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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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2 Chronicles 10:14
“He followed the advice of the young men and said, ‘My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’”
The beginning of the end.
How often times of greatness are followed, almost immediately, by trouble or disaster. Israel had 3 kings - Saul, David and then Solomon. Saul had started well but subsequently failed. David was the great king who failed morally, which allowed the rot to set in. Solomon, the man who maybe had the greatest promise, proved how riches and power could even divert the best. It was certainly exacerbated by his marrying foreign wives who in turn led him astray after their gods.
Rehoboam was Solomon’s son, who immediately upon becoming king, found that there was opposition in the ranks. Jeroboam, accompanied by the elders of Israel, arrived with a request.
How often wars and conflicts are started by seemingly harmless or even sometimes unrelated events. World War I was perhaps a classic. Here, we have a deputation with a question. Obviously it was a loaded question but it looked fairly harmless on the face of it.
“Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labour and heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you” (v 4).
But what was the harsh labour and heavy yoke? Was it the construction of the king’s palace and the Temple? If so, maybe it was a ‘costly exercise’ - but was it not worth it for the King of kings? Did they not prosper under Solomon? Wasn’t gold and silver as common as rocks in Jerusalem? Was there ever a famine during his reign? Were there any major wars? No. So why this question? It was not justified, but it was a test which Rehoboam was going to have to consider and answer.
He started well, firstly by seeking time to respond, and then by asking the elders who had served his father. The elders’ reply was sound, without compromise. But, he then turned to his peers. Maybe, they wanted Rehoboam to be greater than Solomon, so they too would get their share of honour, power and glory. Unfortunately, Rehoboam listened to his peers and humiliated the people of Israel. And so began the fatal division of the nation.
So Jeroboam, who had already rebelled against Solomon after being given a senior post by him, rebelled once more against Rehoboam, the son. But this time, instead of fleeing to Egypt, he remained in Israel and became their king, so Rehoboam had to settle for ending up being just the king of Judah.
God is not mocked and what we sow we eventually reap. Here the sins of Saul, David and Solomon began to reap their harvest.
Yes, sins can be forgiven, but unfortunately their consequences are often complicated, embarrassingly painful and long lasting. It is always better not to sin in the first place.
But the ‘Good News’ is that even through the trials caused by the outworking of those consequences, God still promises His strength and grace to cope and overcome - if we ask and go on asking Him.
We can cope and overcome if we seek Him and then follow Him, His Word and His ways.
Never give up. Never ever give up on Him, because He never ever gives up on us.
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