Day 310 – Obedience

1 Kings 14:1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick.

 2 Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me I would be king over these people. 3 Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.”

 4 Jeroboam’s wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. However, Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age.

 5 Now JEHOVAH had said to Ahijah, “Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus, and thus, you will say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”

 6 So it happened, when Ahijah heard her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says JEHOVAH Elohiym of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with his entire heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9 but you have done more evil than everyone before you, for you made for yourself other elohiym and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and cast Me behind your back— 10 therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is gone. 11 The dogs will eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air will eat whoever dies in the field; for JEHOVAH has spoken!”’ 12 Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child will die. 13 Everyone in Israel will mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who will come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward JEHOVAH Elohiym of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. 14 Moreover, JEHOVAH will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now! 15 For JEHOVAH will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking JEHOVAH to anger. 16 He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.”

 17 Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.

 18 They buried him; and everyone in Israel mourned for him, according to the word of JEHOVAH which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

 19 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

 20 The period Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. Then he rested with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

 21 Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which JEHOVAH had chosen out of the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.

 22 Now Judah did evil in the sight of JEHOVAH, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than their fathers had done.

 23 For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree.

 24 There were also perverted people in the land. They did according to the abominations of the nations which JEHOVAH had cast out before the children of Israel.

 25 It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem.

 26 He took away the treasures of the house of JEHOVAH and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away the gold shields which Solomon had made.

 27 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.

 28 Whenever the king entered the house of JEHOVAH, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.

 29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and everything he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

 30 There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.

 31 Then Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. Then Abijam, his son reigned in his place.

God’s names:

JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal

Elohiym – Supreme God

Yeshuwa – Jesus

Christos – Anointed One, Messiah

Iesous – Jesus

Pater – Father

God’s character:

Judge

No one wants to see their children sick. They will do what they can to make them well. However, it isn’t always possible, and children die.

Jeroboam’s son was sick, and he sent his wife to Ahijah to ask for healing. When she arrived, he knew her despite her disguise because JEHOVAH told him who she was and told him why she came to see him. Ahijah told her what would happen and then prophesied about what would happen to Jeroboam’s descendants. When she arrived home, her son died.

Rehoboam had trouble of his own when the king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took the gold from the temple and from the king’s house.

When you live life on your terms, you can expect trouble. Both Jeroboam and Rehoboam knew JEHOVAH but refused to obey Him. When you committed your life to Yeshuwa, you committed your life to obedience. However, when you decide to live according to what you want, believing that you can do whatever you want as Yeshuwa’s child, you will face trouble of your own making.

Paul saw the same thing among Christians in Rome.

Romans 6:1 What will we say then? Will we continue in sin that grace may abound?

 2 Certainly not! How will we who died to sin live any longer in it?

 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christos Iesous were baptized into His death?

 4 Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christos was raised from the dead by the glory of the Pater, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 5 For if we have been united in the likeness of His death, certainly we also will be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

You can’t do whatever you want as Yeshuwa’s child. You need to obey Him to receive His blessings in your life. Yeshuwa freed you from Satan’s hold on you when He died on the cross and rose from the dead. You are no longer slaves to sin and Satan. You are free to live as children of Yeshuwa and receive His blessings in your life.

What problems do you face? Does it seem like a never-ending battle with one trouble after another? Examine your life. Confess your sin and turn your life over to Yeshuwa and you will see a change because of your obedience to Him.

Let’s pray: Father, I am a sinner. Forgive me and help me to be obedient to You in everything You ask of me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 24 November 2024 by Valerie Routhieaux