Sunday, July 19 2020 Devotional
“And Jeroboam said in his heart, 'Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.'
So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, 'You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt...'
Then this thing became a sin...”
1 Kings 12:26-30
Jeroboam had been told by Ahijah the Prophet that God would tear ten tribes of Israel away from the house of David because of Solomon’s unfaithfulness and idolatry, and would give them to him, Jeroboam. God had even promised that if he would be faithful to the Lord, the Northern Kingdom would be assured to him and his descendants forever.
God kept His promise to Jeroboam and made him king over the ten tribes, but once he got into power, Jeroboam couldn’t bring himself to trust in God’s promises. He felt he had to take steps to assure the loyalty of the people, so he established a new national religion, worshiping the idols he had made instead of God. That was the beginning of the end for the Northern Kingdom and eventually ended in their complete annihilation.
There is always a temptation for us to try to “help” God accomplish what He has promised by reverting to the World’s methods. We are acting out of unbelief, but we convince ourselves that it’s faith; we think, “After all, it’s what God has said He wants, isn’t it?”
Trusting God’s promises means we refuse to do good things by the World’s methods. God is able to keep His Word without any help from us. If we think we have to use underhanded methods and sinful compromise to get good things done, we aren’t trusting Him.
God will put us into situations where we have to choose between trusting Him and taking the easy way out. The way of trusting God will always look impossible, and the easy way out will always seem logical, reasonable, and people will say, “It’s the way everyone else does it,” but it will mean compromise with the World and sin.
Whatever you do, do it God’s way. Be open, honest, and honorable in the way you get it done. God is able to keep His Word. He doesn’t need any “help“ from the us. Trust Him and be faithful to what you know is God’s way of getting it done.
Lord, help me to see through the compromises the World offers. Help me to trust in You and Your Word. Keep my heart pure and faithful. I know You are able to see me through this; I will do it Your way or not at all. Amen!
Pastor Dan Giles