23/11/13
S: 2 Kings 8:16-17 Jehoram son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah began to rule over Judah in the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. But Jehoram followed the example of the kings of Israel and was as wicked as King Ahab, for he had married one of Ahab’s daughters. So Jehoram did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.
O: Jehoshaphat was a king who was serious about following God, and God had given him a great victory over an invading army, as dramatized in this cool song by Don Francisco and told in 2 Chronicles 20.
However, he was friends with Ahab and allowed his son to marry one of Ahab's daughters. She in turn influenced Jehoshaphat's son Jehoram to stop following the Lord and become evil.
A: There are many other passages in scripture showing examples of people who married people who did not follow God and hence were led astray. Another famous example was Solomon, whose marriage to a princess of Egypt and other women who did not follow God led him astray as well. That's why it is a principle in scripture that you should only marry those who share your faith.
And it's not just men: 1 Corinthians 7:39 mentions that "the woman is free to marry any man she wants, but he should belong to the Lord." (The context is a widow whose husband has died, but I don't see any reason this shouldn't apply to a woman who has never been married before, either.)
Yes, there are some cases where someone did marry a nonbeliever who later became a believer (I personally know two) but the vast majority it is the other way around that happens -- the believer's faith cools and the family makes most of their decisions without reference to God's principles.
P: Father, I thank You for the wonderful wife you have given me. I thank You that she follows You and encourages me to follow You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
The Slave Girl Evangelist
16/11/13
S: 2 Kings 5:1-3 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife. She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
2 Kings 5:15 He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman came and stood before him. He said, “For sure I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.”
O: Visualize this. A young girl, living with her loving family. Her parents taught her to love the LORD. One day, invaders come and kill her parents, rape her and her sisters, drag her and her brothers and sisters off to a foreign land, where she is separated from her brothers and sisters, never to see them again, and made into a slave for commander of the army that did this to her.
If you were her, would you have kept your faith in that kind of situation?
But this unnamed girl, whom I look forward to meeting one day in heaven, not only kept her faith but even shared the unconditional love of God with her captors and told him how he could be healed! As a result, the head of the army of Syria repented and became a follower of the One True God.
A: I have been blessed in my life. I was brought up by loving parents, like that little girl, but I was never snatched away. I got a decent education. I have a decent job. I have a loving wife and children.
Yet, sometimes I am so timid to share the love of God. I often find it hard to love those who annoy me, let alone my enemies.
P: Father, help me to love my enemies as Jesus taught us to. Help me to be bold in sharing the love of God. In Jesus' name, amen.
Back in 2011, I read this passage and did this Life Journal entry with a different emphasis.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
S: 2 Kings 5:1-3 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife. She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
2 Kings 5:15 He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman came and stood before him. He said, “For sure I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.”
O: Visualize this. A young girl, living with her loving family. Her parents taught her to love the LORD. One day, invaders come and kill her parents, rape her and her sisters, drag her and her brothers and sisters off to a foreign land, where she is separated from her brothers and sisters, never to see them again, and made into a slave for commander of the army that did this to her.
If you were her, would you have kept your faith in that kind of situation?
But this unnamed girl, whom I look forward to meeting one day in heaven, not only kept her faith but even shared the unconditional love of God with her captors and told him how he could be healed! As a result, the head of the army of Syria repented and became a follower of the One True God.
A: I have been blessed in my life. I was brought up by loving parents, like that little girl, but I was never snatched away. I got a decent education. I have a decent job. I have a loving wife and children.
Yet, sometimes I am so timid to share the love of God. I often find it hard to love those who annoy me, let alone my enemies.
P: Father, help me to love my enemies as Jesus taught us to. Help me to be bold in sharing the love of God. In Jesus' name, amen.
Back in 2011, I read this passage and did this Life Journal entry with a different emphasis.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Lessons from Ahab's life
9/11/13
S: 1 Kings 21:17-29 But the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself. Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”
“So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah. “Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight. So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’
“And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’ “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
(No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning. Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: 29“Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”
O: God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (Ezekiel 33:11) He would prefer evil people to repent and be saved instead.
Ahab was the most wicked king of Israel, yet God gave him chance after chance to repent.
In 1 Kings 18-19, it seemed like he might actually repent after seeing the power of God demonstrated in the miracle of the fire from heaven, but in the end, he went back to his wicked ways, which eventually led to the framing and murder of Naboath for his vineyard, which was what led to Elijah's condemnation in 1 Kings 21 I quoted above. But even then, his partial repentance brought some relief, as we see above.
