1 KINGS
MOMENT – (17APR19) Jeroboam had rulership over all the tribes of Israel with
the exception of Judah. So, when the people needed to make sacrifices to the
Lord, they had to go to Jerusalem where Rehoboam reigned. Jeroboam, however,
feared that if the people would go to Jerusalem, they would choose to have
Rehoboam as their king instead of him. Therefore, after taking misguided
counsel from someone, he made two golden calves for them to worship. One he
placed in Bethel and the other in Dan. He told the people that his golden idols
were the ones who brought them out of Egypt. He built shrines on high places
and appointed his own priests to serve their idols. He also appointed his own
festivals and offered sacrifices on the altars he made. This angered the Lord
for Jeroboam turned the people’s hearts away from God. The Lord placed a curse
on Jeroboam’s household where his son died, and the others in his house were
prophesied by the prophet Ahijah to never be buried, but would be food to the
dogs and birds. The Lord had promised Jeroboam before he had become king that
if he would follow in his ways, he would establish him a dynasty, but Jeroboam
rejected the Lord and did evil instead.
There are many
leaders who are responsible for turning the people’s hearts away from God. We
have this in the church as well as the nation. Some pastors do not preach truth
because they do not want to be called a “fire and brimstone” type of teacher,
but that is exactly where they are going to end up if they do not teach people
the true unadulterated Word of God. Many leaders over teach grace and under
teach holiness. Yes, God is a God of grace and mercy, but He is also a God of
righteousness, holiness, and justice. When Jesus comes back, He will not be
coming as the meek and sacrificial lamb, but He is returning as the Lion of
Judah, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who will be administering judgment
on the nations. Rather you are a leader or a lay person, we are ALL called to evangelize
to others. When we do not stand for truth, we are contributing to the
wickedness of others and their fall into hell. Just as Jeroboam was responsible
for leading Israel into idolatry, we are responsible for aiding others with
their idolatry when we fail to teach, preach, and share the truth concerning
God’s expectations of us. Being silent does not make any of us lest responsible
for those we are obligated to be a role model to. We are our brother’s keeper.
Something to ponder…
QUESTION OF
THE DAY – (17APR19) Rehoboam had succeeded Solomon to the throne, but he was
only given part of the kingdom due to the sins of his father. The people came
to Rehoboam and asked if he would lessen the burden on them that their father
had placed, and if he did, they would gratefully serve him. Rehoboam told them
to wait three days and that he would have an answer for them at that time. He inquired
of the elders who had served his father as to their counsel concerning the
matter, and they advised that he listen to the people. Rehoboam then asked his
childhood friends what their thoughts were, and they advised that he go against
the counsel of the elders and make the people’s burden even more unbearable.
Rehoboam took the advice of his childhood friends, but lived to regret it. The
people went against him and as God ordained, he only had the tribe of Judah who
remained loyal to him, for Jeroboam was ruler over the other tribes of Israel. Have
you ever taken wrong advice from a friend? Did you go against your better
judgment when an inner voice was telling you to do otherwise? There was nothing
wrong with Rehoboam seeking counsel because that was wise to do, but his problem
was that he accepted counsel from the wrong people. Just because you have known
someone for a long time does not mean that they are the best person to ask for
advice. Rehoboam should have listened to those who were wiser, older, and more knowledgeable
in the affairs of leadership over those who were his partying buddies.
Sometimes people make decisions based on thinking that they have something to prove
rather than doing so in humility and thinking things clearly. Nevertheless,
this was all a part of God’s plan and it unfolded just as He would have had it
to happen. Unlike Solomon, when at first, he asked God for wisdom, Rehoboam did
not do the same. Therefore, he lost the respect of the people. Something to
ponder…
1 KINGS
MOMENT – (17APR19) The Lord had given a young prophet instructions to go to
Jeroboam and deliver a word of warning. After which, he was not to stop to eat,
drink, or go back the way that he had come. The prophet did what the Lord had
said and then he went towards home another way, but stopped and sat under an
oak tree. Upon hearing about the word that was given to the young prophet, an old
prophet sought him out and found him under the tree. He told him that an angel
of the Lord had appeared to him and told him that he could eat and drink because
he too was a prophet, but the old prophet was lying. The young prophet took the
man at his word and went with the old prophet to his home. Unfortunately, this
happened at his demise because the old prophet was lying the first time, but actually
did get a word from God later on once the young prophet had eaten foretelling
the destruction that was going to come on him due to his disobedience.
There are
several lessons to learn from this story.
1.)
Not all prophetic words are words from the Lord.
The old prophet lied to the young prophet when he told him that an angel of the
Lord had come to him. No such thing had taken place and the young prophet
should have known that the Lord would not have changed his mind concerning the
Word that had been given. When the Lord tells us to do something, we are never
to allow anyone to talk us out of doing what the Lord has commanded. This is
similar to when the serpent lied to Eve in the garden and she fell for his
words despite what the Lord had said.
2.)
The devil will seek you out to take your
anointing. The young man did not go looking for trouble, but trouble came
looking for him. For whatever reason, the old prophet knew that he was lying
when he sought the young prophet out and it cost the young man dearly. Therefore,
we must always be on guard against the enemy’s devices because he is not going
to wait for you to get bored to come to him, he has 24-hour delivery coming
your way to take the anointing on your life. We must always be aware of the
enemy’s schemes and devices.
3.)
The Lord did not tell the young prophet to take
a rest in the same city that he was supposed to leave. The young man should
have been in a hurry to get as far away from that place as possible. Unfortunately,
he hung around on enemy ground when he should have been traveling instead. When
you know that you are near the enemy’s camp, you do not hang around for any
reason. The Bible says to resist the devil and he will flee, but you cannot do
that if you take a vacation in the enemy’s camp. If you have struggled with alcohol,
do not visit the bar. If you have struggled with gambling, do not go to the
casino. If you have struggled with porn, do not have pay-per-view. If you are abstinent,
do not go to the opposite sex’s home alone.
4.)
The young prophet did not test the spirit to see
if the man was of God. Many people are claiming to be a prophet these days
without testing the spirit. Everyone has a word, but few are searching the WORD.
No, we are not to treat prophecies with contempt, but we cannot believe everyone
who has a “word” and claim that it is of God. We are to always ask God to
confirm a word PERSONALLY before we jump on the bandwagon. What He reveals to
one, He will confirm with another. Get your OWN confirmation because you cannot
always trust someone else’s relationship with God, but you can definitely know and
trust your own.
5.)
The wages of sin is death. This young prophet
died as a result of his disobedience. All he had to do was follow the original
command that God had given to him and he would not have gone wrong. He would
not have died for declining the old prophet’s offer, but he probably allowed
his stomach to think for him instead of relying on the Spirit of God within
him. Some may ask, “Why did God kill him?” A prophet was supposed to be just as
obedient to God as the people they prophesied to. God will not judge the
unrighteous without holding His own accountable first. Therefore, Jeroboam had
done wrong indeed, and God was going to judge Him accordingly, but the prophet
had to be righteous even more so because he was a man of God. The Bible lets us
know that the house of God will be judged first. Why is that? We are to know
better and have been given the Word of God to follow, so there is a greater
expectation from us than those who are in the world. If the world cannot see
Jesus in us, how are they supposed to learn about Him? Something to ponder…
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