King Rehoboam had big shoes to fill because his father, Solomon, was considered the wisest man on earth. I cannot fathom the pressures he felt as he stepped into leadership. He sought the wisdom of his peers & of the older men who had counseled his father, but he went with the young bucks’ novice advice which led to his kingdom literally splitting in two!
He now ruled Judah from the city of Jerusalem. He sought the Lord during this tumultuous time & the people followed his lead. Once he became strong & firmly established, however, he abandoned the Lord and the people of Israel followed his lead.
As a result, God allowed the King of Egypt to conquer Judah, allowing the Israelites to become Egypt’s subjects. He proclaimed through a prophet that this servanthood positioning will teach them “...the difference between serving Me & serving earthly rulers.” (Verse 8)
What does this have to do with us? We are constantly in a position to lead, to follow or we might as well, “git out the way”! Rehoboam led the people to follow God. He also led the people away from God as he followed his own little “g” gods.
As my sons have launched, my prayer has been that the Holy Spirit reminds them of Whose they are so that they may lead many to know the same. This can become difficult when they step onto a college campus or into the LA vibe, & all of the pretty, shiny things this world has to offer tempts their eyes & heart to abandon The One who led them there.
We will always be “subject” to something or someone. Even good things like budgeting & macro counting can take the place of serving my king. (I can begin to follow my budget more than Jehovah Jireh😬)
When life becomes firmly established, it is easy to abandon our Lord who led us there. It’s at that point that we have a decision to make: will we continue to follow Him & wield this time of plenty to lead others towards Him? Or will we abandon His Lordship?
Lord, become “Lord” over every area of our lives. We want to be “subject” to You alone! Remind us that any success is Your doing & help us to git out the way of YOUR Way so that we might continue to lead like You lead & walk in your Way!
July 24th One Year Bible Readings
💡2 Chronicles 11:1-13:22
💡 Romans 8:26-39
💡 Psalm 18:37-50
💡 Proverbs 19:27-29