But in the end, (1 Kings 22) Ahab went ahead and kept on disregarding what God and His prophets said and so God arranged for him to be killed by the Arameans.
A: As we struggle against the evil that the anti-democratic Barisan Nasional government has done, we must remember that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. I find it so easy to hate Najib, Muhyddin, Mahathir, etc. but God loves them and would rather they repent and be saved that for them to die and go to hell.
Similarly, evil dictators around the world like Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Vladimir Putin of Russia, etc. are people with an eternal soul which God seeks to save.
God sent His Son to seek and to save the lost. Jesus calls us to love our enemies. It is so hard to do, but it is what our Lord has called us to. Who knows, Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa may even have a Paul-like experience?
And closer to home, how about that colleague who had back-stabbed us, that driver who cut us off in the road, that relative who always knows the most cutting thing to say?
P: Father, when hatred wells up in my heart, remind me that You so loved the world that You sent Your only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. In Jesus' name, amen.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
S: 1 Kings 21:17-29 But the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself. Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”
“So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah. “Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight. So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’
“And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’ “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”
(No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)
But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning. Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: 29“Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”
O: God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (Ezekiel 33:11) He would prefer evil people to repent and be saved instead.
Ahab was the most wicked king of Israel, yet God gave him chance after chance to repent.
In 1 Kings 18-19, it seemed like he might actually repent after seeing the power of God demonstrated in the miracle of the fire from heaven, but in the end, he went back to his wicked ways, which eventually led to the framing and murder of Naboath for his vineyard, which was what led to Elijah's condemnation in 1 Kings 21 I quoted above. But even then, his partial repentance brought some relief, as we see above.
But in the end, (1 Kings 22) Ahab went ahead and kept on disregarding what God and His prophets said and so God arranged for him to be killed by the Arameans.
A: As we struggle against the evil that the anti-democratic Barisan Nasional government has done, we must remember that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. I find it so easy to hate Najib, Muhyddin, Mahathir, etc. but God loves them and would rather they repent and be saved that for them to die and go to hell.
Similarly, evil dictators around the world like Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Vladimir Putin of Russia, etc. are people with an eternal soul which God seeks to save.
God sent His Son to seek and to save the lost. Jesus calls us to love our enemies. It is so hard to do, but it is what our Lord has called us to. Who knows, Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa may even have a Paul-like experience?
And closer to home, how about that colleague who had back-stabbed us, that driver who cut us off in the road, that relative who always knows the most cutting thing to say?
P: Father, when hatred wells up in my heart, remind me that You so loved the world that You sent Your only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. In Jesus' name, amen.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Lessons from Jeroboam's life
2/11/13
S: 1 Kings 11-14. [See this blog post for a summary of these chapters.]
O: God had told Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah that He would take away 10 tribes of Israel and make him king over them because Solomon stopped following the Lord. God was only going to leave Judah -- and that was only because of David's faithfulness to God. God assured Jeroboam that if he were to follow God faithfully, God would establish Jeroboam's dynasty like He did David's.
However, Jeroboam did not trust God. Not only that, he led Israel into spiritual adultery because of his lack of trust that God would fulfil His promise to him that He would establish his dynasty like David's, if only he trusted in Him.
God gave him another chance to repent when he sent the Judean prophet to confront him at the consecration of that evil altar. Yet Jeroboam did not repent, and as a result, Jeroboam and his entire family was eventually wiped out. Only one person in the whole family was found to be innocent, the little boy that God, in His mercy, allowed to die young and in peace, buried and mourned by Israel. The rest of the family were not buried nor mourned, because of their evil.
Jeroboam's evil became such a byword from then on that subsequent evil kings were always compared to Jeroboam.
A sub-lesson is that of Jeroboam's good son. Sometimes the good die young, to spare them from the judgment of God that will befall others around them.
A: God promises us many blessings if we follow His Way. But we are tempted to do things the evil way of the world. It is difficult to resist this temptation, but we must.
Fortunately, like David found out with his sin with Bathsheba, even when we do give in, repentance is an option. Even in Jeroboam's case, God gave him a chance to repent — only he refused to take it.
So: follow God! If we mess up, repent and turn back to Him! Don't persist in evil, or face the consequences.
P: Father, when I am tempted to disobey You, please remind me of the lesson of Jeroboam. In Jesus' name, amen.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
S: 1 Kings 11-14. [See this blog post for a summary of these chapters.]
