and Release

      17But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20“Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.” 21Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. 22But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, 23saying, “We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside.” 24Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this. 25But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 26Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).

      27When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32“And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

What a powerful testimony! Imagine yourself in their place… arrested when you stood up to proclaim Yeshua. Then Yahweh sets you free in a powerful way. How many of us would then run and hide? The disciples, filled with courage from the Holy Spirit, obeyed Yahweh and went to a public place where they could be easily found and preached the truth of the gospel of our Messiah!

I pray my Father would prepare me to respond in a like manner as the disciples. I am convinced it requires the presence of the Holy Spirit. We must each pray for Yah’s help in this area so that we would proclaim the gospel boldly in all circumstances. We must also prepare through consistent, daily study of His word.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please prepare my heart to stand firmly for You even when I am threatened by those who seemingly have power or authority over me. Thank You for being our provider and protector. Let me not be easily discouraged from boldly proclaiming the gospel. Please give me the words to speak and the opportunity to speak them. I pray these things also for others who follow You, locally, across my state, across my country and the world. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Lying / Deceiving, Money / Finances / Wealth, Pride, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Worldliness

Do Not Seek To Appear Holy, But Rather To Become Holy

Do you ever feel inadequate about your actions, motivations, or attitudes when you compare yourself to God’s standard? Perhaps you even feel inadequate comparing yourself to others? You may find yourself trying very hard to rationalize, to convince yourself, that you are not driven by your own desires but instead are motivated by a desire to honor God? Some will even take to lying to others… to themselves… even to God about these things to justify their wrong behavior or to try to impress others.

Take great care when assessing your actions and motivations. Do not lie and deceive. Instead deal honestly with others, yourself, and God. If your actions, motivations, or attitudes are wrong… admit that, work to change it, and pray God would help you to become more like Yeshua.

For those who think this is a minor issue to God, let’s explore the fate of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. You can not fool God and He takes it very seriously when you lie to Him.

Acts 5:1-11

      1But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.

      7Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” 9Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.

Ananias and Sapphira owned the land. When they chose to sell it, they owned the entire amount of money. It was theirs. They were under no obligation to sell the property or to share any of the profit.  They could have just said they sold it for the actual sum, and were choosing to donate a portion. That would have been fine. Instead, they lied to and tried to deceive God and His followers. For what purpose? Maybe they suffered from pride as they watched others giving generously to support the community of believers. Perhaps it was as simple as trying to impress others with their donation to appear more holy. Scripture does not say why, so we are left to wonder.

God does call us to be genuinely holy, set apart for God’s use. He does not want us to lie about it and pretend. He wants us to wholeheartedly seek after the things of God. One can not please and honor God by donating money, when one is breaking God’s law (lying) while doing it.

Do not seek to appear holy, but rather seek to become holy. It begins not by donating money to impress others, but by following the commands of God and applying His instruction in our lives. As we become more like Jesus, we will want to give to help others and will do so joyfully and honestly.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please forgive me for the times when I have not been completely honest with You or with others. I know it is foolish, as You already know everything. Please help me to seek holiness with integrity. Let me not try to impress others but rather submit to You and seek to please You. Help me to give generously when You call for it and help me to be completely honest when I give less or choose not to give. Amen. 

 Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Arrogance, Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Curse, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Humility, Idols / False Gods, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Pride, Provider, Repenting from Sin, Righteous, Submitted / Servant, Teachable, Unteachable / Foolish, Worldliness

Serve the LORD, but with a Whole Heart

It is good when we do right in the sight of the LORD and serve Him. However, let us learn a lesson from Amaziah to do so with our whole heart. It can be too easy to compromise and blend with the world and culture around us and then get defensive and angry at those who would rightly speak the word of the LORD to us calling us to repent.

