1 Kings 14:7 “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.’”
This chapter is about the end of the reign of both Jeroboam in Israel and Rehoboam in Judah. Both reigns ended badly because both kings turned their back on God, forsook Him for idols. I can learn a lot about what not to do from their examples.
1 Kings 14:8 “‘I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commands and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.’”
I am reminded of an expression I’ve seen on the internet: “May I never forget, on my best day, that I need God as desperately as I did on my worst day.” My relationship with my Savior is crucial to my life. And without it, I have no center, no focus, nothing.
1 Kings 14:9 “‘You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused My anger and turned your back on Me.’”
Lord, Thank You for this day and the cautionary tales of Jeroboam and Rehoboam. They turned their backs on You and found that in the end, they had nothing because they didn’t have You. Thank You that I understand the value of our relationship. Thank You that I value the time we spend together. Thank You that You are my center. Help me always to strive to follow You with all my heart, to place our relationship above all others. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Kings 14:22-23 Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. By the sins they committed they stirred up His jealous anger more than those who were before them had done. They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.