The Blessing of Serving God
After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD. Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam.
. . . he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says, 'You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.' "
The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is just."
When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: "Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands." 2 Chronicles 12:1-8
. . . he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says, 'You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.' "
The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is just."
When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: "Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands." 2 Chronicles 12:1-8
Rehoboam succeeded his father Solomon as king of Israel. His policies resulted in rebellion and a divided kingdom. He was only left with Judah and Benjamin to rule over. He spent time and resources fortifying and making Judah very strong. After entrenching himself in power and making himself strong, "he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD." This unfaithfulness to God resulted in their being attacked by Shishak, the king of Egypt. God's hand of judgment was clear: "You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak."
Faced with divine judgment, Rehoboam and all his leaders humbled themselves and repented before the LORD. God responded by not allowing them to be completely destroyed by Shishak. However, God's gracious act of forgiveness was not without an important lesson worth learning: "My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands."
God's love and grace are simply incomprehensible! He never gives us what we truly deserve by way of divine judgment. He always tempers His justice with lots of grace. This grace and compassion sometimes causes us to be hardened in our hearts and even take God for granted. But the truth is: The alternative to experiencing the gracious rule of God over our lives is a rather terrifying prospect. We will never fully understand how blessed we are to serve God until we stray off into the enemy's camp. That was the lesson God wanted His children to learn. God wanted them to know that there is a difference between serving Him and serving the enemy.
The enemy might offer all kinds of attractions to pull us away from loving and serving Jesus. But those attractions only lead to death; never life! We are truly blessed to be serving God. We are blessed to be guided by His word and empowered by His Spirit. We are blessed by the protection of our lives by the army of divine angels. We are blessed indeed.
Faced with divine judgment, Rehoboam and all his leaders humbled themselves and repented before the LORD. God responded by not allowing them to be completely destroyed by Shishak. However, God's gracious act of forgiveness was not without an important lesson worth learning: "My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands."
God's love and grace are simply incomprehensible! He never gives us what we truly deserve by way of divine judgment. He always tempers His justice with lots of grace. This grace and compassion sometimes causes us to be hardened in our hearts and even take God for granted. But the truth is: The alternative to experiencing the gracious rule of God over our lives is a rather terrifying prospect. We will never fully understand how blessed we are to serve God until we stray off into the enemy's camp. That was the lesson God wanted His children to learn. God wanted them to know that there is a difference between serving Him and serving the enemy.
The enemy might offer all kinds of attractions to pull us away from loving and serving Jesus. But those attractions only lead to death; never life! We are truly blessed to be serving God. We are blessed to be guided by His word and empowered by His Spirit. We are blessed by the protection of our lives by the army of divine angels. We are blessed indeed.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for the privilege of serving you. May I always be mindful of this privilege. Amen.