2 Chronicles 12:1 "And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him."
We see something happening to Rehoboam that is so typical of the carnal nature
of mankind. He became so strong that he started relying upon himself instead of
the Lord. Strength is a wonderful thing unless it becomes a source of pride. We
all have seen, and maybe experienced ourselves, when someone has surgery and as
soon as they begin to feel better from the effects of the initial operation,
they think they can go right back to doing anything they want. If you will,
please excuse me for using a personal experience. Several years ago I had my
gall bladder removed. There were only three small puncture wounds instead of
the major incision. A few days later, I was feeling good and not too sore.
Sunday was coming and I didn't want anyone else to take my place. Youth in the
ministry was speaking at that point rather than wisdom. I was strong enough.
After all, it had been four or five days after the surgery and I had heard that
three days was pretty much maximum to feeling better. What did I do? You
guessed it. I was determined to take the stand on Sunday morning. To this day,
I remember how difficult it was to be able to walk out of the stand and get
back to the front pew where I could sit down. Yes, the Lord allowed me to speak
(I'm not sure how much preaching I did), but then He reminded me that I'm not
invincible.
That's a poor example, but I think most of us have had that "I can do it
myself" type experience where the Lord reminded us that we are completely
dependent upon Him. Rehoboam had been blessed by the Lord. He had fenced cities
all around Jerusalem and they were manned with trained soldiers. They were
equipped with the latest weaponry of the day. They were completely safe. Right?
Nothing could take them. Right? They had no need to fear. As long as they were
leaning upon the Lord, they could rest in that fact. But when Rehoboam was
lifted up and felt himself to be strong enough, he did not feel a need for God.
I remember reading years ago a story of a man who had been imprisoned in
Russia. As he watched the communists taking over, he wrote: "We have
forgotten God." For those of us who remember, the Communists took over and
it went downhill from there. As I see the things that are taking place in the
streets of America today, I have to ask: Have we forgotten God? Has
America come to the place where we feel we are self-sufficient in weaponry and
in monetary means that we do not need the Lord any more?
I see a movement back toward God that I pray will continue and spread
throughout our nation. My heart was blessed to see the crowd in Washington D.C.
this past weekend. I am encouraged that people are speaking of prayer more than
has been in a while. I pray that as we see what happens to Rehoboam, our hearts
will be even more united to come together as truly one nation under God. People
indeed need the Lord.