Burunche’s Blog

1 Kings 15:1 – 24 “In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijam became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. (Absalom)

And Abijam walked in all the sins that his father before him had committed, and his heart was not as fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his forefather had been. Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong. For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

And there was war between the houses of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijam’s life.  

As for the rest of the acts of Abijam, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. And Abijam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David, and his son Asa reigned in his place.

In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. His grandmother’s name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. (Other sources say his mother was Micaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.)

And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

The high places were not removed, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days. And he brought into the house of the LORD the silver and gold and other articles that he and his father had dedicated.

Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel throughout their days. Baasha king of Israel went to war against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.

So Asa withdrew all the silver and gold that remained in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace. He entrusted it to his servants and sent them with this message to Ben-hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus: “Let there be a treaty between me and you, between my father and your father. See, I have sent you a gift of silver and gold. Now go and break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.”

And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, conquering Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and the whole land of Naphtali, including the region of Chinnereth.

When Baasha learned of this, he stopped fortifying Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. Then King Asa summoned all the men of Judah, with no exceptions, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and the timbers Baasha had used for building. And with these materials King Asa built up Geba of Benjamin, as well as Mizpah.

Now the rest of the acts of Asa, along with all his might, all his accomplishments, and the cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? In his old age, however, he became diseased in his feet. And Asa rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the city of his father David, and his son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place.”

This passage says practically nothing about the character of Abijah. For a better look at Abijah, you have to go to 2 Chronicles 13. When Jeroboam attacked Jerusalem, Abijah counter – attacked in the Battle of Mount Zemaraim. Abijah testified against Jeroboam for driving out the priests of the Lord and making golden calves. When Jeroboam attempted to ambush the men of Judah, they cried out to the Lord, and “God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.” Abijah and Judah slaughtered a total of 500,000 of Jeroboam’s men. But rabbinic sources indicate that Abijah was actually quite corrupt, taking over the golden calves from Jeroboam rather than destroying them as he should have. When God defeated Jeroboam, Abijah evidently did not allow the corpses to be buried until they had begun to putrefy, a violation of Jewish law. Abijah also falsely accused all of Israel of turning away from God. The results of Abijah’s sins limited his reign as king to 3 short years.

This passage only gives a brief description of Asa, Abijah’s son. “The high places were not removed, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted to the LORD all his days.” Asa only followed the Lord up to a point. 2 Chronicles 14 tells of a time when an enormous army from Ethiopia attacked Asa at the Valley of Zephathath, and God gave him victory. Yet later on, Asa’s faith failed and he sent a huge sum of money to Ben Hadad to attack Israel. Unfortunately, God had selected Asa to defeat Ben Hadad, and Asa frustrated that plan with his faithlessness. When Asa was old and developed diseases in his feet, 2 Chronicles 16:12 says that “he did not seek the Lord, but relied upon the physicians.”

APPLICATION: What can we learn from the stories of Abijah and Asa? Abijah called on God when it was expedient, but he did not follow God faithfully, nor did he know God’s Law. Once more, we have a king who failed to copy the Law or to study it for himself. Asa did far better, removing his own grandmother from her position as Queen Mother and burning her Asherah pole in the Kidron Valley where refuse was burnt. But Asa’s faith failed him on several occasions, and he ended his reign unable to walk because he refused to ask God for help.

Abijah called on God when he wanted help, but did not really believe in God. For Abijah, the God of Israel was just one more deity, perhaps a little more powerful than the rest. Abijah was good at making stirring speeches, but his heart wasn’t in it. Asa trusted God, but only up to a point. Even though Asa had the power to wipe out every high place and to truly bring revival to Judah, he drew back and failed to accomplish everything God wanted him to do.

It’s easy for us to criticize these men, but how well do we do in our own lives? When confronted with evil on a massive scale, do we seek God’s help, or do we attempt to fix things somehow by political manipulations? Are we really following hard after God, or are we behaving like Asa – sometimes fervent and sometimes timorous? May God help us to follow Him steadily and faithfully all the days of our lives, and may we continue to seek God’s help even in our old age!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow you steadily and whole -heartedly for all of our lives, not drawing back when things become difficult. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 14:19 – 31 “As for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. And the length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.

Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned 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 from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.

And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done. They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.

Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.

As for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, along with all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days. And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David; his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And his son Abijam reigned in his place.”

Twenty – two years! That was the length of Jeroboam’s reign. All during that time, Jeroboam could have repented, turned away from his fake religion, and could have served the Living God. Instead, Jeroboam just became worse and worse, finally dying. Meanwhile, the nation of Judah under Rehoboam experienced a very brief revival and then plunged into idolatry.

