The Tale of Two Nations
Obedience and Idolatry: The Tale of Two Nations
2 Chron. 11-15
“The Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king. However, instead of seeking the wisdom of God, he sought the wisdom of men in his attempt to centralize power over the nation of Israel. One of the marks of the wise is that they value and listen to the wisdom of the aged (see Proverbs 1:8, 23:22). However, instead of listening to the wisdom of his elders, Rehoboam sought the advice of the hot-headed young who recommended that he establish his reign with an iron fist to gain power over the people. As a result of his folly, the northern tribes of Israel, under the leadership of Jeroboam, rebelled and split apart from the southern tribes of Judah, who were aligning with Rehoboam. Jeroboam led the northern tribes in a revolt, and he established the northern kingdom of Israel. Thus, the nation was now divided into two separate countries, with the southern nation of Judah being governed by the descendants of David and the northern tribes of Israel being led by a variety of different individuals.
As Israel was divided into two separate nations, the first act of Jeroboam was to establish a separate worship center, and in doing so, he led the nation in embracing idolatry. The motivation was more political than religious. If the people were still drawn to Jerusalem to worship God, they would naturally start to rebuild their alliance with Judah and move towards reconciliation. To prevent this, Jeroboam established a separate religious center, one grounded in idolatry, to maintain his political power over the nation. From this day forward, the northern tribes of Israel would continuously embrace idolatry until God brought judgment in 722 BC through the hands of the Assyrians. Judah and the southern tribe of Benjamin and Menasseh would keep their religious identity in the God of Israel and would not be defeated and led into captivity until 587 BC.
For several generations, the northern tribes remained faithful to God. After the death of Rehoboam, Asa ascended to the throne of Judah. When he became king, the prophet Azariah warned him that when Israel forsook the true God, God brought adversity and trouble on the nation, so that there was no peace in the land (both literally and figuratively). One of the marks of God’s discipline is that He allows distress and trouble to come upon a nation when it rebels against Him (15:3-7). As an act of judgment, He brings upon a nation adversity, distress, and trouble to afflict the nation so that it will turn back to Him. This can come in the form of outside pressure from other countries as well as internal strife.
However, this is also true of our lives. When we abandon God, He allows adversity to come into our lives to correct us. He brings His discipline to bring us back to Him. This may come from external turmoil or internal fear and apprehension. This does not mean that the righteous never face struggles, but that in the midst of them, there is still peace and confidence in God, as well as rest in His promises. Judah still faced invaders and foreign armies, but when they threatened, there was confidence that God would bring deliverance (14:11). However, when we are not living in obedience to God, when adversity comes, there is fear and anxiety because there is no assurance of salvation. The true test of our faith is not the freedom of trials, but the response we have to the trials we face. When you face adversity, does it lead to fear of the present or the future, or does it lead to calm trust in God’s plan?
2 Chron. 11-15
“The Lord is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king. However, instead of seeking the wisdom of God, he sought the wisdom of men in his attempt to centralize power over the nation of Israel. One of the marks of the wise is that they value and listen to the wisdom of the aged (see Proverbs 1:8, 23:22). However, instead of listening to the wisdom of his elders, Rehoboam sought the advice of the hot-headed young who recommended that he establish his reign with an iron fist to gain power over the people. As a result of his folly, the northern tribes of Israel, under the leadership of Jeroboam, rebelled and split apart from the southern tribes of Judah, who were aligning with Rehoboam. Jeroboam led the northern tribes in a revolt, and he established the northern kingdom of Israel. Thus, the nation was now divided into two separate countries, with the southern nation of Judah being governed by the descendants of David and the northern tribes of Israel being led by a variety of different individuals.
As Israel was divided into two separate nations, the first act of Jeroboam was to establish a separate worship center, and in doing so, he led the nation in embracing idolatry. The motivation was more political than religious. If the people were still drawn to Jerusalem to worship God, they would naturally start to rebuild their alliance with Judah and move towards reconciliation. To prevent this, Jeroboam established a separate religious center, one grounded in idolatry, to maintain his political power over the nation. From this day forward, the northern tribes of Israel would continuously embrace idolatry until God brought judgment in 722 BC through the hands of the Assyrians. Judah and the southern tribe of Benjamin and Menasseh would keep their religious identity in the God of Israel and would not be defeated and led into captivity until 587 BC.
For several generations, the northern tribes remained faithful to God. After the death of Rehoboam, Asa ascended to the throne of Judah. When he became king, the prophet Azariah warned him that when Israel forsook the true God, God brought adversity and trouble on the nation, so that there was no peace in the land (both literally and figuratively). One of the marks of God’s discipline is that He allows distress and trouble to come upon a nation when it rebels against Him (15:3-7). As an act of judgment, He brings upon a nation adversity, distress, and trouble to afflict the nation so that it will turn back to Him. This can come in the form of outside pressure from other countries as well as internal strife.
However, this is also true of our lives. When we abandon God, He allows adversity to come into our lives to correct us. He brings His discipline to bring us back to Him. This may come from external turmoil or internal fear and apprehension. This does not mean that the righteous never face struggles, but that in the midst of them, there is still peace and confidence in God, as well as rest in His promises. Judah still faced invaders and foreign armies, but when they threatened, there was confidence that God would bring deliverance (14:11). However, when we are not living in obedience to God, when adversity comes, there is fear and anxiety because there is no assurance of salvation. The true test of our faith is not the freedom of trials, but the response we have to the trials we face. When you face adversity, does it lead to fear of the present or the future, or does it lead to calm trust in God’s plan?
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