DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THERE IS HOPE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THERE'S HOPE

"In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah. And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem His grandmother's name was Maacha the granddaugher of Abishalom. Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David. And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made." (I Kings 15:9-12)

As we return to the Old Testament for our Gleanings, we come to the Book of the Kings. It is helpful to remember the history behind this text.

King David died and Solomon, his son by Bathsheba, reigned in his place. Solomon reigned over the entire nation of Israel for forty years. As he came toward the end of his reign, one of his servants named Jeroboam – a mighty man of valor whom Solomon had made an officer of all the labor force of the house of Joseph – joined a rebellion against King Solomon. Jeroboam fled to Egypt when the rebellion fizzled, but it had been prophesied by the prophet Ahijah that he would become king over the 10 northern tribes of Israel.

When King Solomon died, his son, Rehoboam, became king over all of Israel. But Jeroboam returned from Egypt, and led another rebellion against Rehoboam, and the nation was divided – the northern kingdom of 10 tribes, and the Southern Kingdom of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. That civil war between the two nations would continue throughout the reign of the kings until they were taken into captivity.

Now Jeroboam was an ungodly king who led Israel – the Northern tribes – into gross idolatry by setting up golden idols in Bethel and Dan, and setting up priests for religious worship. But Rehoboam was no better, and "Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD and provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree, and there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel" (I Kings 15:22-24).

Now David and Solomon were not perfect people, and they did some things that were not good. But at least they had a heart to seek God and follow His ways. But Jeroboam and Rehoboam were of a different ilk.

The message is that it only takes one generation to take a nation away from being a god-fearing people to being ungodly, with all kinds of idol worship and perversion.

But, there is always hope, as dim as it may seem, that God will raise up another leader to bring the nation back to righteousness. That happened under a great- great grandson of David (David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijam, Asa). His name was Asa. "Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did his father David. He banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made" (I Kings 15:-11-12). This was 65 years after the death King David.

So be of good cheer. There is hope. God is still on the throne, and He can bring a revival of righteousness to a wicked people. Our job is to remain faithful to living for God today and trust Him for the rest.

Love, Dad

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