In the south, Israel, Jeroboam's son became sick. King Jeroboam sent his wife to the prophet Ahijah is Shiloh to inquire of the Lord what shall happen to their son. When she arrived and inquired, the Lord had indeed given an answer to her inquiry. God told her that He had torn the kingdom apart and given Israel to Jeroboam and he had done more evil in the eyes of the Lord than all kings before him. He had made wood gods and provoked God to anger ! Therefore God said he would bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. The dogs will eat all that is Jeroboam's and lives in the city and the birds shall eat all that is Jeroboam's and lives in the country. Also when your feet enter the city your son shall die ! She returned home and the child died. Then Jeroboam died and was buried with his fathers. Jeroboam reigned 22 years as king.
In the north, Judah, Rehoboam reigned as king. He reigned for 17 years. Judah had provoked God to anger because of all the evil they had done. They had built high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every hill and under every green tree. In the 5th year of his reign a foreign king came in and took all of Solomon's treasures including the gold shields. Rheoboam made silver ones to replace them. Rheoboam died and rested with his fathers. Abijam, his son, reigned in his place.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Chapter 13 The Donkey And The Lion
"And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord..." starts this chapter. Here the man of God, who is never named, makes a prophecy that Josiah would kill all the illegitimate priests of the high places. This was kept 300 years later in 2 Kings 23: 15-20. When king Jeroboam heard this he reached out his hand to have him killed but his hand shriveled up and fell off. When this happened to the king, he asked the man of God to pray for his hand to be put back ... and it was. The king offered a reward to him yet he refused saying that God said he was not to eat, drink or stay there and he was to take a different path back home. And so he did.
An old prophet in Bethel had heard of these things from his sons and told them to saddle his donkey so he could go get this man. When he found him he asked him to come back and eat with him. When the man of God told him God's instructions, the old prophet told him That God had told him it was O.K. and that he should go back to eat and drink with this old prophet ! The man of God did so. During dinner the word of God came and said that because he had disobeyed the word of God ( The old prophet had lied to him) his body would not be buried with his family. This was seen as a major curse to him.
So it happened as he was headed home that he was killed by a lion as he was riding his donkey. As he lay dead on the ground, the lion and the donkey guarded the body and did not do what was natural for them to do. When the old prophet heard, he went and retrieved the body and buried it. The lion and the donkey bothered the man not. They represent what God expects from us. To obey the word of God ... even if it seems odd and unnatural !
An old prophet in Bethel had heard of these things from his sons and told them to saddle his donkey so he could go get this man. When he found him he asked him to come back and eat with him. When the man of God told him God's instructions, the old prophet told him That God had told him it was O.K. and that he should go back to eat and drink with this old prophet ! The man of God did so. During dinner the word of God came and said that because he had disobeyed the word of God ( The old prophet had lied to him) his body would not be buried with his family. This was seen as a major curse to him.
So it happened as he was headed home that he was killed by a lion as he was riding his donkey. As he lay dead on the ground, the lion and the donkey guarded the body and did not do what was natural for them to do. When the old prophet heard, he went and retrieved the body and buried it. The lion and the donkey bothered the man not. They represent what God expects from us. To obey the word of God ... even if it seems odd and unnatural !
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Chapter 12 God divides Israel
Just as God had promised Solomon, for his sin, God has divided Israel. 10 tribes went north and formed Israel. One tribe, Judah, stayed in the south to form Judah. 1 tribe, Benjamin ,divided between the two. Rehoboam was king over Israel and the people came to him and asked him to lighten the yoke on their backs put there by his father, Solomon. He asked advice from Solomon's elders. They advised him to lighten their yoke and the people would follow him forever. He then asked the advice of his contemporaries. They advised, and he listened, to tell the people that their yoke would be much HEAVIER than anything Solomon had ever done !
In addition to this stand, He was worried that Israel would return to Judah to worship God. So he made two wood calves overlaid with gold and presented them to the people as the way to worship God. He also built mini temples throughout the land, in high places, for people to make sacrifices to God. This was breaking God's law because the law said only was the tribe of Levi, sons of Aaron, to make sacrifice to God.He did many other evil things in the eyes of God and led his people into sin !
In addition to this stand, He was worried that Israel would return to Judah to worship God. So he made two wood calves overlaid with gold and presented them to the people as the way to worship God. He also built mini temples throughout the land, in high places, for people to make sacrifices to God. This was breaking God's law because the law said only was the tribe of Levi, sons of Aaron, to make sacrifice to God.He did many other evil things in the eyes of God and led his people into sin !
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