Rehoboam

The Heavy Yoke

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And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him; and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that He might perform His saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
1 Kings 12:13-15

Solomon was the anointed king of Israel following David. He had been told by God Himself that if he would live as David had, that is, in fellowship with Him, the He would bless him by a continuing, perpetual kingdom. Read 1 Kings chapters 11 and 12.

Solomon is now gone to be with his fathers, and Rehoboam is king. Because of Solomon’s idolatry, due to the deception of his foreign wives, which began because he did not heed God’s word concerning marriage of foreign women. These women are not to blame, but rather, it is Solomon’s own undoing.

A prophet named Ahijah comes to a servant of King Solomon and tells him; his name is Jereboam that God is about to dived the kingdom of Israel, and that Jereboam will be the king of the northern kingdom. Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel would be in his rule. Judah and Benjamin would be only David’s descendants place of rule.

Through all of this travesty of the kingdom God shows Himself to be sovereign Lord over Adam’s kind. He has sent the prophet with the word of the LORD that this will take place, and He uses a matter of taxes to divide the kingdom. Jereboam is in on the rebellion and is appointed the first king of the northern kingdom which is called Israel, and the southern kingdom is Judah.

The division started when Rehoboam refused the counsel of the elders when he had asked what to do about the request from the people that the tax load be reduced. The elders said to do what the people requested. The King had also asked the young counselors about it, and they told Rehoboam to increase the taxes; and that what King Rehoboam did. Jereboam and those of Israel departed, and they were divided, just as God had said.

What can we learn from these things? One thing is that we need to hear and take heed to the word of God, and keep His commandments. Don’t tell me that the commandments of the LORD are done away with. They are not, The commandments show us when we have sinned, and point us to our Savior.

Another thing we can see is that those who are in leadership and positions of power, need to listen to the people. Pastors need to listen to the people whom they shepherd. We are all servants of God. Listen to Him.

The last thing I will point out is that when God says something and anytime God says something, then you can certainly count on it coming to pass. God will hasten His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).

It is true for the Christian, and the non-Christian – unbeliever. if you do not believe one sentence of God’s word, does not nullify the truth of His word. The New Testament is just as much the word of God as is the Old Testament. In the New we hear of God sending His only begotten Son into a sinful world which God loved so much, that He sent Him to die for the sins of the world. He did. He died on a cross for your sins and mine, He was buried carrying our sins away as far as east is from the west, leaving them there, and He conquered death by rising from the grave, walking with us forty more days, then ascending into heaven where He is forever seated at the right hand of God the Father.

The only way of salvation is through Jesus Christ who was proven to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). Call on the name of the Lord, and you will be saved (Romans 10:13).

The Heart of Pretense

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A Heart of Pretense

“Pretense” – a claim, not supported by fact; mere display or show. A false show. So is the meaning of the word. It would not be a pleasant or comfortable thing to be charged with. However, as we look into the book of Jeremiah we see that the nation of Judah, the Southern part of the divided kingdom since Rehoboam, is charged with this exact thing. “Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 3:10).

The Northern kingdom has been charged with adultery against God. God has called for their repentance (3:7), to return to the LORD. They had prostituted themselves against their faithful Husband and God, and become an immoral nation.

“…Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,’ says the LORD.” Jeremiah 3:8-10 (NKJV).

This was a prophecy given during the reign of Josiah (3:6), who was considered a godly king. Josiah became king at the age of eight years (Read 1 Chronicles 34 – 35). You will read of Josiah that he purged the land of Judah of the “high places”, of “carved images”, and of “molded images”, and that “He did what was right in the sight of the LORD…” However, it appears that much of what was done during Josiah’s reign was done with pretense. It does not seem to have been pretense on the kings part, but on the peoples hearts. Legislation, whether done by a monarch or a president cannot change the hearts of people. The hearts of the people of Judah were moved by Josiah, but not by God. Therefore, there was much pretense in the land of Judah.

Pretense or hypocrisy cannot be hid from the omniscient eye of the LORD. It is said quite often in Scriptures that “God looks on the heart”, and that seems to be something that all people tend to forget. Pretense and hypocrisy never fools, or deceives the Lord Almighty. It didn’t work in Judah or Israel, and it will not work in today’s world either.

If you will notice God even calls this act by Judah “treacherous”. Three times in verses seven through ten God calls Judah the “treacherous sister” of Israel. The word “Treacherous” is defined as ‘Characterized by treachery; untrustworthy, unreliable’ and “Treachery” is defined as ‘a violation of allegiance or trust’. According to Strong’s Concordance it is ‘to deal deceitfully’; and certainly the heart’s of the people of Judah were endeavoring to deal deceitfully with God.

At a time when our own nation is at war, and the hearts of people are growing more and more spiritual, but not according to the knowledge of God; there is much pretense and hypocrisy. There are religions on every corner that use the name of God, but know Him not. When religion denies Jesus Christ, they deny God. Jesus Himself said, “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father” (John 14:9). There is truly only one true worship of God, and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ, by His death, burial and resurrection. Any other presumed worship is a treacherous and pretentious worship.

-by Tim A. Blankenship