Solomon’s first wife was Pharaoh’s daughter, and she may have converted to worship the God of Israel. In the normal scheme of things, this woman’s son should have succeeded Solomon. But somehow it was Rehoboam, the son of an Ammonite woman, who became king after Solomon. (Perhaps Solomon’s first wife tried to gently correct him and he became offended – who knows?) Although God had permanently barred the Ammonites from entering the temple and had forbidden the kings of Israel to marry such people, Solomon married this woman anyway.  Lacking any teaching from his father, Rehoboam soon began following his mother’s religion, worshiping Molech. Left unrestrained the people of Judah went crazy, setting up Asherah poles for fertility rites all over the place and even establishing male temple prostitutes. No abomination was left untasted.

When a nation sins, its spiritual protection disappears. Now Pharaoh Shishak attacked Jerusalem, carrying off all the treasures of the temple and the palace, particularly the gold shields Solomon had made. Rehoboam instituted bronze shields in place of the gold ones. This gesture was not only practical but also symbolic. By this action, Rehoboam was demonstrating that his kingdom was far less glorious than his father’s kingdom had been. The substitution of bronze for gold also indicated the general spiritual deterioration of the populace.

Rehoboam reigned seventeen years, five years less than Jeroboam. Both men were morally and spiritually corrupt; both led their respective nations deep into idolatry. Both had the potential to turn to God and repent, but neither did so. The wheels were definitely coming off the bus in both Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and Judah, the southern kingdom.

APPLICATION: What do you do if you find yourself in a country that appears to be deteriorating morally and spiritually?

1. First and foremost, don’t give up and don’t give in! The One True Living God is still worthy of all honor, all praise, and all worship. Continue to worship God in the beauty of His Holiness.
2. Keep praying and keep being faithful! As the story unfolds, we will see that the northern kingdom goes into exile well before the southern kingdom does. Even though every pagan religion ever practiced appeared to be flourishing in Judah, there was still a remnant who were serving God faithfully. There were far fewer believers in the northern kingdom; that’s why they went into exile early on. Be part of that remnant, wherever you find yourself.
3. Continue to intercede for your nation and encourage others to do so as well.
4. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THE WAYS OF THE LORD!!! The whole mess in both Judah and Israel came about in the first place because David, although faithful, never studied the Law of Moses as he was supposed to. Lacking the knowledge that intensive study of the Law would have given, David did a poor job of discipling Solomon. Solomon in turn completely failed to teach his children anything. Solomon was obsessed with work, obsessed with power, obsessed with wealth, and obsessed with sex. Despite Solomon’s vaunted wisdom, he never made his own copy of the Law of Moses nor did he ever study it. There is no indication that Jeroboam was ever a believer in the first place, so he had no knowledge of the Law of Moses, nor did he worship God. Jeroboam probably went up to Jerusalem for the feasts and considered himself a believer as a result; meanwhile, he was just going along with the crowd.

The whole universe tilts on the axis of free will. God has given each of us the ability to choose to serve Him or to serve Satan. If we are not serving God, we are serving Satan, whether or not we realize it. Each of us has the same choices that these men faced. What choice will we make? Will we choose light or darkness? Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit or gloom and despair? Choose wisely, for your eternal destiny and that of your descendants depends on it!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow You and no other god. Help us to choose Your ways and no other. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 14:1 – 18 “At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people. Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the boy.”

Jeroboam’s wife did as instructed; she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.”

So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news. Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes. You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back. Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam:

I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both slave and free, in Israel; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone!

Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.’ For the LORD has spoken.

As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam.

Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today! For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”

Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died. And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.”

Jeroboam has wasted no time in spoiling God’s plan for his life! Ahijah was the prophet who first told Jeroboam that God was going to tear 10 tribes away from Rehoboam and give them to Jeroboam. But there were conditions. If Jeroboam would follow God faithfully as David had, then God would establish Jeroboam’s family as a dynasty. But if Jeroboam refused to follow God faithfully, disaster would strike.

Jeroboam’s first mistake was failing to seek counsel from the prophet Ahijah. If Jeroboam had immediately humbled himself and asked Ahijah for direction, Ahijah could have given him wise counsel. Unlike the old prophet who caused the death of the young one by his lies, Ahijah was a true man of God. But Jeroboam just assumed that he was fine and that God had simply recognized his greatness and was now rewarding him. Jeroboam might have assumed that the God of Israel was simply like one more pagan deity, only with prophets who actually spoke for him.

Jeroboam’s next mistake was establishing a fake religion instead of following God’s instructions. Now Jeroboam is about to reap the results of his wickedness. Jeroboam’s son, presumably his heir, is sick and Jeroboam sends his wife to the prophet Ahijah in hopes that Ahijah will pray and the boy will recover. Unfortunately, God says that this boy is the only righteous member of Jeroboam’s family and therefore will die and have an honorable burial. Because Jeroboam has rejected the One True Living God, God has also rejected him. Ahijah gives a spine – chilling description of what will happen to Jeroboam and his descendants. “I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both slave and free, in Israel; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone! Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.’

