Read 2 Chronicles 11-12 and Revelation 8.
This devotional is about 2 Chronicles 11-12.
In 2 Chronicles 10, Solomon’s son Rehoboam became Israel’s king, but he immediately lost most of his kingdom when most of the tribes of Israel rebelled. They rebelled because of Rehoboam’s foolishness, but it was God’s will for it to happen because of Solomon’s personal idolatry. First Kings 11:10-11 says, “Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.'” Rehoboam’s kingdom loss–though it resulted from his own bad choice–was an act of judgment by God for Solomon’s idolatry.
Rehoboam did not intend to sit back and watch most of his kingdom defect. In today’s reading from 2 Chronciles 11, we read about Rehoboam’s intention to take back the rebelling tribes of his kingdom. Verse 1 of chapter 11 says, “When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered Judah and Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.” But God sent a prophet named Shemaiah to tell the king, “Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing” (v. 4c) and, surprisingly, Rehobaom “…obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against Jeroboam” (v. 4d).
Later, in chapter 12, we read these words in verse 1: “After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord.” God retaliated against the disobedience of the king and his people by allowing Shishak the king of Egypt to attack Judah. But, before Shishak reached Jerusalem itself, God sent Shemaiah the prophet to speak to Rehoboam again. At the end verse 5, the prophet said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.’” But verse 6 tells us immediately, “The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, ‘The Lord is just.'” God responded to their confession by limiting Judah’s losses to Egypt (vv. 7-9).
Rehoboam was unrighteousness man and a king who displeased the Lord. Verse 14 of chapter 12 says, “He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.” So history’s appraisal of Judah’s king was negative as was the Lord’s evaluation of his life.
Still, chapter 12 verse 12 says, “Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah.” And this shows us the mercy of our God! God would have been just to take the whole kingdom from Rehoboam because of Solomon’s sin, but God was merciful and faithful to the Davidic covenant. God would have been just to take the kingdom from Rehoboam for Rehoboam’s own foolishness and sin, but the Lord was merciful to him as well because, at least once in his life, Rehoboam humbled himself before the Lord and confessed his sin.
God’s mercy is waiting on the balls of its feet for you, but it is on the other side of the door of repentance and confession. Don’t persist in your sin! Don’t excuse it or rationalize it away when you are confronted about it. If you are already experiencing consequences for your sin, admit that “the Lord is just” as verse 6 says. Then see how God’s mercy springs into action! It might even keep the worst consequences of your sin from becoming reality in your life.
This is the mercy of God. Fall on it, and see what the Lord does.