The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/1_kings/12.htm

Once again, not hopping around wherever I choose, just studying the Bible in chronological order of events rather than how the books are categorized, so we’re back to the Books of Kings and Chronicles.

And I hope you are smarter than I (of which I have no doubt), because here is where I always have difficulty with names. Rehoboam is the son of Solomon, the next heir to be king. But because of a revolt, most of Israel has decided to make Jeroboam the King. Still, after reading the Bible five times, I have difficulties keeping these two, and others, separate.

And the reason was truly a revolt, it was God’s Will. Because of Solomon’s sins, the kingdom was divided. Jerusalem, the City of David, God’s chosen capital, and the territory of Judah, would remain intact and simply become Judah, while the remaining 11 tribes would continue to make up Israel. Jeroboam was chosen to be the King of Israel, while Solomon’s son Rehoboam will follow Solomon and remain in Jerusalem as the King of Judah. Whew!

And from here until the country is restored, we’ll have two kings, the King of Israel, and the King of Judah.

Now in these two chapters, there is mention of a “man of God”, an unnamed prophet. I could go on for a while talking about my reservations about the subjectivity of the authors of the Bible, but again, this verse indicates that God is a wrathful vindictive God. The “man of God” disobeyed, so God had plans to kill him.

Who in their right mind would want to spend eternity in Heaven with a wrathful tyrant? Wouldn’t you be walking around on eggshells, fearful of doing something to anger Him? And the teachings of man are extremely questionable. Because of the way they portray God, I often wonder how many people choose to be Christians out of a “fear” of God rather than a love for Him.

My God, the one I worship, if a loving and merciful God. We’ve read time, after time, after time where people have sinned greatly and God forgave them. Just in these chapters alone, we read how the new King of Israel immediately started worshiping idols, violating the first two Commandments. And when a prophet told him about his sins, he ordered the prophet to be arrested, and as he stretched out his hand it withered. He asked for forgiveness and he asked that his hand be restored, and God restored it.

Now why would God kill the “man of God” for entering the prophets house and eating with him, and not kill Jeroboam for idolatry?

My theory is, and will probably always be, when we sin we separate ourselves from God. And when we distance ourself from God, we easily fall prey to Satan. I believe it was Satan that caused Jeroboam’s hand to wither, he opened himself up to the power of Satan when he separated himself from God. And when Jeroboam repented, he drew himself close to God so God was able to heal him.

We are given free choice, the choice to love God and be obedient to Him, or we can sin and distance ourselves from God, making us vulnerable to Satan. A third of the angels in Heaven distanced themselves, drawing closer to Satan, and they ended up be cast down to earth with him, so close to Satan that they became his.

And our lives are like that as well. If we sin, which God allows us to do, we draw closer to Satan. If we do not repent, we end up becoming one of Satan’s “angels” and will be condemned to eternal death with him. But at any time, we can choose to repent, drawing us closer back to God and further away from Satan’s grip.

So back to where it all started, the “man of God” eaten by the lion was not at the hand of our loving and merciful God, it was at his own hand when he disobeyed God, thus distancing himself from God’s protection. Daniel was a true “man of God”, openly praying when it was against the law. He was thrown into the lions den, but because he was close to God, God protected him. Had the “man of God” repented and done the same, God would have protected him too.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. As one of my favorite pastors once said, “I can’t prove I’m right, but you can’t prove I’m wrong.”

Have a blessed day, and try to keep the “boam’s” straight in your mind.