O: God had told Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah that He would take away 10 tribes of Israel and make him king over them because Solomon stopped following the Lord. God was only going to leave Judah -- and that was only because of David's faithfulness to God. God assured Jeroboam that if he were to follow God faithfully, God would establish Jeroboam's dynasty like He did David's.
However, Jeroboam did not trust God. Not only that, he led Israel into spiritual adultery because of his lack of trust that God would fulfil His promise to him that He would establish his dynasty like David's, if only he trusted in Him.
God gave him another chance to repent when he sent the Judean prophet to confront him at the consecration of that evil altar. Yet Jeroboam did not repent, and as a result, Jeroboam and his entire family was eventually wiped out. Only one person in the whole family was found to be innocent, the little boy that God, in His mercy, allowed to die young and in peace, buried and mourned by Israel. The rest of the family were not buried nor mourned, because of their evil.
Jeroboam's evil became such a byword from then on that subsequent evil kings were always compared to Jeroboam.
A sub-lesson is that of Jeroboam's good son. Sometimes the good die young, to spare them from the judgment of God that will befall others around them.
A: God promises us many blessings if we follow His Way. But we are tempted to do things the evil way of the world. It is difficult to resist this temptation, but we must.
Fortunately, like David found out with his sin with Bathsheba, even when we do give in, repentance is an option. Even in Jeroboam's case, God gave him a chance to repent — only he refused to take it.
So: follow God! If we mess up, repent and turn back to Him! Don't persist in evil, or face the consequences.
P: Father, when I am tempted to disobey You, please remind me of the lesson of Jeroboam. In Jesus' name, amen.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
Lessons from Jeroboam's life (with scripture texts)
2/11/13
S: 1 Kings 11:9-11, 29a, 30b, 33, 37-38 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other gods. But he did not obey the Lord’s command. So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.” ... The prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met [Jeroboam] on the road... “Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you.... I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did.... I will select you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. You must obey all I command you to do, follow my instructions, do what I approve, and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; I will give you Israel.”
1 Kings 12:26-30 Jeroboam then thought to himself: “Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, their loyalty could shift to their former master, King Rehoboam of Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.” After the king had consulted with his advisers, he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” He put one in Bethel and the other in Dan. This caused Israel to sin; the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves.
1 Kings 13:1-6,33-34 Just then a prophet from Judah, sent by the Lord, arrived in Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. With the authority of the Lord he cried out against the altar, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” That day he also announced a sign, “This is the sign the Lord has predetermined: The altar will be split open and the ashes on it will fall to the ground.” When the king heard what the prophet cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam, standing at the altar, extended his hand and ordered, “Seize him!” The hand he had extended shriveled up and he could not pull it back. The altar split open and the ashes fell from the altar to the ground, in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had announced with the Lord’s authority. The king pled with the prophet, “Seek the favour of the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord’s favour and the king’s hand was restored to its former condition. ... After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways; he continued to appoint common people as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest. This sin caused Jeroboam’s dynasty to come to an end and to be destroyed from the face of the earth.
1 Kings 14:1-15 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became very sick. Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go to Shiloh and see the prophet Ahijah. He is the one who said that I would become king of Israel. Dress yourself so that people will not know that you are my wife. Give the prophet ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey. Then ask him what will happen to our son, and he will tell you.”
So the king’s wife did what he said. She went to the home of Ahijah the prophet in Shiloh. Ahijah was very old and had become blind. But the Lord said to him, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son because he is sick. I will tell you what to say to her.”
When she came to Ahijah’s house, she pretended to be someone else. 6 But when Ahijah heard her coming to the door, he said, “Come in! I know who you are. You are Jeroboam’s wife. Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have some bad news for you. Go back and tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jeroboam, I chose you from among all the Israelites. I made you the ruler of my people. David’s family was ruling the kingdom of Israel, but I took the kingdom away from them and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David. He always obeyed my commands and followed me with his whole heart. He did only what I accepted. But you have sinned worse than anyone who ruled before you. You stopped following me and made other gods for yourself. You made those statues to make me angry. So Jeroboam, I will bring troubles to your family. I will kill all the men in your family. I will destroy your family completely, like fire burning up dung. Anyone from your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs. And anyone from your family who dies in the fields will be eaten by birds. The Lord has spoken.’”
