Day 308 – Discernment

1 Kings 12:1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.

 2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt), 3 that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy; now, therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

 5 He said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” Then the people departed.

 6 King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he lived, and said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?”

 7 They spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

 8 However, he rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted with the young men who grew up with him, who stood before him.

 9 He said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer these people who spoke to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”

 10 Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to these people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’ —thus you will say to them: ‘My little finger will be thicker than my father’s waist! 11 Now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’”

 12 Then Jeroboam and the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.”

 13 Then the king answered the people roughly and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; 14 and spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!”

 15 The king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from JEHOVAH, that He might fulfill His word, which JEHOVAH had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

 16 When Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!” Then Israel departed to their tents.

 17 However, Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah.

 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who oversaw the revenue; but Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore, King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem.

 19 Thus Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

 20 Now it happened when everyone in Israel heard that Jeroboam had come back, they sent for him and called him to the congregation and made him king over Israel. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

 21 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

 22 However, the word of Elohiym came to Shemaiah the man of Elohiym, saying, 23 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, to the entire house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 24 ‘Thus says JEHOVAH: “You will not go up nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.”’” Therefore, they obeyed the word of JEHOVAH, and turned back, according to the word of JEHOVAH.

 25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim and dwelt there. Also, he went out from there and built Penuel.

 26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David. 27 If these people go to offer sacrifices in the house of JEHOVAH at Jerusalem, then the heart of these people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

 28 Therefore, the king asked advice, and made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go to Jerusalem. Here are your elohiym, O Israel, which brought you from the land of Egypt!”

 29 He set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.

 31 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

 32 Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. Thus, he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. At Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made.

 33 Thus, he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. He ordained a feast for the children of Israel and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.

God’s names:

JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal

Elohiym – Supreme God

Yeshuwa – Jesus

Christos – Anointed One, Messiah

God’s character:

Promise Keeper

What kind of family did you grow up in? Did you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? Or did you have a dysfunctional relationship with your family? Mine was dysfunctional. Even when things went well, they went wrong. Do you ever wonder why your family is the way it is?

Rehoboam sat on the throne in place of his father, Solomon. The people came to him to lighten the burden his father put on them, however, he told them he would make it harder, fulfilling the word JEHOVAH gave to Jeroboam the son of Nebat to take the kingdom from him, and fulfilling the promise He made to his father, Solomon, to strip the kingdom from him, leaving him only one tribe, Benjamin, to rule in Judah. Jeroboam, who came to Rehoboam, became king of Israel and ruled from Shechem. He also made calves and told the people they were their elohiym and sacrificed to them, turning the hearts of the people away from JEHOVAH.

When you accepted Yeshuwa as Savior and Lord, you became part of a new family. However, many Christians, who grew up in dysfunctional homes didn’t know how to accept a loving Elohiym and thought He would treat them the same way their parents did. They embraced the Word without living in love. For many Christians, it took years to accept Yeshuwa loved them. When realization hit, it transformed their lives and relationship with Yeshuwa.

Yeshuwa told the people He would take their burden from them, not make it harder.

Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (NKJV)

Yeshuwa will never give you a heavy burden as Rehoboam gave the people. He will not cause you to stray from Him as Jeroboam did but will embrace you in His love. He will not force His love on you. However, when you spend time with Him in His Word, you will see how much He loves you and wants you to spend time with Him.

The world runs after self-help methods to free you from your dysfunctional life. The only self-help book and method Yeshuwa gives You is His Word. Many pastors and church leaders publish books to help you with your walk in Yeshuwa. They are there for your understanding of Scripture. You only need to be aware of the many people out there who will fleece the body of Christos for their own gain and teach you what Yeshuwa never taught His people. It’s the reason there are so many different denominations and cults in the church. Instead of leading you to Yeshuwa, they lead you astray as Jeroboam did to Israel in building idols and calling them their elohiym.

You need the gift of discernment when it comes to what you read and hear from your church leaders and ministers. When you hear a teaching, make certain it lines up with Yeshuwa’s Word. If the Bible isn’t used in church, or remains in the pew, seek another church. If the sermon is a feel-good sermon, seek another church. Look for a church and minister who uses Scripture, causes you to turn pages in your Bible, and backs everything they say up with the Word. When you find a minister who teaches from JEHOVAH’S Word and doesn’t deviate from or change the Word then you will grow and prosper in your walk with Yeshuwa, and you will find the love you desperately sought and turn your dysfunction into a loving relationship with Yeshuwa.

Let’s pray: Father, give me a heart of discernment to know when the message I hear is from You and not from the world. Let me always rely on You in the studies I present and let them always be for Your glory. Then people will know You and Your love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 22 November 2024 by Valerie Routhieaux