2 Chronicles 25

Amaziah Succeeds Joash in Judah

      1Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2He did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart. 3Now it came about as soon as the kingdom was firmly in his grasp, that he killed his servants who had slain his father the king. 4However, he did not put their children to death, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, which the LORD commanded, saying, “Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Amaziah Defeats Edomites

      5Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he took a census of those from twenty years old and upward and found them to be 300,000 choice men, able to go to war and handle spear and shield. 6He hired also 100,000 valiant warriors out of Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7But a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim. 8“But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will bring you down before the enemy, for God has power to help and to bring down.” 9Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “The LORD has much more to give you than this.” 10Then Amaziah dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah and they returned home in fierce anger.

      11Now Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people forth, and went to the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 of the sons of Seir. 12The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from the top of the cliff, so that they were all dashed to pieces. 13But the troops whom Amaziah sent back from going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 of them and plundered much spoil.

Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry

      14Now after Amaziah came from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, set them up as his gods, bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15Then the anger of the LORD burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who have not delivered their own people from your hand?” 16As he was talking with him, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”

Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel

      17Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.” 18Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon and trampled the thorn bush. 19“You said, ‘Behold, you have defeated Edom.’ And your heart has become proud in boasting. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?”

      20But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. 22Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled each to his tent. 23Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 cubits. 24He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.

      25And Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the LORD they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.

Yahweh does indeed have the power to help or to bring down, to bless or to curse. He can have much more influence in this matter than all of our best and most creative efforts. We should take great caution not to turn from His ways in order to pursue our success. We are called to serve Him and live according to His ways wholeheartedly, not half heartedly. It is not a matter of being less wicked or more righteous than the average person. It is about are we fully submitted to the LORD with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Prayerfully reflect on your own life. What evidence is there in your actions and words and thoughts that you may not be fully submitted? Honestly evaluate the evidence that would indicate you may be compromising or blending with the world and culture around you, even if unintentionally. Engage the help of a trusted friend and godly advisor or mentor. Avoid being defensive and angry. Listen. Don’t make the same mistake Amaziah made by dismissing the wise counsel.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please show me where I am blending with the world around me. Help me to see clearly and to set myself and my family apart for your use. May your Spirit open my eyes to areas in my life where I need to make changes and be more fully devoted and submitted to You. Send wise counsel and help me listen to it. Help me to serve as wise counsel for other believers. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Anger (unrighteous anger), Arrogance, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Justice / Judgment, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Real Life Game of Thrones

A more exciting work of fiction is hard to imagine than what we read in the scriptures, and that is an historical record! The books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles in particular are filled with plot twists better than any movie I have seen. I am amazed when people say the Bible is boring. It would seem they have not read much of it!

Follow along with the twists and turns in 2 Chronicles 24 and we will reflect on a few key points at the end.

2 Chronicles 24

Young Joash Influenced by Jehoiada

      1Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2Joash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.

Faithless Priests

      4Now it came about after this that Joash decided to restore the house of the LORD. 5He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all Israel to repair the house of your God annually, and you shall do the matter quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem the levy fixed by Moses the servant of the LORD on the congregation of Israel for the tent of the testimony?” 7For the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even used the holy things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.

Temple Repaired

      8So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the LORD. 9They made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the LORD the levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought in their levies and dropped them into the chest until they had finished. 11It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money. 12The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the LORD; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD. 13So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they restored the house of God according to its specifications and strengthened it. 14When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the LORD, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.

      15Now when Jehoiada reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in Israel and to God and His house.

      17But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. 18They abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. 19Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD; though they testified against them, they would not listen.

Joash Murders Son of Jehoiada

      20Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus God has said, ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has also forsaken you.’” 21So they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the LORD. 22Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as he died he said, “May the LORD see and avenge!”

Aram Invades and Defeats Judah

      23Now it happened at the turn of the year that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet the LORD delivered a very great army into their hands, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.

      25When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27As to his sons and the many oracles against him and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.

