War or Peace

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

WAR OR PEACE

1 Kings 14:21-31

 

21 Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother's name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite. 22 Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than their fathers had done. 23 They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. 24 There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 26 He carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. 27 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 28 Whenever the king went to the LORD's temple, the guards bore the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom. 29 As for the other events of Rehoboam's reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? 30 There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. 31 And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. His mother's name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite. And Abijah his son succeeded him as king.

NIV

What is it with the people of Israel that they should build sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill? They are the tribe of Judah, with King Rehoboam, who reigned in Jerusalem, where the temple of the LORD was. They did not need sacred stones or Asherah poles; they had the temple of the LORD. However, they could not engage in male prostitution in Jerusalem, so they created their own spaces, shrines, so they could do those detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before them. The reign of Rehoboam was not peaceful, as he fought wars against Jeroboam and Egypt. The story here is about his unsuccessful efforts to rule rightly over the house of Judah. He did not lead his people in the ways of the LORD, but allowed them to practice those detestable behaviors and worship other gods. This is a warning to all believers, but also a harsher warning to anyone who serves in leadership within the church. What shepherd or pastor would give approval to the people of God to have detestable practices or lead them astray from the word of the Lord? We know about those false teachers and preachers who, with their silver tongues, spread erroneous doctrines. However, all of us who believe God should make every effort to stay the course, be true to His word, and follow Jesus. Those who believe God know about the Spirit and His gifts and fruit and have available the gift of discernment so they can know the difference between false teaching and the truth. Yet we wonder whether some have allowed worldly practices to infiltrate their lives. However, we know that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve the Lord and serve some portion of this world, or its ways. We do live in the world, and we do need to work in it, and be paid by its standards, so we can buy the things of life. But it is how we manage that, without being entangled by its web of deception, that matters. What we put value on is the key to life as a believer. When we value the Lord, we live in accordance with His ways. If we put any value on the world, we will live in accordance with its ways. We cannot value both or live in accordance with both; it is either one or the other. Rehoboam did not learn that lesson, nor did the people of Judah, and they had no peace, but rather war. If we do not learn that lesson, we too will live without peace, but if we love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and do not have a divided heart, then we will have the peace of the Lord in our lives. If our hearts are divided between the Lord and this world, then we live with unrest or war. Giving our whole heart to the Lord brings us peace.