19/11/2019 - THE WAGES OF SIN

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Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the Lord: ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ”  2 Chronicles 12:5

Whoever forsakes the Lord will be defeated and humbled by the enemy.  Although God had divided the kingdom of Rehoboam, allowing him to remain with only two tribes – Judah and Benjamin -  the son of Solomon abandoned  the Almighty, which would make him to be an example of a servant and king.  Beware, keep vigil and pray, because the devil will do everything to try and take you away from divine presence and make you given in to his traps to destroy your life.  Whoever loves God never leaves Him!

The situation of this king will happen with those who abandon the Lord.  The punishment that Rehoboam received was physical, but that of this person will be spiritual.  Those who seek the Almighty and serve Him with entirety of heart will be free from the clutches of the adversary.  The son of the wisest man understood that without the fear of God, he would be totally under evil´s power, but even so, he dared to risk and fell.  Those who leave the Gospel will end up in the clutches of the devil. 

When Solomon still reigned, the Almighty declared that He would divide the kingdom of David in two, because Solomon had disrespected the Word – and given in to practices that were forbidden in Scriptures. Then, the only alternative left would be to divide the kingdom.  Jeroboham received 10 of the 12 tribes of Jacob.  The other two – Judah and Benjamin – remained with Rehoboam.  Attention: whoever wanders from the Truth will lose the protection of the Omnipotent, and will pay a high price! 

During the invasion of Rehoboam’s nation by the king of Egypt, this Pharaoh used uncommon force which made his fury impossible to resist. This way,  the young fool saw how high it cost  to ignore  the Almighty – Refuge, Strong Tower, and very present Help in the in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).  Along with Shishak, the glory of the kingdom was ended as was all the gold in the temple and the house of the king.

Rehoboam felt how bad his bondage to the enemy was in comparison to serving the Lord: he saw Shishak overtake the wealth and riches that existed in Jerusalem since the time of David.  Why did the king cut off his ties with God if his kingdom and his family only would survive because David had observed and practiced divine will?  Likewise, we only exist as God’s people because of Jesus’s sacrifice in our behalf at Calvary.  Consecrate yourself to the heavenly Father!

The Pharaoh’s attack also serves as a warning to those who disobey the Lord.  Since He is the Creator of all things and therefore of our lives, we owe Him all that we are in Christ.  The wicked don´t know how much they will suffer.  Sooner or later, the devil will touch their lives and that of their families.  If Rehoboam had believed in the Scriptures, he would have remained a servant of God forever.  Flee from sin at all cost!

Shemaiah the prophet declared to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah: Thus says the Lord: ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.” (2 Chronicles 12:5) These people saw how terrible was the slavery to these opponents. The lost and wicked can’t even imagine what they will suffer for having rejected the Source of goodness.  Know this: there is still time to come to the Lord!

In Christ, with Love, 

R. R. Soares