Behind Our Backs

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

BEHIND YOUR BACK

1 Kings 14:1-11

14:1 At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, 2 and Jeroboam said to his wife, "Go, disguise yourself, so you won't be recognized as the wife of Jeroboam. Then go to Shiloh. Ahijah the prophet is there — the one who told me I would be king over this people. 3 Take ten loaves of bread with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy." 4 So Jeroboam's wife did what he said and went to Ahijah's house in Shiloh. Now Ahijah could not see; his sight was gone because of his age. 5 But the LORD had told Ahijah, "Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill, and you are to give her such and such an answer. When she arrives, she will pretend to be someone else." 6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I raised you up from among the people and made you a leader over my people Israel. 8 I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes. 9 You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind your back. 10 " 'Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel — slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. 11 Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds of the air will feed on those who die in the country. The LORD has spoken!'

NIV

It is not possible to thrust the LORD behind our backs if we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior, or is it? Jeroboam not only thrusted the LORD behind his back, but he also turned to other gods he had made of metal, such as gold, silver, or bronze. He built high places and made all sorts of people priests to these gods. He had to pay a price for the evil he did in the eyes of the LORD. We also see his deceptive heart in that he had his wife try to disguise herself before the prophet Ahijah, but she was unsuccessful, as there is no way to hide oneself from the LORD. This is where we could learn that lesson. No matter how we might try, we can never hide from the Lord. He knows our hearts, our thoughts, and words, before we desire, think, or speak. If he were not able to know our hearts, then he would not be the Lord God Almighty. Whatever we try to do, even in secret, we are not alone. He knows when we are doing right in his eyes, and he knows when we are doing wrong in his eyes. We know, as we have known since our beginning to walk with him, that he has forgiven our wrongs, our sins, because of Jesus. However, that does not give us the freedom to either put God behind our backs or turn to another form of a god. He knows when we might become frustrated, upset, or even angry over either the situations we face or the people we live with, the community of faith. He knows our hearts, our weaknesses, and our strengths. He knows the plans he has for us, plans to bless us. He wants all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. He desires that we always turn toward him, race toward him, turning all else behind our backs. He wants us to forget what is behind and run the race, straining for what is ahead, to take hold, to press on toward the goal to win the prize for which the Lord has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. Because we run toward Jesus, we can never put God behind our backs.