Ahijah goes on to describe what will happen to the ten tribes who have formed the new nation of Israel, the Northern Kingdom. When Jeroboam began establishing his fake religion, these people could easily have rebelled, demanding to be allowed to worship in Jerusalem. But swayed by Jeroboam’s arguments – “It is too much for you to go to Jerusalem” – these people are going along to get along. They have just been waiting for someone to lead them back into idolatry, and now Jeroboam has done so.

“For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.” For failing to oppose Jeroboam and for enthusiastically worshiping idols, the ten tribes will be carried off beyond the Euphrates.

APPLICATION: How much evil will you tolerate? As I am writing this, the U. S. Supreme Court has struck down Roe vs. Wade, the evil suit that legalized abortion in America. It is estimated that 63 million babies have been killed through abortion since 1973. When Roe vs. Wade first came into being, the churches were silent. Now America is reaping the results of years of shedding of innocent blood.

While it is tempting to criticize those in the ten tribes who left Rehoboam to make up the Northern Kingdom, how many of us might have tolerated Jeroboam’s evil acts? How many of us might have comforted ourselves with the idea that we were worshiping God in our homes, no matter what Jeroboam was doing? How many of us would have actually spoken out, knowing that we might pay with our lives for doing so? Realistically speaking, many of us would have remained silent, allowing Jeroboam to bring curses on us and on our families by our refusal to oppose the evil he was bringing.

May God help us so that when evil appears, we stand for righteousness and refuse to hide. May God grant us the ability to speak His Word whenever necessary!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You and to be willing to speak out against idolatry and unrighteousness. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 13:11 – 34 “Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.

“Which way did he go?” their father asked.

And his sons showed him the way taken by the man of God, who had come from Judah. So the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.”

Then they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”

“I am,” he replied.

So the prophet said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some bread.”

But the man replied, “I cannot return with you or eat bread or drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’ ”

Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ”

The old prophet was lying to him, but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.

While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back, and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you, but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’ ”

And after the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet who had brought him back saddled the donkey for him. As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

And there were men passing by who saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet lived.

When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.” Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it, and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey. So the old prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him. Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”

After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones, for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”

Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places. And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.”

This is one of the most confusing stories in the Old Testament. The young prophet who has cried out against Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel has done extremely well. God has split the altar and spilled out the ashes, withering Jeroboam’s hand and then restoring it once the young prophet has prayed. But God has told this young prophet not to eat or drink anything in that place and to return home by a route different from the one he took to get there.

In the same vicinity lives an old prophet whose behavior is far from exemplary. The old prophet wants to meet the young one, and this is fine. But then when the young prophet describes his orders from God, the old prophet lies, saying that an angel has appeared to him and that the young prophet is to stop at his house to eat with him. Why would this old prophet behave this way? Perhaps this old prophet is jealous; after all, the young prophet has just ministered in a powerful way. Perhaps the old prophet has never had anything miraculous happen in his life. Perhaps the old prophet has been called to speak out against Jeroboam and he has refused, fearing for his life. Now he is jealous and resentful that someone else has succeeded where he has failed. This old prophet is already on the spot at Bethel. What has he been doing while Jeroboam has been establishing this fake religion? Anyhow, the old prophet entices the young one to come home and eat with him, only to turn around and prophesy that the young prophet will die on the way for failing to follow God’s instructions correctly. (Is the old prophet gloating as he utters this proclamation?)

When the young prophet leaves and is killed by a lion, it is obvious that this lion is from the Lord because the lion leaves the body and the young prophet’s donkey alone and allows the old prophet to collect the body. Finally, the old prophet instructs his sons to bury him with the young prophet because the young prophet’s outcry against Jeroboam’s fake religion is going to come true. Now that the young prophet is safely dead and can no longer make the old prophet feel ashamed of himself, the old prophet is willing to cry, “My brother! My brother!”

APPLICATION: IF GOD TELLS YOU TO DO SOMETHING, FOLLOW ALL THE DIRECTIONS IMPLICITLY! This young prophet has carried out the work of the Lord; however, he is willing to listen to the old prophet when that man claims that an angel has appeared to him. By this point, the young man is probably hungry, thirsty, and tired. How nice it would be if God would allow him to enjoy just a small refreshment before he takes the long road home!

Fatigue and self – pity are a disastrous combination. Satan uses the old prophet to sway the young one so that he will forfeit his life for lack of obedience. Because of the old prophet’s perfidy, we will never know how wonderful the young prophet’s career might have been. This young man might have become a second Samuel or a precursor to Elijah. Now all that promise lies dead on the road at the feet of God’s lion, who watches until the old prophet and his sons collect the body.

