Spend time in prayer and silence before God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
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.
“The Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the family of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Yes, even now. And the Lord will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their forefathers and scatter them beyond the River, because they provoked the Lord to anger by making Asherah poles. And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to Commit.”
– 1 Kings 14:10, 14-16
Devotion
Ahijah the prophet pronounced the end of the house of Jeroboam, even going so far as to point to the certainty of the end of the Northern Kingdom because of their fall into idolatry. Jeroboam would not trust the Word of the Lord through Ahijah concerning God’s promise of a lasting dynasty if he would walk in God’s ways; yet, Jeroboam sends his wife all the way to the south to hear the Word of the Lord through Ahijah concerning the fate of his sick son. Jeroboam only sought God’s voice when there were no other options.
The Big Question
One difference between Rehoboam and Jeroboam was that Rehoboam repented when confronted by God’s rebuke of his sin and he experienced God’s mercy. When we draw near with a repentant heart, God will forgive us and continue to use us in carrying out His redemptive mission in the world. Have you turned to the God of mercy and forgiveness for your past sins? Have you experienced His mercy and grace that allow you move forward despite those times when you have had a divided heart?
Spend time in prayer as you ponder how God has spoken to you through His Word today.