LEARNING DAILY

 

2 Chronicles 12:5, Thus says the Lord: “You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.”

 

Perhaps a little background would be helpful in order to understand this verse. Rehoboam is the king of the southern kingdom, Judah. By the fifth year of his reign, Rehoboam had “strengthened himself and “forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel (the southern kingdom) with him” (verse 1). In other words, he was feeling pretty confident about his ability to rule; because of that he must have decided he no longer needed to consult God about ruling his kingdom.  It was at this time the king of Egypt, Shishak, came against the fortified cities of Judah and eventually came to Jerusalem.

 

The Lord sent the prophet named Shemaiah to tell Rehoboam and his leaders, “You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.” There is an important point to this that needs to be made. 2 Chronicles 11:17 stresses God’s blessing follows obedience while 12:1-6 stresses punishment follows disobedience. When King Rehoboam became unfaithful it was due to abandoning God and God stopped protecting him from his enemies. Rehoboam thought he no longer needed God; I suppose that comes when one is so confident because of past victories that had strengthened his control over the cities in his kingdom.  So, God gave Judah over to Shishak that they might see what it was like to be the servant of another king.

 

There is a great danger in thinking we have our life so together that we no longer need to consult God through prayer or reading/studying/meditating on His Word – taking our walk on the narrow way for granted. We cannot take God for granted, walking in our past victories believing we have it so together that we can handle everything that comes our way on our own. We must remain faithful to walk with Him, praying for His daily guidance and living our lives in accordance to faith in Jesus Christ and His will if we expect His protection over our lives. That protection may come in a way that protects us from harm or through him walking with us through the storms that come our way.

 

All of us know Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” The promise is God will bring good out of all afflictions, trials, and the things we go through because He is working to conform us to the image of His Son which ultimately prepares us to enter into His kingdom. This promise is limited to those who love God and follow or submit to Him in faith. “All things” do not include our sins or thinking we can live life neglecting our walk on the narrow way!

 

Be encouraged this day as you walk the narrow way into eternity in God’s kingdom. Our journey is a daily process of taking time to be with our Savior and Lord, diligently seeking to be like Him, and always acknowledging the need for His presence in our life. The choice of following Him as He desires or thinking we have the ability to handle this life on our own is always before us. Which do you choose today? What about tomorrow? Or next week? I am going to choose to walk in the protection of the One who has promised to be with me and make me into the image of His Son!