IF YOU ARE AN OLDER BELIEVER, DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE CALL OF GOD ON SOMEONE ELSE’S LIFE FOR ANY REASON, ESPECIALLY FOR JEALOUSY! The old prophet has behaved wretchedly, duping the younger one at the cost of that man’s life. If this old man has ever moved in the prophetic, he knows the cost of such a life. Perhaps he has turned away from God, refusing to pay the price for effective ministry. Now he is willing to deceive a promising young man because that man’s ministry is proving more effective than his own. We can never know precisely what God intends for someone else; only God knows. When we interfere as the old prophet has done, we may cripple a fellow believer so that he or she may never develop their full potential. God will hold us responsible if we act so wickedly.

 The old prophet and the young one: Follow God’s directions implicitly and don’t interfere with the call of God on someone else’s life. Allow God to do His full work with someone else; anything less is like removing a butterfly or a moth from its chrysalis without allowing it to struggle. It is the struggle that develops the magnificent wings. No struggle, no flight, only a poor crippled thing left on the ground to die, stripped of its potential by someone playing amateur providence. May God help us, so that we follow His Will for our lives and refuse to interfere in His dealings with others for any reason!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You that You have a perfect plan for each of our lives and that in Your sight, humble actions are just as important as big public ones, if they are done in obedience.  In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 13:1 – 10 “Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD. And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’”

 That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’ ”

Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back. And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray that my hand may be restored.”

So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.

Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”  But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. For this is what I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”

So the man of God went another way and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.

PRESUMPTION!!! Jeroboam might be the king of Israel, but he is really the king of presumption. When the prophet came to Jeroboam and told him that God was going to give him ten of the tribes of Israel and that God would establish his throne as a dynasty if he did what was right, Jeroboam should immediately have asked the prophet to advise him. Nope! Jeroboam is young and strong and he is already supervising the labor force from Ephraim and Manasseh. Jeroboam evidently thinks that God has finally recognized him for his true worth, not realizing that God could easily have picked someone else. Ask advice from some prophet? Are you kidding??? Rather than humbling himself to learn what God wants from a king or how he should go about it, Jeroboam simply blunders forward.

Solomon is responsible for much of Jeroboam’s problems. After all, Solomon is the one who built magnificent buildings and dedicated his temple with the blessing of the Lord, only to end his reign by worshiping idols. Jeroboam probably thinks he can do at least as well as Solomon in that regard. Now Jeroboam has sought advice from who knows where and has made two golden calves and has placed one in a temple in Dan and the second in the temple at Bethel. (Who was advising Jeroboam? Probably idol – worshiping relatives who were hoping for places of power in the new kingdom.)

Compounding the heresy, Jeroboam has announced that these golden calves represent the gods that have brought the Israelites out of Egypt! Depending on your point of view, these gods either represent the Egyptian goddess Hathor, the goddess of fertility, or Baal, the god of the Sidonians. Never mind that during the ten plagues, God has handily defeated every single major Egyptian god. Why would any Egyptian god allow slaves to escape from his or her territory? But logic has no place in Jeroboam’s thinking. All he can think of is how he can retain power.

Having no regard for the God who has torn ten tribes away from Rehoboam and given them to him, Jeroboam now proceeds to attempt to act as a priest, even though he has no God – given mandate to do so. But as Jeroboam is about to commit further heresy, a young prophet cries out against the altar and the altar splits, spilling its ashes on the ground. When Jeroboam points to the prophet to have the prophet seized, Jeroboam’s hand is withered. (This is presumably Jeroboam’s right hand, his social hand. In this culture, the left hand is used to wipe oneself after defecating. The right hand is reserved for greeting and other important gestures. To lose the use of one’s right hand means becoming a social outcast.)

Jeroboam begs the prophet to pray for him, and the prophet does so, restoring Jeroboam’s hand. But when Jeroboam tries to curry favor with the prophet, the prophet refuses, stating that God has ordered him not to eat or drink anything at Bethel and to take another route home.

APPLICATION: Jeroboam is really a slow learner! What lessons should Jeroboam have learned that he has not?

1. God gives Jeroboam a wonderful prophecy about kingship; however, Jeroboam assumes that he is fine as is and has no need to make any changes. Jeroboam only listens to half the promise. 1 Kings 11:38 – 39 records God’s conditions: “But as for you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel.  If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. Because of this, I will humble David’s descendants—but not forever.’”
2. NONE of us is fine as is. Isaiah 64:6 says, “Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; (like a stained menstrual garment.)” Jeroboam seizes on the promise of power without paying the slightest attention to the conditions. Jeroboam never humbles himself before the Lord but instead goes out and sets up his own religion. The results are disastrous.
3. Even when God sends a prophet who cries out against Jeroboam’s fake religion and when God shrivels Jeroboam’s arm, Jeroboam fails to repent. When that altar splits and Jeroboam nearly loses the use of his right hand, he should be falling on his face and repenting. Nope!

