DIAGNOSIS OF REHOBOAM

“And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD" (2 Chron. 12:14 NKJV).

King Rehoboam was an evil king and his reign was proof. Our verse addresses the problem which prevented him from being a good king. We therefore want to note the character of his problem and the cause of his problem.

Character of his problem – “He did evil.” Because of his evil ways, Rehoboam’s reign was fraught with problems. In 2 Chron. 12:1-3, we are told that he “forsook the law of the Lord . . . and…transgressed against the Lord.” Further, he allowed “perverted persons” in the land (1 Kings 14:24). Behavior like this will always cause problems in a country. And to make matters worse, Rehoboam’s evil influence affected others as it caused “all Israel” to sin (2 Chron. 12:1). Whenever we do evil, we will influence others to do evil. When a ruler does evil, it influences the whole land to do evil. This makes it very important to have men of good character in positions of leadership. Corrupt leaders will have a corrupting influence on the land.

Cause of his problem – “Because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.” There is much interest today in the reason people behave the way they do. Psychologists and psychiatrists have come up with all kind of answers which indicate they are no closer to finding out the cause of man’s behavioral problems. Yet God’s Word has the answer. Rehoboam acted evil because he did not earnestly seek God. The word translated “prepare” means to be established, to be directed, and to be ready. It also carries the idea of faithfulness and determination. Rehoboam was not earnest in the worship of God and this led to his evil conduct. This should alarm all of us. We may not think we will do evil; but if we are not earnest and faithful in our worship of God, in our study of the Word, and in prayer, we will end up doing evil. Our society is evil because it does not care about seeking God. The experts will tell us society is evil because of such things as poverty and lack of self-esteem; but God says society is evil because it does not care about Him.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“We gain the victory when we give up sin’s pleasure in exchange for Christ’s power!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Disappointed

In Rom 9:33 we read, “just as it is written, behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed” (NASB).

Disappointed is the Greek word kataischuno (καταισχύνω = kat-ahee-skhoo'-no). It is made up of two words: “kata” which means down and is also an intensifier, and “aischuno” which means to shame. The word therefore means to dishonor, disgrace, to put to shame, make ashamed, to be ashamed, blush with shame.

In Classical Greek, the word means to shame dishonored, not respected. In the Septuagint, kataischuno carries the idea to be ashamed or to shame. Interestingly enough, the Lord is usually the One causing shame. In the New Testament, kataischuno appear in both the active and the passive forms. In the active form, it means to disgrace, to dishonor, put to shame, to humiliate, or to disappoint. In the passive form kataischuno emphasizes conditions or occasions under which people have shame or disgrace inflicted upon them.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – That He would rule nations (Psalm 2:8)

New Testament Fulfillment – Rev. 2:27

Bible Facts

Healthy dietary laws (Lev. 11:9-12). Scripture states that we should avoid those sea creatures which do not have fins or scales. We now know that bottom-feeders (those with no scales or fins) tend to consume waste and are likely to carry disease.

Bible Quiz

According to 3 John, what was Diotrephes doing wrong?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: According to Jesus, which animals were not to be given that which is holy? “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine” (Matt. 7:6 NKJV).

That’s in the Bible

"Before the flood”

“And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods” (Josh 24:2 KJV).

‘Before the flood’ is another way of saying ancient times, a long time ago. Joshua’s last meeting with the people took place at Shechem. Shechem was a special place - it was at Shechem that God promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land (Gen. 12:6-7), and it was at Shechem that Jacob built an altar (33:20).

‘Before the flood’ or a time long ago, Abraham and his family were idolaters. The Lord God then called Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldees and go to Canaan. It is important to note that there was nothing special about Abraham that made God choose him. Abraham didn’t seek after God and discover Him; it was God who came to Abraham! This was an act of grace. In a similar manner, Jesus told His disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you” (John 15:16 NKJV). Believers too, were chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4) and are called God’s elect. Further, no matter what ‘school’ of theology we belong to, all of us must admit that it is God who takes the first step in our salvation.

Did You Know – Christian History

John Henry Livingston was born on May 30, 1746 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He graduated from Yale College with a BA in 1762. Being brought up in the Dutch Reformed Church and seeing the church tearing itself apart with quarrels, Livingston longed to do something to heal its wounds.

Believing that God was calling him to leave his law studies and become a minister, twenty-year-old John sailed to Holland to get his theological degree. John did well in his studies. After graduation, he returned to America in 1769, and was ordained into the ministry of the Dutch Reformed Church. For the rest of his life, Livingston worked hard for the Dutch Reform Church in the New World. In fact, he did so much for them that he became known as the “Father of the Dutch Reformed Church” in America. He negotiated peace between rivals in America and worked out a measure of independence for the American church, which was still ruled from Holland.

John held pastorates in several cities in New York, always seeking positions that would allow him to be of the most use. In 1874, the Dutch Reform Church appointed him to an additional task - Professor of Theology. For twenty-six years, he carried out these duties without any college to back him up. In addition to this, he wrote hymns, contributed to the church constitution, prepared its liturgy (form of service), backed missionary endeavors, and was chaplain to the U. S. Congress. In 1810, the General Synod of the Reformed Church decided to combine its theological training with Queens College (now known as Rutgers) in New Brunswick, N. J. They made Dr. Livingston the president of the college. The hard-working John became its fourth president served as its professor and president until his death in 1825.

A Little Humor

A very upset minister walked into the fish market. “I want you to throw me four big fish,” he said to the clerk. “Just toss ‘em to me.” “But why toss them to you?” the fishmonger asked? “Can’t I just wrap them and give them to you like everyone else?” “No sir!” yelled the preacher. “Do just as I say. So if anyone asks me if I caught any fish today, I can truthfully say, ‘sure did. Caught four big ones!’”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Beware of the high cost of low living!”