S) "31 He said to Jeroboam, 'Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 32 (but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did."'"
1 Kings 11:31-33 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read 1 Kings 11
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read 1 Kings 11
O) At this point in the narrative, Solomon has turned away from the LORD, following the various gods of his wives and concubines. God had therefore told him that the kingdom would be divided. This prophet had gone out to talk with Jeroboam (one of Solomon's officials) and prophesied the words above. What I thought was so revealing about this passage, though, is the fact that these ten tribes were being taken out from under Solomon's rule because of idolatry to these other gods - which is exactly what would happen in the northern kingdom of Israel. If keeping score was possible, we would see clearly that the southern kingdom of Judah had many more righteous kings than Israel had, so it seems the northern kingdom was in a worse condition for separating from Judah. This may cause wonder as to why God would do this, but I think it really just reveals His sovereignty and omniscience all the more. Certainly, consequences and judgment was due against Judah, and based on the promises made to David and Solomon, the kingdom could not remain in tact. At the same time, God knew very well that Israel would continue in idolatry, but He wasn't separating them from Judah in order to preserve the ten tribes. He was separating them because that was the righteous judgment. It could very well be, then, that the peoples of the north would have continued in their idolatry, regardless of who was king. In fact, that seems very likely, considering the history they had. When Israel did have a righteous king on their throne, it made little impact long-term. Being allied with righteous kings in Judah made little impact long-term. Even Judah themselves stumbled repeatedly into idolatry, despite their many more righteous kings.
A) God's judgment or discipline, of a people group or individual, can never be mistaken as affirmation for the behavior of those not yet judged or disciplined. If I see someone who seems to be incurring discipline from God because of their unrepentant sin, and I don't seem to be experiencing the same consequences or struggles, that does not mean that my behaviors are approved by God. I cannot use the experiences of others to justify my choices. This is where it is absolutely vital, that I am relying on the word of God to be the authority in my life for righteousness and morals. Jeroboam would have been gravely mistaken to think that the judgment against Solomon meant the approval of himself. I cannot make that same mistake. I cannot even take the approval of other people as affirmation of my behaviors. I must seek God and allow Him to teach me in righteousness, allowing the word of God to rightly divide me, as Hebrews 4:12 describes.
P) Father God, You are a righteous, true, and just Lord. Open my eyes and ears, so that I can rightly understand where I am sinning in my heart and in my deeds. Discipline me as Your son, so that I can gain self-control and be approved as Your servant. I love You, God. I want my life, my daily decisions, my character, my behavior to please You. Let me refrain from judging myself against other people, because that is foolishness that will only serve to deceive me, causing me to stumble all the more. Help me to understand that Your ways are not like the ways of men. You discipline one and extend grace to another, all according to Your perfect timing, merciful love, and just judgment. Let Your will be done in my life, and in the world, as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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