Doing What is Right

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

DOING  WHAT IS RIGHT

1 Kings 11:29-43

29 About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, 30 and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. 32 But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 33 I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws as David, Solomon's father, did. 34 " 'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes. 35 I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. 37 However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. 38 If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. 39 I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.'" 40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon's death. 41 As for the other events of Solomon's reign — all he did and the wisdom he displayed — are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon? 42 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 43 Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

Everything is about doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD. It is about doing what He commands, and walking in His ways, keeping His statutes and commands, just as David did. Of course, David was not a perfect man, nor has there ever been a perfect man, except for Adam before he ate from that tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sin destroys our perfection, yet the LORD declared that He would be with Jeroboam if he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. This brings us to our way of life. Do we do what is right in the eyes of our Lord? This cannot be about how many good things we do, or about some list that is altered depending on the times or denominational rules, for that list is constantly changing. Doing right in the eyes of the Lord is a heart issue. Is the desire of our heart to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, or to appear right in the eyes of others? When we want to look right in the eyes of others, pride is in our hearts, and that is not doing right in the eyes of the Lord. Jesus told us to learn from him, for he is gentle and humble in heart. Jesus is God, yet he came to us as one of us to show us the way. Jesus told us what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He said that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love others the same way we love ourselves. Those are the two greatest commands that we are to keep as we walk in the way of the Lord. Solomon lost sight of what was right and turned to other gods, and the kingdom was torn from him. Let us never lose sight of what is right in His eyes, and turn to our religion, or lists of duties, obligations, traditions, rules, or regulations we have developed, as doing what is right. Everything comes down to loving our Lord and loving each other. When we examine God’s definition of love, we see Jesus, but we also see what it means to love one another, as the Spirit inspired Paul to write to the Corinthians. If we are patient, kind, keep no record of wrongs, not envious, not boastful, not proud, rude, easily angered, or self-seeking, and if we rejoice with the truth, and always protect, trust, hope, and persevere, if we love like that, we would be doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.