In an earlier generation, there was a saying when someone was doing something that would only result in disaster for himself that “He is cutting off his own nose to spite his own face.” God has sent a prophet to advise Jeroboam that if Jeroboam will walk in God’s ways, God will establish his dynasty. But the reverse is also true. By refusing to follow the One True Living God and establishing his own religion, Jeroboam is bringing curses on his descendants as well as on himself. We must keep this in mind as we continue to follow Jeroboam’s downward spiral. We must also search our own hearts. Are we coming closer to God each day, or are we refusing to humble ourselves, feeling that we are really good people and have no need of a Savior? May each of us individually come to realize our need for deliverance from our sins!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, if we are honest, we know that nothing we do is good enough for us to earn our way into heaven. Because of our sins, You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die for us. But we must believe in Jesus and we must humble ourselves before You. Help all who read these words to come to a saving knowledge of Your Grace. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

“When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

And when Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the whole house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against the house of Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon.

But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: “Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people that this is what the LORD says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’”

So they listened to the word of the LORD and turned back according to the word of the LORD.

  Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went out and built Penuel.  

Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom might revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, their hearts will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah; then they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.

Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites. And Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, (one month after the Feast of Tabernacles) and he offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up, and he installed priests in Bethel for the high places he had set up.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. So he ordained a feast for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.”

God has torn the Northern Kingdom away from Rehoboam just as he promised, leaving Rehoboam only the tribes of Benjamin and Judah. When Rehoboam wants to go to war to get back the rest of the tribes, God stops him. But Jeroboam is not a believer, and even though God has promised to establish him if he remains true to God, Jeroboam panics. What if the Israelites keep returning to Jerusalem? Won’t they change loyalties back to Rehoboam and kill Jeroboam?

On the face of it, this fear is ridiculous. Rehoboam is obviously a fool, and nobody in his right mind would follow him. Judah and Benjamin are following Rehoboam out of tribalism, not for personal loyalty. But Jeroboam doesn’t ask God for advice; instead, Jeroboam’s answer is to set up his own religion using….. wait for it…. golden calves! That’s right. Jeroboam revives the worship of Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of fertility and makes two golden calves, one at Bethel and the other at Dan in the far northeast corner of the territory.

The argument Jeroboam uses is a sly satanic one. ““Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” Given the opportunity to do something simple and cheap, Jeroboam’s people are more than ready to follow his lead. In addition, since Hathor is a fertility goddess, there are probably lots of opportunities for ritual sex as part of the worship. Jeroboam does a complete job, building shrines on every high hill and setting up his own priests from all classes of people. One wonders how many men buy their way into the priesthood, thereby enriching Jeroboam.

Ever since Solomon built that incredible temple in Jerusalem, shutting down temples in other parts of Israel, the people whose temples were closed have been simmering with resentment. Now Jeroboam is giving them precisely what they want, even if it is in a perverted form. No thanks to Solomon’s 1,000 wives and concubines, there are plenty of idol worshipers left in the kingdom, and now is their chance to shine.

This is what is left of Jeroboam’s temple at Tell Dan in the northeastern tip of Israel. The metal frame indicates how enormous the altar was. Given the opportunity, the citizens of the Northern Kingdom swiftly revert to idol worship.

APPLICATION: Jeroboam’s argument echoes down the centuries. “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you…” Appealing to self – pity is one of Satan’s most effective ploys. Rather than bestir himself to seek God’s face, Jeroboam settles for something he can do himself. Jeroboam becomes his own amateur providence, and this never works. Jeroboam has the opportunity to do something truly magnificent, and he fails completely. Jeroboam could have begged God to send him someone to guide him as he sets up his kingdom and God would have freely done so. But God is waiting to see what Jeroboam will do, and Jeroboam follows the terrible example of Aaron, Saul, and everyone else who has settled for the expedient rather than the holy.

Jeroboam then turns around and practices the same thing on his followers. What a prince! Rather than demanding we struggle to go to Jerusalem, Jeroboam is setting up local places of worship. And this new religion is very simple and appealing. No more Ten Commandments! No more extensive sacrifices. Whee!

Each of us chooses daily whether to worship God or to do something less. True worship demands a sacrifice of time, of effort, and occasionally of money. Harold Hill, a Christian in an earlier generation, was fond of saying that “It isn’t a sacrifice of praise until you are pushing it out through clenched teeth.” Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that “God is a spirit and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” God knows our hearts, and He doesn’t like fakes. Worship does not have to be complicated, but it does have to be sincere. Let us worship God in spirit and in truth!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to worship you every moment of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 12:1 – 19 “Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king. When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard about this, he was still in Egypt where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel came to Rehoboam and said, “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.

Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How do you advise me to respond to these people?” he asked.

