DEVOTIONAL

Does your head spin at how quickly the Bible blows through decades in a few chapters? Well, today is a chunk that moves through three kings of Judah in 61 years. The best way to track which kings are over which kingdom and which tribes encompass each kingdom is a flow chart. Thank you, business school, for the useful skills of a flow chart. The simplistic run down is after King Solomon, a lot of tension and hostility split Israel into two kingdoms. We are not keeping score, but if we were, the southern kingdom of Judah leads with more years of worshipping God instead of idols during this time frame. A summary of the kingdoms and kings are below.

  • Northern Kingdom = Israel, 10 tribes = King Jeroboam
  • Southern Kingdom = Judah, 2 tribes (Judah & Benjamin) = King Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa

The people of God are divided. They build altars and worships idols instead of God. During the lack of faithfulness to God, there are bold declarations from kings who stake their lives on God. After 61 years of division and chaos, the one constant is the faithfulness of God to His people that love Him.

Let’s walk through chronologically and piece together the events. In 2 Chronicles 10-12, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, becomes king of the southern kingdom over Judah and Benjamin for 17 years. He is not like his father Solomon. Rehoboam rejects the wise counsel of the older men under Solomon. He is forceful and the people revolt against him. The climate shifts when Rehoboam listens to God and does not fight against Jeroboam’s threat. And a quick sidenote is that Jeroboam becomes king over the northern kingdom and is all about himself and has nothing to do with God.

I start cheering for King Rehoboam when God says in 2 Chronicles 11:4, “this thing is from me” to not attack Israel and he listens. However, as Rehoboam builds a strong and secure kingdom, he rejects God. I can see Rehoboam pound his chest in pride looking over his kingdom under his power with no credit to God for any of it. How could he? I am appalled. Oh wait, I do that sometimes too.

In 2 Chronicles 12, we see in action the cycle of rebellion, repentance, and forgiveness that is throughout the Bible. The dance between God and His people. Get ready because it happens fast in 12:5-12. God abandons Judah after they abandon God. Rehoboam feels what it is like to operate without God and quickly repents in the next verse. And can you believe the response of God in 12:7? He relents! He is merciful. From His abundant grace and mercy, God chooses to not destroy Judah because Rehoboam humbles himself before God. I cannot believe God, but then I am grateful for His mercy.

They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 12:7

The next king for Judah is Abijah captured in 2 Chronicles 13. Abijah’s stent is only three years, but I am glad God includes it in the Bible. Abijah faces attack from mean King Jeroboam of Israel with an army twice the size of Judah. Yikes. So, what will Abijah do in the face of adversity? He stands with confidence and declares the power of God is greater than the enemy of any size in 13:11. My heart races as the events unfold where Jeroboam’s army closes in behind and before Abijah’s small army. The ending is incredible. The power of God astounds me the most whenever He delivers His people out of the impossible. What looks defeating in my life, God does not blink at because His power is so much greater. Imagine the jaw drop, the wide eyes, the knees of King Abijah as they hit the ground to bestow gratitude to God. Declaring the power of God and experiencing the power of God are two different things. And right here, Abijah is humbled by both.

Q: Pause for a minute to ask God for courage to declare who He is to yourself and those around you. Also, ask yourself how you responded to the last time you experienced the power of God?

The last chapters for today cover the 41-year reign of King Asa of Judah. What mark does Asa leave on the people? Well, his start is like Solomon with rest and peace for a decade. King Asa removes idols and leads people back to seek and obey God. He reminds Judah of their heritage in a sense. As the cadence tends to play out, war comes after rest and peace. The Egyptians come to attack little Judah. We see the response from King Asa in 2 Chronicles 14:11 which says, “O Lord, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” Is anyone writing this verse down to pray over big things? Yeah, me too. 

If the victory over the Egyptians is not enough affirmation that God is with King Asa and Judah, then more encouragement comes in 2 Chronicles 15. A guy named Azariah, whom I assume has value in Asa’s life, reaffirms Asa to remain tethered to God because He is the one making a way for Judah in war and rest. The confidence Asa places in God moves him to have all of Judah make a covenant with God with their whole heart to put their trust back rightly where it belongs.

O Lord, there is none like You to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.

2 Chronicles 14:11

I feel good about the path of Judah led by Asa until I read 2 Chronicles 16. My mind is curious to know what happens for Asa to shift his loyalty and faithfulness from God to himself in the last five years of his life. Judah is threatened by war again, but this time Asa tries to handle it on his own. Asa does not turn to God. And the result is defeat for Judah in 16:7 because Judah did not rely on God. Why does Asa’s heart harden against God? I do not know. However, the hope I want to end with today is in 16:9. God upholds His people. God relents when we come to Him with humble hearts. God is gracious to soften my heart to recognize in Him all things are held together in my life. This is good news to celebrate.

Q: Where can I celebrate God’s strong support on display in my life?

Q: What areas of my life are not wholly given to God? Maybe fears, selfishness, deep parts of my heart too tender to expose.

Additional reading: 1 Kings 12-15

 

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

2 Chronicles 16:9