The overriding theme in this chapter would have to be “honor Yahweh and prosper with blessing or dishonor Him and suffer curse”.  There are ups and downs that follow along with the righteousness or wickedness of the behavior of the people we are reading about. In particular, if we focus on Joash, we can witness things going great as he is blessed for walking with the LORD under Jehoiada  and then it gets mess and he suffers defeat and death after turning away from the LORD. Of course, it does not always happen immediately. We see the summary version and how it threads together. However, in life, there may be many years in between some of these events. Someone may not associate the consequence with the personal choices they made to turn from Yahweh, but the ties are there none the less.

Jehoiada was a righteous priest and with his guidance, Joash and the people did well. He lived a long life and impacted many in a positive way. However, once he was gone, Joash listened to bad counselors who drew him away from the LORD.

We can wonder about how deep Joash’s relationship with Yahweh may or may not have been, but it seemed fairly passionate when he was younger, like when he was rebuilding the temple. How often do you hear someone talk about once saved, always saved? Popular teaching states that people can not turn from the LORD, but we see over and over in scripture examples where that happened. Joash is one, Solomon another.

Hebrew 6:4

4For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6and then have [e]fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, [f]since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

Note that Hebrews 6:4 indicates that some have partaken of the Holy Spirit and then fallen away. This refers to people who have truly submitted to Christ and then turned from Him.

Let us not overlook the righteous and bold action of Zachariah, son of Jehoiada, to confront the king and the people with the Spirit of God upon him. Sadly, he is killed, despite his faithfulness, but the wicked face consequences. Ultimately, the LORD gives victory to an inferior army to bring judgment on the people of Judah. We are left to simply trust the LORD and perhaps not fully understand why someone like Jehoiada in his efforts to be righteous found great success, but his son Zachariah, filled with the Spirit, did not. Both did as asked by the LORD. Both pleased the LORD. In our eyes, we see different results to be sure, but we do not see all things as Yahweh does. Trust Him! Do what He instructs. Follow where He leads.

Take time to prayerfully reflect on this historical account. Which aspects really speak to you? What can you apply in your life?

Have you lost a trusted counselor and find yourself drifting from God? Turn back!

Do you see others around you turning from the LORD, speak up! Be bold! Trust in the LORD.

Do you hear someone rebuking you? Before you seek revenge, listen test if they are speaking of the LORD and you need to make a change. Be humble! Do not strike at them.

Take time to reflect in prayer on this very busy chapter of history and how the key concepts apply in your life.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Consequences of Sin, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Purposeful / Intentional, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Put Your Faith in Yahweh and His Ways Rather than in Men

It is easy to read 2 Chronicles about Ahaziah and his father Jehoram (king of Judah) who allied themselves with the wicked kings of Israel (Jehoram of Israel and Ahab before him) and think they were foolish for doing so. It seems obvious when reading the text where it is all laid out for us plainly.

We see over a few generations, the king of Judah turn away from Yahweh’s ways and turn toward the ways of wickedness of man. However, when we are living our own lives it may not seem quite so obvious. When summarizing decades of our life in a few paragraphs, it gets condensed and often very clear. However, when living it out, one decision at a time, it may be much more difficult to discern, especially when it is our own lives and the changes are usually gradual, not huge strides.

We can see in 2 Chronicles 22 that moving away from God’s ways and towards the wicked ways of men is really bad. Surely, we know that already, but this is a concise reminder. Keep your guard up for the more gradual slide in your own life that may take place if you start to compromise and align yourself with the wordly and the wicked rather than taking a stand to be different and holy, set apart for God’s purpose.

2 Chronicles 22

Ahaziah Succeeds Jehoram in Judah

      1Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with the Arabs to the camp had slain all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. 2Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. 3He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. 4He did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.

Ahaziah Allies with Jehoram of Israel

      5He also walked according to their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram. 6So he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

      7Now the destruction of Ahaziah was from God, in that he went to Joram. For when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

Jehu Murders Princes of Judah

      8It came about when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers ministering to Ahaziah, and slew them. 9He also sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.

      10Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring of the house of Judah. 11But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death. 12He was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.