They replied, “If you will be a servant to these people and serve them this day, and if you will respond by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders; instead, he consulted the young men who had grown up with him and served him. He asked them, “What message do you advise that we send back to these people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! Whereas my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.’ ”

After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.” And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.”

So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.  

When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king:

“What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse?

To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!”

So the Israelites went home, but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.

Then King Rehoboam sent out Adoram, who was in charge of the forced labor, but all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste and escaped to Jerusalem. So to this day Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David.”

If brains were gunpowder, Rehoboam wouldn’t have enough to even blow his nose! Growing up in the palace with all that wealth, Rehoboam was nothing but a poor little rich kid who was completely out of touch with the people he was supposed to govern. Solomon might have enjoyed untold luxuries, but his people suffered. Under Solomon, the Israelites were forced into groups of laborers for construction projects, forced into the army, forced to use their talents and resources to serve Solomon. Solomon’s kingdom might have impressed foreign visitors, but for the average Israelite, it was hell!

Now Rehoboam had a chance to endear himself to the Israelites. The elders of Israel gave excellent advice. All Rehoboam had to do was to speak kindly and courteously to the delegation, and he could have negotiated terms with them. The royal exchequer might have taken a hit, but Rehoboam would still have been king over all Israel. But Rehoboam was undoubtedly fed up with listening to elders and couldn’t see beyond the end of his nose.

Ever wonder what it must have been like having King Solomon as a father, with Solomon parading around the palace spouting off proverbs and tidbits of information about botany, biology, etc., to a horde of attentive scribes scuttling along behind him recording his every word? Solomon mentions his father teaching him in Proverbs 4:4 “He (David) taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live.” But there is never any evidence that Solomon took the time to teach any of his children anything. Solomon was so wrapped up in himself that he totally neglected schooling his successor in leadership. Really, Solomon was a lousy leader; it was David who inspired intense loyalty in his followers. Solomon merely felt entitled and threw his weight around. No, Rehoboam was fed up with taking advice from any elder.

Technically, Rehoboam was not even qualified to become king; his mother was an Ammonite and barred from the temple by her race. The horrible god Milcom/Molech who demanded infant sacrifices was the main god of the Ammonites, and Rehoboam’s mother Naamah had undoubtedly schooled Rehoboam in the worship of this demon. One wonders why Solomon with all his wisdom could done such a poor job of picking a successor.  

A half – breed Israelite with an Ammonite mother, pampered from birth, schooled in demon worship, unwilling to take sage advice, and with no regard for the One True Living God – this is the young man who succeeded Solomon. No wonder that when the Israelites begged for relief, Rehoboam gave them a foolish response, a response that lost him most of his kingdom.

APPLICATION: The seeds of the split between Israel and Judah were sown during Solomon’s reign. Solomon depended on his own wisdom but never studied God’s Word. Failing to heed God’s Word, Solomon married 700 wives and had 300 concubines who led him away from God. Solomon assumed that a magnificent temple would make up for a rebellious heart, but he was wrong. Failing to study the Law of Moses, Solomon couldn’t have taught it to his children, even had he wanted to. Solomon’s children worshiped their mothers’ gods, not the God of Israel. Solomon had no vision for the future of the kingdom; in fact, in Ecclesiastes 2”18 – 19, Solomon predicted what would happen after he died. “I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.”

Rehoboam was no leader but merely a spoiled young man with a bad case of entitlement syndrome. No wonder that most of the Israelites deserted to form the Northern Kingdom.  

The elders of Israel were quite correct when they advised Rehoboam to serve the people, rather than to snub them. Servanthood leadership never goes out of style. Jesus described himself as a servant leader when he said, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for all of our sins when he shed his blood on the cross at Calvary. Jesus is worthy of our loyalty and worthy of all praise because unlike Rehoboam, Jesus knows our struggles, our weaknesses, and our needs far better than we do. Why not follow a Leader who is truly worthy?

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You, that You know us better than we know ourselves. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus, we pray. Amen.

1 Kings 11:26 – 43 “Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king, and this is the account of his rebellion against the king.

Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his father David. Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So, when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.

During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.

And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes. But one tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

For they have forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments, as Solomon’s father David did.

Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David My servant, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and statutes. But I will take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you. I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name. But as for you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel.  If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. Because of this, I will humble David’s descendants—but not forever.’”

Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until the death of Solomon.

As for the rest of the acts of Solomon—all that he did, as well as his wisdom—are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? Thus, the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.”

God is fed up with Solomon. Solomon is building one pagan temple after another in a frantic effort to propitiate those 700 wives and 300 concubines, most of whom worship demons. Solomon himself is even joining in the worship of these idols, turning his back on the One True Living God who has made him great. Jeroboam is Solomon’s overseer for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the tribes of Joseph. As Jeroboam is leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah meets him and gives him an incredible word from the Lord. Ahijah tells Jeroboam that God is about to tear ten of the tribes away from Solomon’s family and that He will give those tribes to Jeroboam to rule if Jeroboam will only prove faithful.

