The Epitaph of Jeroboam

When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:1 (NASB)

I find it interesting when crisis hits, when everything in life seems to implode and we tend to either fight or flight. These trials James tells us (James 1:3-4) are a testing, a truing of our faith that produces endurance or steadfastness. I find it interesting because if you are like me, these tough times cause me to humble myself and draw intensely from the Lord. I know that sounds so spiritual, so pastoral of me to call upon the Lord in times of trouble. The truth is when I am in such peril I immediately try to fix my problem, change the situation or deny that it is really happening. In other words, I attempt to solve things on my own and when that doesn’t work I cry out to the Lord. (Sorry to disappoint you). Here is what gets my interest, and is the crux of this random rhetoric; when I get rescued, when the perfect storm becomes calm again and my life goes back into a state of normality I get complacent and sloppy. I figure, I just went through a major endeavor; it has passed so I can now rest. I don’t need to fight anymore I can simply take it easy for a while. So instead of building off of the intense spiritual exercise, Instead of diving deeper into the presence of the Almighty, immersed in His word, I try to draw from an empty well.

This is exactly the same scenario Rehoboam experienced and is in the same sinful direction that he led the nation of Israel. Rehoboam becomes king after seeing his father Solomon model dysfunction and distance from the Lord. These behaviors of “king daddy” and worse become the mold that shaped the future behaviors of Rehoboam. There was dissention and a narcissistic power struggle within the family that was reflected into the core of the whole nation of Israel. Hence, a division of the Davidic kingdom: Northern (Israel) following Jeroboam his brother and the Southern (Judah) ruled by Rehoboam. (All previously prophesized earlier). Trying to save face from an earlier folly with the people, Rehoboam re-establishes the worship of the Lord bringing back the priests and practices that were established by the Lord through both Kings David and Solomon. Bottom line: The people set their hearts towards the Lord God; they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and walked in the ways of David and Solomon for three years. Life was good, peaceful and promising during that short period. As stated before, when all is well we can start spiraling towards a hellish destination. Rehoboam starts an onslaught of multiple marriages, multiple concubines resulting in multiple children. Remember Solomon his father had 700 wives and 300 concubines which was the beginning of his heart turning away from the Lord. All this resulted in the following epitaph of king Rehoboam: He did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:14 (NASB)

All this background takes us once again to our opening text: When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the LORD. 2 Chronicles 12:1 (NASB)

Things to chew on:

·        What recent life trials brought you back to a place of reliance upon the Lord?

·        What does it look like for you to be spiritually healthy? What is your mindset? What does your speech sound like and your actions look like? Is it different from when you are not doing well spiritually?

·        What are the signs or behaviors in your life that reflect a drifting from the Lord?

·        How does community (accountability) help keep you balanced? If it doesn’t, who can you invite into your life to speak truth and love to the point of keeping you on a healthy spiritual path?

·        What do you want the Lord to put as your epitaph?

Insights from a Blind Guy

Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  “Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!”  Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.  “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. “My rabbi,” the blind man said, “I want to see!”  And Jesus said to him, “Go, for your faith has healed you.” Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road. Mark 10:46-52

A familiar story, but I hope you too will ask Jesus for new sight.

The crowd that told “Bart” to “be quiet” saw Jesus physically, but completely missed who He was. They were unable to spiritually see His kingly power and authority because their spiritual lenses were cataracted by the “god of this age” (Satan) and their hearts were hardened by their sin. All this and more prevented them from seeing Him as God. Bart on the other hand was physically blind, and yet by faith saw Jesus for who He truly was. His reference of “Son of David” indicates his acknowledgement of the messianic line coming from David’s family, the tribe of Judah. Bart not only declares Jesus’ majesty and ruler ship over his life, “Rabboni” (my Master) but equally calls upon Him via the method by which He came…full of mercy.

Just as Jesus asked Bart what he wanted, He extends that same invitation to us. (See Matthew 7:7-11) What would your true answer to His question be? I bet the crowd threw out a bunch of requests as if Jesus were a “spiritual DJ”? The text doesn’t indicate that any of their requests were honored. Bart’s request was beyond the ability to make things out in the physical realm; he wanted to be able to behold the beauty, glory and majesty of the Lord. He needed to see Jesus incarnate, not God in mere theological or religious terms but God living in the real world. Being blind he was only a hearer of the word, but with sight he could now participate in the things of God as a doer of the word. Notice in the text that there was no response from Jesus’ disciples regarding the miracle. Maybe they too followed the likes of the crowd.

What also interests me is the end result of the characters in the story. We see the crowd at the beginning of the story physically following Jesus looking for something that would satisfy their selfish desires. They end up just as spiritually blind as before. Bart on the other hand has his physical eyes opened and becomes a true follower Jesus with his whole life; he was now able to live externally what he was previously living internally.

One last thought for you to chew on. When blind Bart was healed and decides to follow Jesus, he doesn’t wait until he is showered, shaved and cleanly clothed. Bart doesn’t wait until he gets his act together; he follows Jesus in his tattered clothing, unkempt hair and a body odor that probably stunk to high heaven. (After all he was a homeless beggar). Notice that Jesus doesn’t tell him to go home get cleaned up, get your act together then you can follow me. My learning is this: Jesus calls us to come as we are and not as we should be, because we will never be as we should be this side of heaven. Remind your pre-Christian friends that they don’t have to be perfect before they come to Jesus, tell them to come as they are and allow Jesus to make them perfect. We too need to trust the Holy Spirit to transform those undesirable life areas in those who are new to the faith, instead of bombarding them with a list of “do’s and don’ts” to follow in order to be truly “Christian”.

·        So who are you in the story? One of the Disciples, the crowd, Bart?

·        What are you asking for?

·        What are you only hearing but not doing?

·        What level of perfection are you striving for to get God to notice you? (A worthless exercise)

·        What “crowd noise” or distractions are inhibiting you from seeking Jesus with the intent of gaining better sight of Him?