2 Chronicles 1-11

The Holy Spirit woke me up this morning at 7:17am to read these chapters. He wants to show me to be sure to learn the lessons of the past; this book reminds the people of their past. His message through one of the best-known verses in Scripture, is showing me why He has placed me on this journey: “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”(2Chronicles 7:14) Since I’ve started the journey to know God, every night He comes to me in sleep and we have conversations. I have found myself saying thank you; yes you are so right and so good out loud during sleep. I see scripture in my sleep and speak words that are not my own. He has shown me answers to questions I ask Him in my dreams; this truly is the most beautiful walk I’ve ever taken. Study what the Lord says in this verse; it is the absolute truth. My personal testimony is unfolding into a witness of this promise God made to ALL His people.

The abuse of our high calling by sinful living will ultimately bring us catastrophe and destruction, just as Judah’s failure to repent brought them captivity in Babylon. Only God can bring true peace.

The reign of Solomon is revisited here; and I am reminded of a prayer that brought favor with the Lord. If the Lord were to say to you “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1:7) in the privacy of your heart, answer in truth what you’d ask for. Solomon asked the Lord for wisdom and knowledge as he humbled himself before God knowing that he couldn’t serve the people without God in the lead. Wisdom is the ability to make good decisions based on proper discernment and judgment. Discernment is discovering God’s will in any decision; relationships, vocations, etc. God’s question to Solomon stretches the imagination, and given your first and honest answer, this is a good indication of the state of your heart. Solomon later wrote in Proverbs, “wisdom is more precious than any rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her” (Proverbs 3:15) We can acquire God’s wisdom by asking him and studying His word; the source of divine wisdom. God approved Solomon’s’ priorities and selfless request and gave him wealth, riches and honor without Solomon asking for it. When we have a purpose for living, and are content with what we have today, which does not mean complacency; we will have greater wealth than we could ever accumulate.

When Solomon dedicated the temple he was appointed by God to create, he prayed to Lord acknowledging “For there is no one who does not sin.”(6:36) Not even God’s appointed kings were exempt from sin. Knowing we have a tendency for sin should keep us close to God, seeking his guidance and strength.

When God sent fire from heaven to consume the offering and to begin the fire that was to burn continuously under the altar; I was reminded of another recent dream. A dream of large swells in the ocean approaching me and a person in my life that brought confusion. Suddenly, underneath that person was flaming fire in the ocean; and now as I read the perpetual fire symbolized God’s presence, I know that God was with me for protection and guidance and I got my answer. Only God’s purifying power can make something holy; like the temple that Solomon built to show his service and awe for God, our bodies are God’s temple. We should honor God with our bodies and preserve the gift of life we were given with health consciousness.

True repentance is more than talk; it is changed behavior. Taking a glance at your past, have you honestly admitted your mistakes as proven by a change in your behavior, or do you ask for forgiveness as a good luck charm while repeating your mistakes? Sin is deceptively attractive. Solomon, the wisest man, fell into the corruptive trap that idols lured him into and he turned from God. Idols- symbols of power, prosperity and sexuality; these are very attractive to most people. When you set out on a task, are these the underlying motivations in your heart? If it is, have the courage and accountability to admit to it; God is patient and is waiting for you to go to Him for forgiveness and restoration; things only He can do. When we allow any desire to rival God’s proper place, we have taken the first step to our own demise.

The Bible says to take care in our discernment. Following bad advice can cause disaster; as I’m sure many of us have experienced. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, and heir to the throne did not follow in his forefathers in their dedication to God and lead the kingdom into a divided nation centered in idolatry. We can learn from Rehoboam’s errors in seeking advice: 1) He did not give extra consideration to the suggestions of those who knew the situation better than he; 2) he did not ask God for wisdom to discern which was the better option. It is easy to follow the advice of peers because they often feel as we do. Their views may be limited. Listen to those who have more experience than we do; seeing the bigger picture can help you gain the insights to make better decisions even in small areas of your life.

In trying to have it all Rehoboam lost almost everything. He was motivated by greed and power. He pressed too hard for personal gain and divided his kingdom. The bottom line is this: he didn’t NEED more; his demands were based on selfishness rather than reason or spiritual discernment. Those who insist on having it all often wind up with little or nothing. Have you been a witness to someone like Rehoboam? Can you imagine a character like Rehoboam being the father figure in a family? His selfishness and insistent desire for power, money, materialism, etc lead to the division of his kingdom; this type of leader can divide a family as well.

Rehoboam’s foolishness divided his kingdom and he tried to reunite it by force. True unity cannot be forced. True unity is the response of willing hearts. Have you ever thought you could change someone and create unity? If loyalty is what you are after, win their respect through love instead of trying to gain their submission through force. Sometimes in dynamics of force, where one or more unwilling hearts for change cause continuous conflict, it is better to walk away and use discernment. Sometimes this means walking away from something you wanted. God desires unity, but while we should always work toward reconciliation, we must recognize that only God knows the future. He may allow a division in order to fulfill his greater purposes.

We have so much to learn from Rehoboam. He often settled for cheap imitations in exchange for the real thing. In every area of his life, he consistently traded away what was real for what was fake. Given wise and unwise counsel, he chose to grab for power and control rather than rest in patience, take the counsel of those wiser than he, and treat his people with kindness. His position came from God and he chose to abandon God. He fluctuated between obeying God and going his own way. He kept up an outer appearance for the public, but his inward attitude was evil. He was blessed with an amazing opportunity for greatness and he ended up with a divided and broken kingdom. How much of a real life have we traded for things that don’t last? We trade healthy bodies for momentary satisfaction and honesty for lies and God’s wise guidance for our own selfish ways. Our fake lives may fool some, but they do not fool God. Don’t give up hope and faith because you feel you are too sinful at heart to be worthy of God’s love. God is merciful and loves you anyway.

Do the decisions you must make today need a second look in light of Rehoboam’s example? Every choice we make has real and long-lasting consequences. Remember that thoughtless decisions often lead to exchanging what is most valuable for something of far less value.