Loyalty to the Lord will unite the people of God; loyalty to a man will always divide. You may recall that Zimri was commander of only half the charioteers (1 Ki 16:9). So when Omri replaced him, he had the loyalty of only half the people. Thus “the people of Israel were divided into two […]
Anytime people get the chance to choose between tyranny and freedom, they choose freedom. It seems there were always two job openings in the kingdom of Israel: bold prophets to speak for God and executioners of God’s judgment on wicked kings. But the trend continues throughout history: the deliverer from tyranny is soon wearing the […]
Read More… from April 9, 2024 — Seven Days Without God Makes One Weak
Israel didn’t like Samuel appointing his sons, so they compounded the problem with kings and their sons! After a God-honoring reign of 41 years, “Asa…was buried with his fathers in the City of David,” and “Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place” (1 Ki 15:24). But before we read the story of Jehoshaphat, the narrative […]
Read More… from April 8, 2024 — The End Of The House Of Jeroboam
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you’” (Ps 122:6). Stalwart king Asa stood against his own grandmother when she introduced idolatry into the palace. Like so many Bible characters—Abel, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Jael, Abigail, David, even our Lord—he found opposition within his own house. Two commands seem to collide at […]
The only metric for determining a good king was whether he was “loyal to the Lord” or not. Abijam, the son of Rehoboam, took up where his father had left off. Twice we are told, “And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days” (1 Ki 14:30; 15:6). So we also read, “And […]
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped” (Ps 28:7). “Rehoboam the son of Solomon,” we are told, “was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem” (1 Ki 14:21). We are also informed that his mother was “an Ammonitess.” Since […]
Europe became as full of idols as any pagan land. Only loyal love to Christ can save us from idolatry. After being told briefly about the deeds and death of Jeroboam, and of his son Nadab coming to the throne (1 Ki 14:19-20), our attention is turned south to the kingdom of Judah. One would […]
Every blessing is a burden. When God gives you something, you are responsible to use it for His glory. How often women and children have borne the brunt of foolish men’s wickedness. Such is the sad tale in 1 Kings 14. There was no question that God had supernaturally intervened to give Jeroboam the 10-tribed […]
Read More… from April 1, 2024 — The Ignominious End Of A Dynasty