Then Ahijah said, “Now, go home. Your son will die as soon as you enter the city. All Israel will cry for him. They will bury him, but he is the only one from Jeroboam’s family who will be buried. This is because he is the only one in Jeroboam’s family who pleased the Lord, the God of Israel. Soon, the Lord will put a new king over Israel who will destroy Jeroboam’s family. Then the Lord will punish Israel. The Israelites will be so full of fear that they will shake like tall grass in the water. He will pull Israel up from this good land that he gave their ancestors. He will scatter them to the other side of the Euphrates River. The Lord will do this because the people made him angry when they built sacred poles [to worship a fertility goddess]. He will let the Israelites be defeated because Jeroboam sinned, and then he made the Israelites sin.”
1 Kings 15:29 When Baasha became the new king, he killed everyone in Jeroboam’s family. He left no one in Jeroboam’s family alive. This happened just as the Lord said it would when he spoke through his servant Ahijah at Shiloh.
1 Kings 15:34 but he did what the Lord said was wrong. He did the same sins that Jeroboam had done that caused the Israelites to sin.
1 Kings 16:2 “I made you an important prince over my people Israel. But you have done the same things Jeroboam did. You have caused my people Israel to sin. Their sins have made me angry.
1 Kings 16:19 So Zimri died because he sinned and did what the Lord said was wrong, just as Jeroboam did when he caused the Israelites to sin.
1 Kings 16:26 He committed all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had committed when he caused the Israelites to sin. They worshiped worthless idols, and this made the Lord, the God of Israel, very angry.
2 Kings 10:31 But Jehu was not careful to follow the law of the Lord with all his heart. Jehu did not stop committing the sins of Jeroboam that caused Israel to sin.
O: God had told Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah that He would take away 10 tribes of Israel and make him king over them because Solomon stopped following the Lord. God was only going to leave Judah -- and that was only because of David's faithfulness to God. God assured Jeroboam that if he were to follow God faithfully, God would establish Jeroboam's dynasty like He did David's.
However, Jeroboam did not trust God. Not only that, he led Israel into spiritual adultery because of his lack of trust that God would fulfil His promise to him that He would establish his dynasty like David's, if only he trusted in Him.
God gave him another chance to repent when he sent the Judean prophet to confront him at the consecration of that evil altar. Yet Jeroboam did not repent, and as a result, Jeroboam and his entire family was eventually wiped out. Only one person in the whole family was found to be innocent, the little boy that God, in His mercy, allowed to die young and in peace, buried and mourned by Israel. The rest of the family were not buried nor mourned, because of their evil.
Jeroboam's evil became such a byword from then on that subsequent evil kings were always compared to Jeroboam.
A sub-lesson is that of Jeroboam's good son. Sometimes the good die young, to spare them from the judgment of God that will befall others around them.
A: God promises us many blessings if we follow His Way. But we are tempted to do things the evil way of the world. It is difficult to resist this temptation, but we must.
Fortunately, like David found out with his sin with Bathsheba, even when we do give in, repentance is an option. Even in Jeroboam's case, God gave him a chance to repent — only he refused to take it.
So: follow God! If we mess up, repent and turn back to Him! Don't persist in evil, or face the consequences.
P: Father, when I am tempted to disobey You, please remind me of the lesson of Jeroboam. In Jesus' name, amen.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
S: 1 Kings 11:9-11, 29a, 30b, 33, 37-38 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other gods. But he did not obey the Lord’s command. So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.” ... The prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met [Jeroboam] on the road... “Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you.... I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did.... I will select you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. You must obey all I command you to do, follow my instructions, do what I approve, and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; I will give you Israel.”
1 Kings 12:26-30 Jeroboam then thought to himself: “Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom. If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, their loyalty could shift to their former master, King Rehoboam of Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.” After the king had consulted with his advisers, he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” He put one in Bethel and the other in Dan. This caused Israel to sin; the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves.
1 Kings 13:1-6,33-34 Just then a prophet from Judah, sent by the Lord, arrived in Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. With the authority of the Lord he cried out against the altar, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” That day he also announced a sign, “This is the sign the Lord has predetermined: The altar will be split open and the ashes on it will fall to the ground.” When the king heard what the prophet cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam, standing at the altar, extended his hand and ordered, “Seize him!” The hand he had extended shriveled up and he could not pull it back. The altar split open and the ashes fell from the altar to the ground, in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had announced with the Lord’s authority. The king pled with the prophet, “Seek the favour of the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord’s favour and the king’s hand was restored to its former condition. ... After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways; he continued to appoint common people as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest. This sin caused Jeroboam’s dynasty to come to an end and to be destroyed from the face of the earth.
1 Kings 14:1-15 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became very sick. Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go to Shiloh and see the prophet Ahijah. He is the one who said that I would become king of Israel. Dress yourself so that people will not know that you are my wife. Give the prophet ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey. Then ask him what will happen to our son, and he will tell you.”
