Set to Seek the LORD

Hello! - sorry it has been a little while. I wanted to share my musings from reading in 2 Chronicles today... I was reading and meditating on Chapters 11 & 12.

I will highlight a few things and then get down to what has been replaying through my mind...
When Solomon's son, Rehoboam came into power he did a foolish thing - he rejected the wisdom/advice from the Elders and instead decided to take the advice of his guy friends/peers so to speak... (See ch. 10 - v.8...). This is where the division comes into play between Judah (& Benjamin) from the rest of Israel.

In Ch. 11 we learn that the priests & Levites from all of Israel stood with him from all their districts. In part because Jeroboam (leader of Israel) decides to setup his own idols and priests (v. 14-15). Verse 16 tells us that those who's hearts were set on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed the priests & Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers!

There appears to be this little side note in v.17 - and they strenghtened the kingdom... remember this for later. It also says for 3 years... I kept thinking why just 3yrs... well we are getting there.

In Chapter 12 the very first verse tells us something important - a life lesson. It says that when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established & strong that he and all of Israel with him forsook the law of the LORD! Don't pass that by... remember verse 17... these people came with hearts to seek and sacrifice to the LORD God... and sometime after things got good they forsook the LORD! What happened from the time of their coming to the forsaking??? Where did their heart focus/seeking go? Did they get too comfortable? Pride maybe?

It brought to mind how at times when things start going good, we can stop focusing on the LORD like we do in times of distress... How we can start to think everything is fine, I am good, look at what I have accomplished, I am in control - whatever, you get the point! However, we should know that is most certainly not the case. God is always in control & He is the one who helps us, blesses us and provides for us. (It reminds me once again of the path our nation is heading down...).

Ok, so back to my earlier mention about the 3 years... enters verse 2 - It says in the 5th year of King Rehoboam's reign... So from the earlier verses we know they followed and sought the LORD for 3 years... and then they started straying away... so here we are two years later- They had been unfaithful to the LORD, and because of this enters the enemy. It made me think of our spiritual battle between the flesh & spirit and the enemy we face. When we take our eye off of God, when we go our own way, when we sin and seek other things to place before God in our lives.... our guard is down, our heart is wrong... and we are an easy target for the enemy, when we have left the shelter and protection of God's wings...no longer under his covering. They forsook God! It didn't really take all that long...to go from being on top to the bottom as you will see.

So faced with the enemy - the King and people humble themselves and proclaim "The LORD is righteous.". And because of their humbling themselves God does not destroy them but gives them some measure of deliverance. They had brought disaster upon themselves but the LORD still helped them. They were not destroyed but they had to learn a lesson... (oh if we would only learn from history, from our mistakes and seek the LORD with all of our heart for all of our days!!!).

Verse 8 tells us that God allowed them to become slaves that they might learn the difference between His service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries (the world). Boy, is there a big difference between being in the service of the LORD - true freedom, life, blessings, love, forgiveness... and being in the service- enslaved, in bondage to sin, to the world!

This brought to mind (here and in other cases) as there is a moral decline/move away from God/righteousness, things going really well to seeing a decline not just morally but culturally... Things get good, we move away from God - we become prideful, things then start going bad..... v. 9 tells us that the enemy took all the gold (all, everything of value) ... it made me think of what that represents. Gold being of high value, a pure and precious metal... is stolen, taken away. We have within us something far more precious and valuable than gold - for those in Christ Jesus- that can NEVER be taken away! Praise the LORD!!! However maybe it is represenative of those perishable things we treasure above our God... They are a gift from him to be enjoyed and for His purposes, but never to be worshiped or sought after/desired above Him. These perishable things can not give us security - only God is our security.

God is so good, even when we are not... He loves a repentant, humble heart... in Him we find salvation and mercy. Check out 12:12... the king humbled himself & was not destroyed and then conditions in Judah were good.

To sum it all up... I have been thinking of how people can seem to start out going the right way & then along the way they forsake the LORD... ex. Solomon with all his wisdom and knowledge of God, in his last days worshiped other gods... and here his son (v.14)- did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. There are so many other examples... but just focusing on this lesson for today - I see people who left their tribes (Israelites) to go to Jerusalem with the priest & Levites to worship the LORD... they had set it in their hearts! Of course these are OT believers... and they did not have the advantage we have in Christ - the gift of the Holy Spirit within us.... Yet, we are warned and encouraged in the NT to not live by the ways of the flesh but of the spirit, to run the good race, to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul & strength... and so on. I do not in any way believe that if you are saved and have received the Holy Spirit that you can loose your salvation... So don't misunderstand what I am saying in this regard. I just think about the parable of the seeds... and other such things. About people being led astray from their sincere and pure devotion to Christ.... and I don't want that!

It seems to me that we have to choose, to seek - with all our heart to stay the course - to be obedient; to live & walk in obedience; to know, understand, believe & love with all our hearts, minds, soul & strength. Daily we must choose... in our flesh we wander, we have no strength... however, as we abide in the Spirit we have incredible power at work in us! We can live transformed lives all our days... The other big thing I keep thinking about is how we have to have the RELATIONSHIP with G0d - to know & love Him... Having a real, on going relationship gives us the heart/love, focus and ability to do these things - because we are not doing it for ourselves but out of love for God. We need a healthy balance of the Word/Truth... some don't like correction and only want to hear pleasant things... have warm fuzzy feelings. But I tell you those warm fuzzy feelings will fade at times as crisis arise, sort of like the seed that grew up on the rock but had no roots and withered. These chapters also make me think of those who were chocked by the weeds -they let the cares, worries and pleasures of this world keep them from maturing! We have to be rooted in Christ... in the Word - in Truth, because our heart is deceitful above all else. The Word grounds us and shines a light into our hearts, lives and shows us the way... Hand & hand... How blessed we are in Christ - we have been given so much!!! Love, forgiveness, salvation, the Word, the Holy Spirit - we can pray/talk to God directly (us sinners, who have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb!), we are set free & empowered to live beyond ourselves - to live for God!

I say all this to encourage you (& myself) to keep our eyes, hearts and minds on the things that are eternal & lasting - to keep our focus on Christ!