The End of Jeroboam
v2 Can a mere disguise fool the prophet who foretold your reign as king?
v6 How do you think she felt at this moment? He's going blind, so the costume didn't matter at all. Plus, he calls her out before she even enters the room. Any hope she had is gone.
v9 You have cast me behind your back. I've been guilty of this very thing.
v11 God is not going to deal with them subtly or discreetly. This will be shameful and public.
v12,17 Imagine the torment of this moment. Knowing her baby was going to die. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to stop it, or even hold him again. Knowing it was her husband that caused it. Knowing her life was only going to get worse.
The End of Rehoboam
v21 His mother's name is mentioned several times. She was an Ammonitess--one of Solomon's non-Jewish wives that led him away from the Lord. Probably part of the ungodly influence on her son's kingdom.
v24 "They did according to...the nations which the Lord dispossessed."
God goes to the trouble of saving a nation out of darkness, out of the muddy pit of godlessness, and they go back to it and wallow in it. As if they had never heard of Him.
v27-28 We can get some wealth and riches on our own merit. But what we can get for ourselves does not compare to the richness offered by God. The king is making a big show by parading these bronze shields around. But their wealth is paltry compared to what the Lord had given him--to what he squandered through his disobedience.
v4 For David's sake. David was long dead, but the Lord was still blessing his descendants for his sake.
Our actions now may affect future generations in a profound way. This is not just for your own self that you should be living. Think about how your choices and actions may affect your children and grandchildren.
A List of the Kings of Judah, after Rehoboam:
v1 King Abijam (3 years)
v8 King Asa *note - v2 and v10 Is this the same woman? How wicked was Asa's father?!*
v13 Asa put the Lord above his own mother.
v14 Wholly devoted to the Lord all his days.
v18 Made a wise ally for his people.
v24 King Jehoshaphat
A List of the Kings of Israel, after Jeroboam:
v25 King Nadab (2 years)
v28 King Baasha (24 years) - destroys all remnant of Jeroboam's line, just as the Lord had foretold.
v3 Baasha was no better a king, so his family will meet the same fate.
v6 King Elah takes his place (2 years).
v10 Struck down by his servant, Zimri.
v11 King Zimri (7 days).
v23 King Omri (6 years).
v29 King Ahab (22 years).
v31 Walking in sin was a trivial thing for this king. Married Jezebel and set to work profaning the name of the Lord.
v34 What is this saying? Did he sacrifice his children and bury them in the foundations? I was curious, so I looked up a commentary on the verse:
"The foundation sacrifice, revealed by modern archaeology, is probably what was involved. The children named were probably infants, dead or alive, placed in jars and inserted into the masonry, propitiating the gods and warding off evil."194
It seems that is exactly what was going on. It makes my stomach turn. Joshua predicted the rebuilding of Jericho in this way, as well as the curse that would go with it.
Next time: I Kings 17
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