When we start moving away from the LORD’s ways, things get ugly. Once we remove a consistent standard of right and wrong, one that is objective and does not change over time, anything becomes permissible. It is not even just about God cursing us instead of blessing us. Consider in our scripture and what you see around you in life, how do people act and treat one another without God’s framework for right and wrong? It can quickly degrade. Some perceive anything as permissible in pursuit of power and glory and riches. How we live our own lives gets messy without the constant “north star” of God’s word leading us.

Most of us will not be king and will not be allying ourselves with other kings. However, whom to we partner with at work? at school? in our church? in our community? How do we handle family relationships with others who are far from God? Do we compromise how we live? or do we stand strong with the LORD in His ways even when others come against us or we feel like we stand alone?

Remember, when we stand with God, we are never alone! He is with us! I would rather stand by myself with God than stand apart from him with the company of men. (Again, this is easier to say than to live out, so do not be arrogant about it, but rather keep your eyes open and use discernment.)

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help lead and guide me. Let the Spirit dwell within me and give me wise council and discernment. Give me courage to stand for you even when if feels like I stand alone. Help me not to compromise what You teach even if it feels like I should do so to accomplish whatever goals I am working towards. Open the eyes of Your people around this nation and the world to see a clear distinction between worldliness or wickedness and godliness. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

 

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Curse, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Obey My Voice, and I Will Be Your God, and You Will Be My People

For those of us whom Yahweh calls to serve Him, we should be honored for we are truly blessed to know and serve Him. However, we should also take it very seriously. For those whom He calls, He expects us to pursue Him and live for Him. There are consequences when we reject Him and go the way of man! Often these consequences are not just “heaven” or “hell” after we die, but what our experience will be in this lifetime as well. Yahweh can, at His discretion, bless those who obey or curse those who reject Him. It is part of our covenant with Him as His people…

Jeremiah 7:23

 23“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’

There are many examples for us to consider in the biblical record, but one that not everyone probably thinks about much is Jehoram, who was son and grandson to righteous (though not perfect) kings of Judah.

2 Chronicles 21

Jehoram Succeeds Jehoshaphat in Judah

      1Then Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place. 2He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. 3Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

      4Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also. 5Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (for Ahab’s daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 7Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

Revolt against Judah

      8In his days Edom revolted against the rule of Judah and set up a king over themselves. 9Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck down the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots. 10So Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time against his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers. 11Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot and led Judah astray.

      12Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet saying, “Thus says the LORD God of your father David, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you have also killed your brothers, your own family, who were better than you, 14behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great calamity; 15and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.’”

      16Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians; 17and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.

      18So after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable sickness. 19Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in great pain. And his people made no fire for him like the fire for his fathers. 20He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Do not despise the ways of the LORD, but cherish them and take them to heart! Obey His voice and walk in the way He commanded us that all may be well with you. Prayerfully reflect on this truth and ask the Spirit to open your eyes to where in your life you may be choosing the way of man or self over the ways of God. If you are not confident in the ways of Yahweh, then it is your responsibility to study and learn more or find a teacher you can trust and test everything against the holy word in the Bible. Do not simply take the word of a pastor or minister. They will not be standing with you on the day of judgment. Pray for discernment. Seek out the LORD. Walk in His ways.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me and Your people to walk in Your ways! Help us to hear Your voice! Let us not rely on man’s ways or our own ways. We want to be Your people and receive Your blessing. We want to be good and faithful servants to You. Help us to have discernment and wisdom. Open our eyes to any ways we need to change! Give us courage to change as we should. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Correction, Discipline / Guidance From God, Grace / Forgiveness, Repenting from Sin, Teachable, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Learn From Your Mistakes and Trust in God Rather than Man

We should all strive to learn from our mistakes, especially when it is the LORD who rebukes you.

