JUNE 15 -1 Kings 14-15:24; Acts 10:1-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8
The prophet Ahijah was held in special regard by King Jeroboam. It was Ahijah who first brought word to Jerobaom of his God-given opportunity. If he proved to be faithful to walk in the ways of the Lord, he would be blessed as king of Israel and the head of a blessed dynasty.
Jeroboam’s unrepentant self-directed worship and the illness of his son and apparent heir, Abijah, put all promised blessings in jeopardy. Jeroboam’s own conscience witnessed to the fact that he was not right with God. Fear provoked him to inquire about the future of his sick son by the deceitful means of disguising his wife and appeasing the prophet with ten loaves of bread. But the prophet Ahijah, although now old and blind, would not be fooled. He was blind. Therefore her disguises were of no use. Through the exercise of his spiritual faculties he discerned her true identity from the moment of her arrival and announced that the son of Jeroboam would die.
Concerning Jeroboam, the Lord said:
You also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— (1 Kings 14:9)
Notice that in the written accounts of the Kings of Israel and Judah, David is held as a benchmark of one whose worship was devoted exclusively to the God Yahweh while Jeroboam is held up a benchmark of sin, a man devoted to self-directed worship and oblivious to the revelation of God. Both men had hearts of worship; one to the self-revealed God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the other who cast divine revelation who instead opted to worship according to his own understanding and lusts.
Ahijah gives a prophecy pertaining to the house of Jacob that will prove true. His son Abijah will die as soon as Jeroboam’s wife returns to Tirzah and crosses the threshold of her house. He will be the only one in the household of Jeroboam who will be given a decent burial because, according to the word of the prophet, Abijah will be the only one in the house of Jeroboam, in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found any good.
In this particular case, the death of the child, is seen as the child’s reward, and the parents’ punishment.
Not only was the kingdom now divided, but the north (Jeroboam) and the south (Rehoboam) were soon “continually” at war with each other (1 Kings 14:30).
The story of Kings of Israel and Judah continues. We learn from their examples, while both the north and the south do evil in the sight of the Lord and others, like Asa, “do what is right in the eyes of the Lord”. (15:11)
Don’t be confused by the two Abijahs. Abijah, the son of Jeroboam, of the northern kingdom, Israel, died as prophesied, before coming to the throne of Israel. Abijah, son of Rehoboam of the southern kingdom of Judah, became Rehoboam’s successor.
What do we know about Abijah?
“He committed all the sins his father had done before him”. (What kind of example are we setting before our children?) He did not have the heart of his greater ancestor, David.
Abijah’s son, Asa, breaks the family pattern of apostasy and purges Judah from the sins of his forefathers, Rehoboam and Abijah, expelling idols and the male shrine prostitutes from the land.
Asa did not let family sentiment get in the way of his fidelity to the Lord. He not only confronted his mother but deposed her from her royal position of influence:
“He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron. (1 Kings 15:13)
These passages remind us of the importance of having our minds renewed and our hearts right with God. Instead of doing what is right in our own eyes, or the eyes of others, our supreme concern should be to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. We must be ready to do the hard thing without the interference of sentimentality.
God is mindful of what He wants us to accomplish in our lives. Let us not leave anything undone. Exceptions to otherwise faithful kings are recorded in God’s book- David’s failure with Bathsheba and Uriah, and Asa’s failure to remove the high places.
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Acts 10:1-23
According to the Mosaic laws of separation (Leviticus 11) certain foods were considered unclean and were not to be eaten. These laws made it difficult for Jews to be with Gentiles without being defiled. Peter’s repeated vision made it clear that the middle wall of partition of ceremonial law that separated the Gentiles from the Jews had come down with the finished work of Christ. The Holy Spirit used this vision to show Peter that the gospel was the good news of salvation to all people, Gentiles as well as Jews. His heart was prepared to what God would call him to do next- preach the gospel to a God-fearing Gentile Roman officer.
PSALM 133- Unity in Christ Foreshadowed
Psalm 133:1 (NASB) 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!
Proverbs 17:7-8 (NASB) 7 Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, Much less are lying lips to a prince. 8 A bribe is a charm in the sight of its owner; Wherever he turns, he prospers.
Be blessed in the reading of God’s Word
Pastor David
So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. (Colossians 1:28, J.B. Phillips paraphrase)
New Life Community Church, Concord, MA 10742
Meeting Sundays at 10:30 AM at the Emerson Umbrella for the Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord MA
Mailing Address: Post Office Box Five, Concord, MA 01742
Church Offices: 35 Bypass Rd. Lincoln, MA 01773 978-369-0061
Home Office: 978-371-3176
New Life Fine Arts
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