Posts
Back in the Northern Kingdom, Jereboam’s son had become very ill. Though he was not apparently praying to God or worshiping Him, Jereboam knew
that God’s prophet Ahijah would know the truth about his son. Too proud to admit that there might be a problem in the kingdom, Jereboam told
his wife to dress down and take a peasant’s offering to the prophet.
Though old and blind, Ahijah was still in touch with God, and
was told all that was about to happen.
Jereboam’s idolatry would led to his son’s immediate death, despite the
fact that his son Abijah pleased the
Lord. So why would God kill a boy
who pleased Him when hardly anyone
else did? God used the words of Isaiah
to tell us: “No one understands, for the
righteous man is taken away from evil.” God was calling Abijah away from all the sin that was happening in Israel. That in itself showed God’s love for him. Yet what a disaster Jereboam had caused
for himself! His son would be the
only male member of the royal line to receive a proper burial. All others would suffer a fate which was
terribly humiliating to Jews – their bodies would never be buried.
But God wasn’t done.
Because Jeroboam’s sin of idolatry had led the people to sin, God would “pull up Israel from the Land” and He
would scatter them beyond the Euphrates River at the hand of Assyria. Once man, Jereboam, had chosen to sin after God had chosen
him to lead, and he had led his nation to sin rather than to worship
the One true God. It would cost his
nation everything.
Thomas Jefferson was quoted in my commentary regarding
something he wrote in 1781: “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect
that God IS just; that His justice cannot
sleep forever…” Chilling words….
Wow, Father! That sounds
all too familiar now. You’ve already
shown that one man’s sin and apostasy can take down a great nation. Please let it not happen with America.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
No comments:
Post a Comment