We have been discussing Jehoshaphat and you can read about him in 2 Chronicles 17-20. I encourage you to read through it if you have not done so recently. The summary context is that Jehoshaphat was a righteous king of Judah who made some mistakes, but then repented. In 2 Chronicles 18, he allies himself with an unrighteous King Ahab of Israel.  He goes to war despite warning from a prophet of the LORD in order to fulfill his alliance with wicked King Ahab. It goes poorly. Ahab dies. Jehoshaphat cries out to the LORD and is spared. Then in 2 Chronicles 19, he is rebuked for his alliance with the wicked king. He repents. It seems he has learned his lesson.

Even as a large army gathers against him in 2 Chronicles 20, he and his people turn to God, not man, for help. They fast and pray and obey what God tells them to do. In fact their faith is so strong that they lead with the praise and worship section leading in front of the army.

Then as we close in 2 Chronicles 20 we see Jehoshaphat again turn to make an alliance with a worldly king and God is displeased and there are consequences.

2 Chronicles 20:35-37

Alliance Displeases God

      35After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel. He acted wickedly in so doing. 36So he allied himself with him to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat saying, “Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works.” So the ships were broken and could not go to Tarshish.

Jehoshaphat had previously experienced the lesson that Yahweh did not want him to make alliances with the wicked kings of Israel. Apparently as time passed, he fell into the same mistake and Yah again reminded him that this was a mistake.

We may not be kings leading nations or wars, but clearly we experience the same tendencies and risks as we can learn about from the scriptures regarding Jehoshaphat. Let us not make alliance with the wicked and worldly but depend on and look to the LORD Himself or our godly brothers and sisters in Christ.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for leading and guiding me! Thank You for forgiving me when I do wrong, even if I need to accept consequences for my wrong actions. Help me to keep a right attitude toward You when You rebuke me. Lead me to join up with fellow believers rather than the worldly. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Anger (unrighteous anger), Arrogance, Bitterness / Resentment, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Obeying God, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant, Through Prophets, Unteachable / Foolish, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Seek the LORD Before Partnering With the Unrighteous

There are some historical records in the Bible that rival any movie plot line today for intrigue, excitement, and plot twists. 2 Chronicles 18 is one of them. For context we must understand that Jehoshaphat is righteous in obeying the LORD and Ahab is not.

There are many angles we could explore in this action packed chapter that are timeless principles to live by. One of them I want to encourage you to focus on is the decision of Jehoshaphat, a righteous king of Judah, to be persuaded to come and fight alongside Ahab, a wicked king of Israel. Was that a wise decision? What did God say about the battle through His prophets? Did Jehoshaphat listen?

2 Chronicles 18

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

      1Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. 2Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”

      4Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 5Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?” 7The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”

Ahab’s False Prophets Assure Victory

      8Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla’s son.” 9Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” 11All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”

Micaiah Brings Word from God

      12Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably.” 13But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what my God says, that I will speak.”

      14When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand.” 15Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”

16So he said,
“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
Like sheep which have no shepherd;
And the LORD said,
‘These have no master.
Let each of them return to his house in peace.’”

17Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

      18Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. 19“The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. 20“Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the LORD said to him, ‘How?’ 21“He said, ‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.’ 22“Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you.”

      23Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?” 24Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.” 25Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 26and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” 27Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.”

Ahab’s Defeat and Death

      28So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. 29The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” 31So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him, and God diverted them from him. 32When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the fight, for I am severely wounded.” 34The battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.

The fact is that Jehoshaphat allied himself with Ahab by marriage. That may seem like a good idea to keep the peace between Israel and Judah, but it influenced Jehoshaphat to consider partnering with Ahab when there was not a good reason for him to do so. We should take great care when partnering with those who are not righteous for some earthly task or mission, especially if it is a mission of their choosing and not directed by God.

I do want to give Jehoshaphat some credit. He rightly saw through the false prophets and asked for a prophet of the LORD as a reliable indicator of what they should do. We, too, should ask the LORD to guide us in our major decisions in life and seek His answer. What baffles me though, is that once the prophet of the LORD spoke and indicated defeat, Jehoshaphat still went to battle with Ahab. That was a mistake. It almost cost him his life. The LORD  protected Jehoshaphat because he was righteous before the LORD and cried out for help. That is the LORD’s mercy in action, baling him out of a bad decision.