When Solomon hears of this prophecy, he tries to kill Jeroboam, who takes off for Egypt and shelters with Shishak, the Pharaoh at that time. Jeroboam remains in Egypt until Solomon dies. Solomon never repents, but continues to worship idols until he dies and is buried in Jerusalem. What a tragedy!

God’s promise to Jeroboam is amazing. “But as for you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel.  If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.”

God is prepared to hand Israel over to Jeroboam, if Jeroboam will only be obedient and walk in the ways of God and keep his statutes and commandments. All Jeroboam has to do is to be obedient and God will build him a lasting dynasty. Incredible! Little wonder if Solomon is ready to kill Jeroboam.

APPLICATION: After the horrible example of Solomon and his fall from grace, you would think that Jeroboam would fully appreciate this incredible prophecy and would be careful to follow God’s instructions completely. Unfortunately, once more, we have a young man with a sense of entitlement. Eventually, Jeroboam will prove to be a sever disappointment, just as Solomon has. But Jeroboam will also be the instrument God uses to finally tear ten tribes away from Solomon’s family.

Why does God choose Jeroboam to be His instrument in this situation? Obviously, God knows the end from the beginning and God knows that eventually, Jeroboam will also fall into idolatry. But God continues to give men opportunities. For Jeroboam at this point, the kingdom is his to gain or to lose. The whole universe tilts on the axis of free will, and Jeroboam has the opportunity for greatness.

One of my favorite hymns begins “Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide.” There are pivotal points for each of us in our lives where we will either choose to follow God or we will choose to turn away from God to follow something lesser. These moments may very well come when we are tired, upset, stressed out, and feeling overwhelmed. To avoid failure, we must continue to make right choices at those times when we are not stressed, tired, etc. We must continue to make it our habit to seek God’s will and not our own for our lives. If we perpetually choose God’s will, then when crises erupt, we will respond in the right way. But if we are in the habit of indulging our passions and only choosing God’s ways when they are convenient, we may miss untold blessings. May God help us, so that our choices moment by moment will yield obedience to Him!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to continue to choose Your will and Your ways and not our own. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 11:14 – 25 “Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab the commander of the army had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom. Joab and all Israel had stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom. But Hadad, still just a young boy, had fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites who were servants of his father.

Hadad and his men set out from Midian and went to Paran. They took men from Paran with them and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.

There Hadad found such great favor in the sight of Pharaoh that he gave to him in marriage the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife. And the sister of Tahpenes bore Hadad a son named Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived there among the sons of Pharaoh.

When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”

But Pharaoh asked him, “What have you lacked here with me that you suddenly want to go back to your own country?”

“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but please let me go.”

And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah, and had gathered men to himself. When David killed the Zobaites, Rezon captained a band of raiders and went to Damascus, where they settled and gained control. Rezon was Israel’s enemy throughout the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So, Rezon ruled over Aram with hostility toward Israel.”

God has already warned Solomon several times to change, and Solomon has refused. Finally, God tells Solomon, “Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.  Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

Joab, the commander of David’s army was blood – thirsty, unreliable, and a diplomatic disaster. Joab was very fond of slaughtering people and evidently had engaged in wholesale carnage in Edom. Hadad was from the royal family of Edom and had escaped to Egypt as a young boy. Hadad made such an impression on Pharaoh that Pharaoh gave him his sister – in – law as a wife and wanted to keep Hadad around the court. Remember that Solomon’s first wife was Pharaoh’s daughter. Either this is the same Pharaoh or his son, and he might have become highly insulted when Solomon chose to take a huge number of wives and concubines, thereby depriving his daughter or sister of her position in court and possibly her conjugal rights. This alliance with Israel has not worked out as Pharaoh anticipated. Now Hadad is grown and learns that both David and Joab are dead. Hadad wants to return to Edom.

Rezon escaped from Zobah when David was killing the Zobaites. Collecting a band of raiders, Rezon settled in Damascus, where he took over, using Damascus as a base for his raids on Israel. Now Solomon has two vicious enemies out for revenge.

While Solomon is busy accumulating as much wealth as possible and collecting tribute, both Hadad and Rezon are harassing Israel. Things might be going smoothly for Solomon, insulated as he is in his palace; however, Israelites in border areas are suffering from repeated raids and are becoming fed up. God is trying to get Solomon’s attention, but Solomon is not heeding these warnings at all.

APPLICATION: The story of Solomon is a very sad one. Gifted beyond all measure, Solomon might have demonstrated God’s holiness, His righteousness, and His purity. Instead, Solomon has squandered God’s gifts and has even used much of this wealth to build temples to demonic gods. While God has promised Solomon that He would establish Solomon’s kingdom if Solomon would serve Him, Solomon has not kept his side of the bargain. Now God is raising up enemies who harass Solomon and Israel for the remainder of Solomon’s reign.  The resentment aroused in the average Israelite is growing daily.

