Readings for today: 1 Kings 10-11, 2 Chronicles 9, Proverbs 30-31
God is steadfast in His love. God’s mercies are new every morning. God’s forgiveness is unconditional. We know these truths. We declare these truths. We hold fast to these truths. But God is also just. God will not be mocked. God disciplines those He loves. He is faithful to judge as He is to show mercy. God is sovereign. He reigns and rules over all He has made. His commands are to be followed. His laws obeyed. And woe to the one who thinks they are wiser than Him. Woe to the one who thinks he can ignore God. Woe to the one who is faithless. None of us get a pass before the judgment seat of Christ.
“And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did. Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes. But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name. And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.” (1 Kings 11:31-39)
Solomon was one of Israel’s greatest kings. His wisdom was unfathomable. His wealth uncountable. His political power unassailable. He lived in glory and splendor all of his days. People traveled the earth to hear him speak. Queens and kings came to pay homage before his ivory throne. He was a legend in his own time. A man of immense gifts. He built cities. He raised the Temple. He contracted great palaces and beautiful gardens. His armies were powerful. Stationed all over Israel, they kept watch and protected the nation. But Solomon grew proud. Arrogant. Selfish. He started to believe his own hype. He believed he was above the law. He felt he was the author of all his blessings. So his heart turned from the Lord. He began to create other temples. Raise other shrines. To the gods of the women he had married. Ashtoreth. Chemosh. Milcom. He made sacrifices to them. He honored them alongside Yahweh. And he was judged. The kingdom torn from his descendants.
You and I are no different. Even as Christians, we come under God’s righteous judgment. Yes, we escape the final judgment of hell through the shed blood of Christ but we are fools if we think that God doesn’t still judge us for our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We are ignorant if we think we have some sort of “fire insurance” that gives us a pass to do whatever want in this life. Jesus makes it clear in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” There is no wiggle room here, friends. If you love Christ, you will love His Word. If you love Christ, you will accept His discipline and rebuke and correction. If you love Christ, you will make it your aim in life to follow in His ways. This is why we see the church so weak in America today. She has lost her first love. She has taken the grace God offers for granted. She has compromised her faith for the sake of political and social power. The results have been devastating. I believe God is ripping our nation apart in judgment. Tearing us into pieces because we simply will not obey Him. He is raising up adversaries from within and without. He is giving us up to the lusts of our hearts, our disordered passions, and our debased and corrupt ways of thinking. (Romans 1) Our only hope is repentance. Humble submission. Full confession of our sin and reception of His forgiveness. God will mercy if we have but the humility to seek it.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 10