Don’t Be Rehoboam

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

King Rehoboam, King Solomon’s son, has flipped my brain inside out and upside down as I have been studying his life for the last two days.  Each verse got more interesting, but what King Rehoboam did scared the living daylights out of me.

“And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.  And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord, With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.  And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 12:1-4KJV)

I shook my head as I read this passage of Scripture.  It’s a little unnerving.  First thing to note is that in this particular verse Israel is in reference to Judah.  Second thing to note is King Rehoboam was very high in popularity at this time.  Not only was he popular but he had also made an attempt to serve God.  The Results:  Judah prospered.  We find this evidence in 2 Chronicles 11:17 (KJV), which states, “This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for during those years they faithfully followed in the footsteps of David and Solomon.”

Rehoboam had success and was enjoying a time of blessing.  He and his kingdom were firmly established and made strong.  He was at the highest point in popularity and in power.  Then, we see a tragic turn of events.  In the time of blessing, Rehoboam “…forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.”  King Rehoboam committed two major sins: (1) He forsook the law of the Lord, and (2) He caused all Israel to sin because they followed his lead.  We can see Rehoboam’s sin didn’t just affect him; it affected all Israel.  When you are a leader, it is inevitable that people will follow you.  They look at your example, and eventually, you will see them modeling what you have modeled for them.  Any leadership role you play, you are held with a higher level of accountability by God.  How you lead those who follow your example will affect your standing in the eyes of God.  In this case, Israel took its leadership from Rehoboam and the whole nation forsook God’s law; they forgot about God and abandoned him.

There were consequences to them forsaking and abandoning God and His law.  We can see the results of their sin in verses 3-5 (KJV), which states, “With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.  And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.”

I think it’s safe to say God has His limits.  This verse, “…Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.”  I looked up the word “forsake” in the Hebrew Language.  The Hebrew word is “azab” which means “to loosen, to relinquish, to permit.”  When we decide to forsake or abandon God, we are letting go, giving up on God; when we decide to forsake or abandon God, we are voluntarily surrendering our claim to God being the One we follow.  There does come a time when God has had enough.  We don’t like being ignored or disrespected or pushed aside.  Can you imagine how God feels when we ignore, disrespect, or push Him aside?  He is your Creator, who has given you life.  It is not wise to push God aside or show Him any kind of disdain or indifference toward Him especially when God has lavished you with mercy and grace and has poured out His blessings upon you.

King Rehoboam and the people repented, and God saw the change of heart.  Sounds good, right?  Forgiveness doesn’t mean you will NOT suffer the consequences.  The consequences may not be as severe as they would have been if you didn’t repent.  Let’s look at verses 7-8 (KJV), which states, “And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.  Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”  What was their consequences for forsaking God and His law?  They would end up the servants to Shishak, King of Egypt.  By being the servants to Shishak, they would learn and know what it is like to be ruled by a man rather than being ruled by God.  The NLT phrases verse 8, this way, “But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.”  Need I say more on that?

Shishak attacked Jerusalem and ransacked the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple as well as the palace.  Then, the gold shields which were made by King Solomon were stolen.  God didn’t spare Rehoboam, a king, from the consequences of his choices.  Do you think he would allow any of us to escape the consequences of our own individual actions and choices?  The problem is when you make something else the lord of your life, you become a slave to that object.  When you make a person the lord of your life, you become a slave to that person.  Whatever consumes you is what you are a slave to.

GOD DOES NOT AND WILL NOT SHARE HIS GLORY WITH ANOTHER.  You are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will not share the same temple with another object or another person.  If you are backslidden, lukewarm, complacent, or lost God as your First Love, then you, being the temple of the Holy Spirit, will no longer be experiencing the Glory of God.  You, whom the Holy Spirit once resided in, will be Ichabod, meaning “The glory has departed from Israel.”  Do NOT grieve the Holy Spirit.  If you find yourself in any of these conditions, I strongly encourage you to repent and make things right with God.

