2 Chronicles 12 -- God Won't Put Up With It For Long

Verses 1-2 say that Rehoboam “Did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.”  It sounds like it’s never enough to simply read God’s Word.  We need to start with heart preparation, which might include prayer and confessions plus a willingness to hear and obey what God has to say.

Rehoboam led well for several years, but then “he allowed and encouraged the building of idolatrous shrines … Idolatry and immorality go together, and it wasn’t long before the pagan sins condemned by the law became commonly accepted practices in Judah.  (Sounds like America today!)  The Jewish people were no longer a light to the Gentiles; instead, the darkness of the Gentiles had invaded that land and was putting out the light,” my commentary said.

We usually dislike the term loving discipline because any discipline that seeks to reign in our actions doesn’t feel like love.  God had been patient for a year, but “the longsuffering of God had come to an end.”  God brought the king of Egypt in to discipline His people, and He had the prophet Shemaiah deliver the message.  “Whenever God’s people experience discipline because of their sins, they can make a new beginning by hearing the Word of God and humbling themselves before the God of the Word,” my commentary said.  “God’s people discovered that their freedom to sin brought them into painful and costly bondage to Egypt, for the consequences of sin are always costly.”

As Charles Spurgeon said, “God does not allow His people to sin successfully.”

Father, please show me each day what I need to do to prepare my own heart to seek You.  Show my boys this too, Father.  Keep us ever mindful of the costliness of sin and make sure we remember that You do not allow Your people to sin successfully.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford