2 Chronicles 12:1-4 - 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. With twelve hundred chariots
and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans,
Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from
Egypt, he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far
as Jerusalem.
Rehoboam had been king for 5 years. He established his government and grew strong
during the first five years of his reign. He lived within the fortified cities
he had built ….and served God…for at least some of these years. But somewhere
toward the end of this 5 year period of strength…he began to worship idols…and
abandoned the God who had given him his strength.
Perhaps the power he had developed over the people gave him
a false sense of security. The mere ease of his job allowed satan to sneak in
and replace his need to follow God…with a sense of self sufficiency. His mind and soul began to think he could do
his job on his own...the cockiness of his youth regaining its hold on his
heart.
When God isn’t centered in our hearts….we become superficial
Christians….giving God less and less time in our lives …..doing exactly what we
want…completely twisting his word sometimes to justify it to our heart. Our actions and words are not based on the
truth of God’s word…but on the false sense of security we have built in the
material things around us.
The words in my Life Application Bible Commentary perked up
my heart when I read…. “in hard times we tend to draw close to God…but in times
of ease we can sometimes feel self-sufficient and self-satisfied.” Perhaps that
is one reason why God allows us to experience bad things in life…perhaps we
have become like Rehoboam….and a little too confident in our own abilities.
It is a warning to me to guard my faith in this time of life
when I am feeling very blessed lately. I need to build a tall tower around my
heart with the truth in God’s word…and pray like my friend Daniel morning …noon…and
evening. I need to stay focused on God…so
I am always conscious of where my sustenance comes from.
Father…I thank you for everything you have given me….in
spite of the fact that I deserve none of it. I thank you for reminding me just
how important it is to keep my eyes on you in this time of life when the
blessings you have showered on me blow my heart away in gratitude. Help me to
always remember this feeling of closeness to you….and continue to search for
ways to grow even closer. Keep reminding
me how important it is to stay humble…so I will not fall into any of the traps
satan has set for my heart. Amen.
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