CAN YOU DUPLICATE OR SUBSTITUTE ANYTHING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD?  NO, NEVER, CAN’T HAPPEN, IMPOSSIBLE.  Sure, you can try.  King Rehoboam tried to.  Look at verse 10-11, which states, “King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. Whenever the king went to the Temple of the Lord, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom.” 

I make no apologies for finding what Rehoboam did to be foolish.  He was trying to keep the former glory of the temple by using substitutes.  “King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace…”  He tried to keep the original appearance of the glory of the temple.  Rehoboam had the guards protecting bronze shields which were cheap, shoddy, and inexpensive.  He had substitutes to keep up the appearance of the former glory.  The temple no longer demonstrated a genuine display of the glory of the Temple, but it only gave a FAKE appearance of the former glory of the temple.  Remember everything was stolen from the temple.  Now all Rehoboam could use was substitutes. 

When you are no longer for God, when you are backslidden, when you are not in right relationship with God, if you have forsaken God, then the glory of God is not seen in you.  You can put on a performance or even display a picture of perfection, but that fact is, when you are FAKING, the fake display you are putting on will lack intensity, clarity, vividness, and the brightness that only the true glory of God has.  YOU CANNOT DUPLICATE THE GLORY OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE JUST LIKE REHOBOAM COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FORMER GLORY OF THE TEMPLE.  Just because you put on a picture of perfection does NOT mean that God is going to accept you and your behavior.  Nothing you do will substitute the presence and glory of God in your life.  Either you are for God or against Him.  You are either serving God or not.  Nothing can replace God and His glory shining in your life.

The way Rehoboam ended his reign and his life was in a very sad state, “But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the LORD with all his heart.”

We can all learn from Rehoboam.  First, when you go through good times and times of blessings, guard your heart.  Hold your faith closely, and cling to God.  Cling to the truths of God.  Second, when you repent and humble yourself before God, He will NOT reject a broken spirit and a repentant heart.  Third, be steadfast in your love for God and make your face like flint determined to do His will.

As we live life, let us live in such a way before God, that when we stand before Him to give an account for how we lived our lives, we will hear the words, “Well done, My Good and Faithful Servant.

Much Love To You All,

Linda A. Knowles

Self-Control Even In Speech

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

“Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” -Proverbs 21:23 NLT

Practice self-control even in speech. Not everything you are thinking and not everything you feel needs to be spoken. The problem with words is that once you have spoken, you will not be able to take those words back. Will your words edify or tear down? Remember out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.” (Matthew 12:35)

“Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” (Proverbs 25:11)

Linda A. Knowles

Fixated

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

When our minds are fixated on those who oppose us, who are the children of GOD, we are only adding fuel to the fire of our anger and our confusion. Those who oppose us are not ours to worry about. GOD will take care of the opposition. Unless we truly let go, we will never have peace of mind. When we are fixated upon those who oppose us, those who speak ill of us, those who are trying to harm us, then we are not trusting in GOD.

SHIFT THE FOCUS: In Isaiah 26:3-4 (Berean Study Bible), it states, “3You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You. 4Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.” Rather than focus on the opposition, which is as fleeting as the grass that eventually withers away, focus on what is eternal such as reflecting on the laws and the commands of GOD and concerning yourself with obeying Him, not caring about the approval or the applause of people. When you begin to think and speak about the goodness of GOD, you will find yourself experiencing the peace that comes from GOD alone. Your soul cannot remain in a downcast state when you are letting the fruit of your lips be thanksgiving and praise to GOD, and you will experience true joy rising up within you. Your mind will not stay overwhelmed and weighed down when you are thinking about what is noble, honorable, trustworthy, and of good report. Trust in GOD, and let it go.

“6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

Linda A. Knowles

Destruction or Success?