So the king’s wife did what he said. She went to the home of Ahijah the prophet in Shiloh. Ahijah was very old and had become blind. But the Lord said to him, “Jeroboam’s wife is coming to ask you about her son because he is sick. I will tell you what to say to her.”
When she came to Ahijah’s house, she pretended to be someone else. 6 But when Ahijah heard her coming to the door, he said, “Come in! I know who you are. You are Jeroboam’s wife. Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have some bad news for you. Go back and tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jeroboam, I chose you from among all the Israelites. I made you the ruler of my people. David’s family was ruling the kingdom of Israel, but I took the kingdom away from them and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David. He always obeyed my commands and followed me with his whole heart. He did only what I accepted. But you have sinned worse than anyone who ruled before you. You stopped following me and made other gods for yourself. You made those statues to make me angry. So Jeroboam, I will bring troubles to your family. I will kill all the men in your family. I will destroy your family completely, like fire burning up dung. Anyone from your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs. And anyone from your family who dies in the fields will be eaten by birds. The Lord has spoken.’”
Then Ahijah said, “Now, go home. Your son will die as soon as you enter the city. All Israel will cry for him. They will bury him, but he is the only one from Jeroboam’s family who will be buried. This is because he is the only one in Jeroboam’s family who pleased the Lord, the God of Israel. Soon, the Lord will put a new king over Israel who will destroy Jeroboam’s family. Then the Lord will punish Israel. The Israelites will be so full of fear that they will shake like tall grass in the water. He will pull Israel up from this good land that he gave their ancestors. He will scatter them to the other side of the Euphrates River. The Lord will do this because the people made him angry when they built sacred poles [to worship a fertility goddess]. He will let the Israelites be defeated because Jeroboam sinned, and then he made the Israelites sin.”
1 Kings 15:29 When Baasha became the new king, he killed everyone in Jeroboam’s family. He left no one in Jeroboam’s family alive. This happened just as the Lord said it would when he spoke through his servant Ahijah at Shiloh.
1 Kings 15:34 but he did what the Lord said was wrong. He did the same sins that Jeroboam had done that caused the Israelites to sin.
1 Kings 16:2 “I made you an important prince over my people Israel. But you have done the same things Jeroboam did. You have caused my people Israel to sin. Their sins have made me angry.
1 Kings 16:19 So Zimri died because he sinned and did what the Lord said was wrong, just as Jeroboam did when he caused the Israelites to sin.
1 Kings 16:26 He committed all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had committed when he caused the Israelites to sin. They worshiped worthless idols, and this made the Lord, the God of Israel, very angry.
2 Kings 10:31 But Jehu was not careful to follow the law of the Lord with all his heart. Jehu did not stop committing the sins of Jeroboam that caused Israel to sin.
O: God had told Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah that He would take away 10 tribes of Israel and make him king over them because Solomon stopped following the Lord. God was only going to leave Judah -- and that was only because of David's faithfulness to God. God assured Jeroboam that if he were to follow God faithfully, God would establish Jeroboam's dynasty like He did David's.
However, Jeroboam did not trust God. Not only that, he led Israel into spiritual adultery because of his lack of trust that God would fulfil His promise to him that He would establish his dynasty like David's, if only he trusted in Him.
God gave him another chance to repent when he sent the Judean prophet to confront him at the consecration of that evil altar. Yet Jeroboam did not repent, and as a result, Jeroboam and his entire family was eventually wiped out. Only one person in the whole family was found to be innocent, the little boy that God, in His mercy, allowed to die young and in peace, buried and mourned by Israel. The rest of the family were not buried nor mourned, because of their evil.
Jeroboam's evil became such a byword from then on that subsequent evil kings were always compared to Jeroboam.
A sub-lesson is that of Jeroboam's good son. Sometimes the good die young, to spare them from the judgment of God that will befall others around them.
A: God promises us many blessings if we follow His Way. But we are tempted to do things the evil way of the world. It is difficult to resist this temptation, but we must.
Fortunately, like David found out with his sin with Bathsheba, even when we do give in, repentance is an option. Even in Jeroboam's case, God gave him a chance to repent — only he refused to take it.
So: follow God! If we mess up, repent and turn back to Him! Don't persist in evil, or face the consequences.
P: Father, when I am tempted to disobey You, please remind me of the lesson of Jeroboam. In Jesus' name, amen.
Note: this is using the SOAP method. For more information, see this page (not written by me.)
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