I suppose one last perspective I will highlight is a reflection on Ahab. He called the prophet Micaiah, a prophet of the LORD. He missed the point that he speaks what the LORD tells him and got angry at the messenger blaming him for prophesying “bad news”. If he would have humbled himself a bit, perhaps he would have remembered the point of the prophet is not to decide victory or defeat, but to tell you what the LORD says. The fact that tried to use deception and disguise to hedge himself against the prophecy and his death is once again telling. He is missing the point that you can’t hide from the LORD. If the LORD says you will die if you attack, you can’t hide in costume and avoid it.

If I were to sum up to a very high level, I would say we  all need to take caution, seek the LORD, and listen to Him before partnering with the unrighteous to accomplish something we think will work in our own eyes. Instead, remain partnered with God Himself and listen to His guidance.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me (and all Your people) to have wisdom in regards to with whom we partner and collaborate. Help lead and guide us. Thank You for Your protection, grace and mercy when we stumble and make mistakes. Thank You for Your blessing as we walk with You. Help us rely on You and You alone rather than the unrighteous men steeped in the ways of the world. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Protector / Deliverer, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Strong in Our Weakness, Submitted / Servant

Without God, Even When You Win, You Lose

There are some situations in which you end up coming out on what feels like a losing side, even when you accomplished what you set out to do. Even when you win, you lose.

We can read about one such dramatic situation with King Asa in 2 Chronicles 16. As context, remember 2 Chronicles 15:17 tells us despite not being perfect, Asa had a heart toward God.

2 Chronicles 15:17

17But the high places were not removed from Israel; nevertheless Asa’s heart was blameless all his days.

Remember also that Asa had previously experienced help from the LORD leading him to overcome significant military disadvantage. After 35 years as king, most of it in peace, we can see how Asa responded when confronted by the King of Israel.

2 Chronicles 16

Asa Wars against Baasha

      1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 2Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3“Let there be a treaty between you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” 4So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5When Baasha heard of it, he ceased fortifying Ramah and stopped his work. 6Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he fortified Geba and Mizpah.

Asa Imprisons the Prophet

      7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. 8“Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. 9“For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” 10Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

      11Now, the acts of Asa from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians. 13So Asa slept with his fathers, having died in the forty-first year of his reign. 14They buried him in his own tomb which he had cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled with spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and they made a very great fire for him.

Most of us might start out by thinking that Asa was wise. He solved the problem. He won. But ultimately, he lost even when he accomplished what he set out to do. He did not put his trust in the LORD despite previous victories at the LORD’s hand. Instead, he put his trust in man to deliver him. The LORD was not pleased, and Asa and all his people experienced consequence of more war because of it.

A prophet Hanani comes to rebuke Asa. This is where someone like King David would repent and ask forgiveness of the LORD. Asa doubles down and makes another mistake. He imprisons the messenger because he does not like the message. Sounds like pride got the better of him. We should challenge ourselves not to get angry with wise counsel from those seeking the LORD and His word and His will. Let us listen and consider what they say about our actions. If we are wrong, let us repent, not double down in our sin. That is like someone offering to pull you out of a pit and you are angry they are telling you that you are in a pit so you dig deeper and pull them in with you. It does not make sense ultimately. We must admit, however, that it can be hard to admit our mistakes when we have not trusted God, perhaps more so when we accomplished what we set out to do.