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

“Wickedness never brings stability, but the godly have deep roots.” -Proverbs 12:3 NLT

The path of the wicked only leads to destruction.  The wicked continue to grow eviler, more contemptuous toward what is good and holy, and their hearts continue to harden.  Their deceptive words crush the spirit and they hate discipline. Their mouths spout foolishness.  They devise evil schemes.  Whatever success they do have is not permanent, and that temporal success costs them their integrity and honor.  That temporal success comes at the expense of their character. They are NOT successful according to God’s standards.

The godly, however, are successful by God’s standards.  They are deeply rooted in Christ and grounded in the Word of God.  They maintain their purity before God.  They walk in righteousness, and their words build up and encourage others.  The success they have gained in the sight of God and in living for Him is lasting because the godly live by God’s commands and laws; they walk uprightly before God, protecting truth, and keeping up their integrity. 

If you want true success that is lasting, then follow God’s ways and live by His standards. Obeying God and doing things His way will always bring about blessings.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, every good and perfect gift is from You.  You are my Lord and my God, and my desire is to live for you.  Remind me that true success comes by living for You and following Your laws and Your commands.  True freedom is found in surrendering to Your will and Your ways, walking in obedience to you.  Help me to maintain my integrity and to continue walking uprightly before You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Linda A. Knowles

Don’t Be Chaff

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

“But not the wicked!  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.  They will be condemned at the time of judgment.  Sinners will have no place among the godly.  For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.” -Psalm 1:4-6 NLT

Are you the chaff or are you the grain?

Chaff is the husk, outer shell of the grain, and it goes through a process of threshing (getting the edible part of the grain loosened, a separating of the valuable kernel of grain from the outer shell) and winnowing (tossing the grain in the air to separate the inedible chaff from the edible grain).  What is the difference between the kernel of grain and the chaff?  The grain is useful and valuable.  However, the chaff is worthless and is of no use to anyone or anything.  The chaff and the grain are tossed in the air, the chaff is very light and is blown in every direction by the slightest wind.  In other words, the chaff has no direction, no substance, and is no good to eat.

Each of us has been designed with purpose and significance.  However, not every person, who has been designed with purpose and significance, will choose to walk in the purpose and step into the destiny that God has for them.  EACH OF US HAS A CHOICE IF WE WILL WALK IN THE PURPOSE GOD HAS DESIGNED US FOR.  We will either choose to be chaff or grain.

As children of God, Christ has chosen us to go and bear fruit as we see in John 15:16 which states, “You didn’t choose me.  I chose you.  I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit…”

How do you know whether you are the chaff (wicked)?“But not the wicked!  They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.” The chaff in this verse are those who are wicked, those who do not follow the ways of God, those who are living for themselves, those who treat what is holy as common, and those who are indifferent to the things of God.  The chaff are those who are “Sinners” and “will have no place among the godly.  For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.”

How do you know if you are the grain (godly)?  If you are the grain, then you do NOT take counsel from those who are the chaff (wicked).  You do NOT entertain mockers or scoffers or those who practice a life of sin (unrepentant life of any sin).  You delight yourself in His instructions and His laws.  You reflect on God and His ways and seek to do what pleases Him day and night.  You walk in obedience because you love Him.  Because you are grain, you are what Psalm 1:3 says, “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”

Today is the day to choose because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow:  “CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE.” Being the grain or being the chaff is a matter of spiritual life or death.  Be like Joshua when he said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD “

No one can make the choice for you or me.  Each of us is responsible before God as to how we live whether we live for God or whether we live for self.  All is exposed before the eyes of God.  CHOOSE you this day whom you will serve.

Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me, for calling me to go forth and bear the fruits of righteousness and holiness. My joy is found only in You, Father, and there is no other place where salvation is found. You, O God, are my Salvation. You alone have the Words of Life, and You are the Fountain of Living Water. Before You, help me to keep my resolve to live uprightly before You and to walk in holiness before You that I may be counted amongst the righteous and be with You for eternity. Because of Your Spoken Word, O Lord, I know I am made clean. Be my Strength, my Portion, and my Song forever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Linda A. Knowles