Monday, May 6
Read 1 Kings 12
Think About It:
- Rehoboam was a king who ignored the lessons of the past and turned his ears away from the voices of the suffering people. He was unfit to rule. There is no evidence he ever sought the Lord on his decisions. One of the marks of David’s leadership was that he was willing to humble himself and seek the mind of God, and then pray for God’s blessing on his decisions.
Do you go to the Lord for your decisions? The little ones as well as the big ones? How would you start?
- It is terrible when a nation splits. Judah was ruled by Rehoboam and the ten tribes by Jeroboam. Unfortunately, King Jeroboam ordained his own priests and turned the ten northern tribes into a center for worshiping idols, but for three years Rehoboam kept the people of Judah true to the Law of Moses. As a result, the priest and Levites in Israel who were devoted to the Lord came into Judah and enriched the nation greatly. Some priests and Levites merely “sided with Rehoboam” and remained in Israel, while others gave up their property in Israel and moved permanently to Judah.
The idols that Jeroboam set up to keep the ten tribes loyal to him led them and all the future generations into sin. Not only did he make one golden calf (where have you heard that before) but two! How convenient for the tribes. You can worship in one of two places. In the pagan religion, Jeroboam was copying the calves and bulls symbolizing fertility. He turned his back on the most important message at Mount Sinai: Israel’s Lord Jehovah is a God who would be heard but not seen or touched.
Idol worship – these are the footholds the enemy uses to separate us from Christ. What has slipped into your life and drawn you away from the one true God?
List anything the Holy Spirit is bringing to mind. Repent and ask for forgiveness.
Family Time:
- Who did Israel make as their king? (verse 20)
- Why did Jeroboam set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan? (verses 27-28)