We do not find out what happened to the seer after that. How long was he in prison? Likely that strikes most of us as “unfair” for the prophet, however there is no mention of the LORD setting him free. We just don’t know. We are still to trust the LORD. His ways are higher than ours.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please keep me humble before You, even as I may have power or influence in some situations as King Asa clearly did. Please help me to trust in You and not in man for deliverance, even (or perhaps especially) when the odds seem stacked against me. If I put my trust in man and you send someone to open my eyes and rebuke me, please help me to be humble and listen and repent and not double down in my pride or anger to move my heart further from you.  If I am ever to be used as Hanani, please give me courage to bring the message You tell me to, despite potential consequences. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Discipline / Guidance From God, Grace / Forgiveness, Humility, Justice / Judgment, Merciful, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant

Remain Humble and Devoted Before the LORD

Take care not to grow complacent, prideful, or self sufficient (relative to God). There are many examples of people who start out loving the LORD and obeying His commandments, and then when things are going well they drift away from Him, to their own peril. I can think of Solomon for one example. To a lesser extent David also (e.g. Bathsheeba), but he genuinely repented after his sin. Rehoboam, son of Solomon was another example.

Rehoboam started with some foolishness that split the kingdom, but for the first several years, he was pursuing the law of the LORD. It was so much so that the Levites and others who had a heart for Yahweh, left their property behind and moved from Israel to Judah.

 2 Chronicles 11:14-17

Jeroboam Appoints False Priests

      14For the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the LORD. 15He set up priests of his own for the high places, for the satyrs and for the calves which he had made. 16Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers. 17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

However, after several years, Rehoboam forsook the law of the LORD, and the LORD forsook him in return.

2 Chronicles 12

Shishak of Egypt Invades Judah

      1When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the LORD. 2And it came about in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people who came with him from Egypt were without number: the Lubim, the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. 4He captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, ‘You have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you to Shishak.’” 6So the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is righteous.”

      7When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves so I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some measure of deliverance, and My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. 8“But they will become his slaves so that they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”

Plunder Impoverishes Judah

      9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s palace. He took everything; he even took the golden shields which Solomon had made. 10Then King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and committed them to the care of the commanders of the guard who guarded the door of the king’s house. 11As often as the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards came and carried them and then brought them back into the guards’ room. 12And when he humbled himself, the anger of the LORD turned away from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and also conditions were good in Judah.

      13So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.

      15Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, according to genealogical enrollment? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. 16And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David; and his son Abijah became king in his place.

Some will read this and think to themselves, “Why is the LORD so harsh on Rehoboam and the people of Israel?” They start with perhaps their own perspective and then question God’s approach if it differs from their own. We should do the opposite. We should start by assuming God is correct and righteous, and then seek to understand how and why we may not be considering things in the correct perspective if we see it differently. Then we learn and grow closer to God rather than challenge Him and grow farther away from Him.  Remember, our relationship with God is a covenant relationship. That means there are conditions on both sides, such as “If you will be my people and obey my commandments, I will be your God.”

Notice also, that the LORD seems to have waited for a couple years. The scriptures above say they walked in the way of the LORD for 3 years and the punishment came after 5. Sounds like God was patient to me. And when they repented and humbled themselves, He had mercy. Of course we do well to remember that His mercy to no longer scatter them should not be confused with removing all consequences for their sin and disobedience. In fact, God let His people serve under the Egyptian king so that they would gain an appreciation of the difference between serving Him and serving a human king, especially one who is not following the LORD.

We also see again later in the scripture that Rehoboam did not remain with his heart toward the LORD throughout his reign. He did evil in the LORD’s sight.

There is direct application for just about all of this in each of our own lives. Set our heart toward the LORD so that we would be pleasing in His sight and not do evil. Humble ourselves before Him and obey His commandments. Repent genuinely and wholeheartedly when we get off track. It is easy to realize we need the LORD in tough times, but let us take care also in good times not to lose that relationship with Him!

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me remain humble and faithful before You. Help me to set my heart upon You and obey Your commandments. Help me to be devoted to Your ways and not my own or those of my family or culture around me. When I sin, please help me to repent and draw near to You again. Thank You for grace and mercy. Help me to truly appreciate serving You and realize how much better that is than serving myself of the ways of man. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.