What can we learn from this part of Solomon’s story? Proverbs 16:7 tells us, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” If Solomon was following God’s dictates, God would have kept Hadad in Egypt and Rezon would go raid somewhere else. As it is, God is already laying the groundwork for the eventual rejection of Solomon’s son Rehoboam by most of the Israelites.

Sometimes we want to blame God when things are not going well for us. But our first action should be to check our own hearts. Are we really doing what God wants us to do, or are we doing our own will in God’s name? While it is true that we might have to suffer for the sake of righteousness, we had best be certain that we are really on God’s side and not merely on our own. There is no record that Solomon repented at any point when Hadad and Rezon began harassing Israel. God had no further conversations with Solomon, nor did He send any prophets either. Solomon had chosen his own way, and God was allowing him to reap the results. May God help us so that we do not wind up like Solomon!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to listen carefully to Your voice and to obey, never wavering. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

1 Kings 11:1 – 13 “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away.

For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom (Molech) the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely.

At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

Now the LORD grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although He had warned Solomon explicitly not to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.

Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.  Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

ONE THOUSAND WOMEN!!! That’s right. Do the math, and you realize that Solomon was attempting to please 700 wives and 300 concubines, something that God never intended for him to do. Solomon’s first wife was Pharaoh’s daughter, who may well have converted to Judaism. But the same man who built a glorious place of worship to the God of Israel also took the lead in promoting idolatry in Israel. This catastrophe occurred because Solomon’s bed partners wheedled and begged until he did whatever they wanted. Talk about letting your gonads do your thinking for you!

Solomon’s wisdom was famous throughout the world; yet, he failed miserably in applying it to his own life. Rather than seeking God’s will, Solomon did his own will in God’s name. The results were disastrous and long – lasting.

How bad were these foreign demons to which Solomon erected places of worship? The worship of Milcom, otherwise known as Molech, demanded infant sacrifices with the babies being thrust into the outstretched arms of a fiery red – hot idol. Ashtoreth was a fertility goddess with worship that included ritual sex with temple prostitutes.

How did Solomon fall into this mess in the first place? Solomon refused to study the Laws of Moses or to obey them. After all, God had already spoken personally to Solomon twice, so Solomon felt entitled to do anything he pleased, forgetting the warnings that God had given him. In those days, pagan kings married as many women as possible, so Solomon was merely following that pattern. But that pattern was never God’s perfect will for Solomon’s life. Solomon’s story is a tragic example of a man who was given incredible gifts and who squandered them recklessly on his own passions, totally ignoring his responsibilities as a leader, a husband, and a father.

APPLICATION: We read Solomon’s story and grieve that someone so gifted could make so many horrible mistakes. But would any of us fare any better, were we given Solomon’s wealth? Very few people can actually handle riches in a spiritually correct fashion. The late evangelist Billy Graham serves as a shining example of someone who succeeded where Solomon failed. In 1976, the BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) had an estimated worth of 28.7 million dollars. At that time, Graham’s personal salary was $39,500 per year, plus income from a syndicated newspaper column. Even though Graham’s salary eventually rose, he gave most of it to charities, including that of the BGEA and Samaritan’s Purse. Graham continued to live in the same house he and his wife built in the 1950’s. Despite the fact that Graham’s net worth when he died at age 99 was 25 million dollars, much of that continued to be handled through various charities.

“Grant Wacker, a professor at the Duke University Divinity School and author of America’s Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation, also says that Graham has led an exemplary life free of financial scandal. “People who didn’t like Billy Graham spent a lot of time trying to find personal violations of his moral and ethical code, and they couldn’t,” Wacker told NPR after Graham’s passing. “They didn’t exist. He was a man who maintained absolute marital fidelity and moral and financial integrity. He was an evangelist who lived the way he preached.” Graham insisted that the BGEA be audited regularly to avoid any hint of scandal. (https://money.com/billy-graham-net-worth-quotes-money-greed/)

Despite the incredible success of Graham’s ministry, he remained faithful to Ruth Bell Graham, his wife of 63 years, with whom he raised five children. Graham was extremely careful to avoid even a hint of sexual scandal.

Proverbs 30:7 – 9 says, “O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”

 King Solomon was a tragic figure. While Solomon’s father truly loved God, Solomon himself merely felt entitled, and that he was God’s favorite. No matter how many extravagant sacrifices Solomon offered to God, those sacrifices meant nothing because he wasn’t true – hearted. Solomon never loved God, and the result was disaster. May all of us learn from Solomon’s mistakes!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to learn from Solomon’s tragic mistakes. Help us never to lose sight of You and Your perfect Will for our lives, but to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.