2 Chronicles 12-16

May 13

2 Chronicles 12-16

Rehoboam and all Israel abandoned the law of the Lord and God used Egypt to discipline them. The king and all of Israel humbled themselves and God decided not to destroy them but they remained made subject to Egypt. Rehoboam continued to do evil because his heart was not on serving God. After Rehoboam, Abijah became king. He confronted Jeroboam and Israel and proclaimed that Judah was worshiping God while Israel had made their own gods. God gave Judah victory over Israel. Asa became king of Judah and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but he became angry when God punished him for relying on man instead of relying on God and he died stubbornly refusing to seek help from God.

Israel formed their own gods and their own place to worship. Judah continued to worship at the temple, but were on again and off again in their commitment to God. Sometimes it was other gods that drew the attention of Judah. Other times it was the power of another army that comforted them. In Asa’s case, he trusted physicians, but refused to call on God for help.

What do people rely on today? Do we rely on people to help us in our times of trouble or do we rely on God? Do we rely on positions of power, or do we rely on God? Do we rely on superstitions maybe something that brings us luck, or do we rely on God? We may not make golden calves, but many people rely on the gold in their bank account instead of relying on God.

When Judah relied on God, He proved faithful. When they turned their back on Him, He brought tough times upon them in order to bring them back into a relationship with Him. God said He allowed Judah to become subject to Egypt “so they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.” (12:8) Judah had to settle for second best. Instead of having the shields of gold made by Solomon, they now had shields of bronze, a picture of the consequences of Judah’s choice to abandon God’s direction.

God wants what is best for us. He wants to give us what we really need and to help us live to our full potential. We have a choice. We can serve God and get His best for our lives, or we can serve the things of the world and get less than the best. It is our choice.