Fear of Man but no Fear of God

                                                                       1 Kings 14:12-18

 

June 13, 2021

  

Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die.   And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.   Moreover, the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.   And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.”

Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.   And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

 

The great Paul Harvey always said “now the rest of the story”, and it was as the prophet of God had said.  It is a wise person that understands the fact that God is a Promise Keeper, and every detail is just as the prophet said.

 

The only question we must ask the person in the mirror is, do we believe God is a promise keeper, and are we studying and applying His promises to our lives each day.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

Prophecy Against Jeroboam

 

1 Kings 14:1- 11

 

June 10, 2021

 

 Prophecy Against Jeroboam

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.   And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people.   Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”

Jeroboam's wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.   And the Lord said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus, and thus shall you say to her.”

When she came, she pretended to be another woman.   But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you.   Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes,  but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back,  therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone.   Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the Lord has spoken it.”’

 

There are many things in Scripture that you will not get to with western logic, one may wonder why the wife came back if she knew the child would die the day she entered the town.  But in her day the woman did what she was told, and her husband told her to go to the man of God, and the prophet told her to go back and report to her husband what the LORD had said about her husband Jeroboam.

 

Many of us put off going to see a doctor or getting counsel for fear of what they will tell us we need to do.  I have no doubt that Jeroboam wished he had never sent his wife to the prophet, not knowing many have been better if one has no desire to repent and change.  The king had some options: he could destroy the gold idols he had made; he could tear down the altars and forbid the people from worshiping any God but the God of Creation, but he fears the people more than God.  Have you followed the voice of fear, and before you answer, no, how did you do with the China virus?  God has commanded us to fear not for he is with us, to not be afraid He will protect us with His righteous right hand.  Jan and I believe in God and obey authority but did not stop having people over, did not fear getting a virus, for we know that God has numbered our day correctly and we cannot add one day to our lives.  And yes, we do watch out for big trucks and drivers on cell phones. They can cause you a lot of pain.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Death of Jeroboam

 

1 Kings 13:19-24

 

 June 7, 2021

 

The Death of Jeroboam

Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.   And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Naaman the Ammonite.   And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.   For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.

 

It is without a doubt most of us have witnessed a person or persons who have been given by the Lord talent and skill and the benefits that go with those gifts.  And yet they never seem to be at peace or have any absolute joy in their lives.  But what most of us only read about is the children of the super-rich, and how they never were required to be accountable for their actions.  Often, we read about the mess they leave behind, in broken relationships, and children, and lose the value of their dad’s name.  When not much is required, you seem to always get the same product, and it carries little or no weight.

 

These two kings were given so much in worldly value but, in the things of God, they were both bankrupt.  My pray is that dads will awaken to this truth, time with them is of greater value than making lots of money and giving them what they want.  But to teach them how to work, and the satisfaction that comes from doing a job right is of great value to your children.  To teach and to listen to your child is the foundation built on success, not how much you give them in gifts, but the gift of your presence, learning what they believe and teaching them the truth.  These two kings were 0’s in the ways of God.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick

  

1 Kings 14:1-18

 

June 6, 2021

 

 

 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.   And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it is not known that you are the wife of Jeroboam and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people.   Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.”  Jeroboam's wife did so. She arose and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.   And the Lord said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus, and thus shall you say to her.”

When she came, she pretended to be another woman.   But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you.   Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes,  but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back,  therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone.   Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat, for the Lord has spoken it.”’  Arise therefore, go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die.   And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.   Moreover, the Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.   And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.”

Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.   And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

Are you such a man, a man like Jeroboam, who God had blessed with many skills and talents, and place him over a people who he fears if they worshipped the God of their fathers, they would get a new leader, so he leads them into idolatry?  Why the king of Israel listened to the wrong channel, he turned off Channel two and listen only to channel one.  Let me remind you we only have two channels, channel one is the deceptive channel, its spokesperson is the evil one, and the voice always sounds just like your voice, you're never aware that it is the voice of the destroyer.  Channel Two, is a much quieter voice, and it the Holy Spirit of God, it will never lead you to do evil, but it requires one to sit quietly in a place to hear it clearly.

Many a person have been given amazing talents, and skills but in that they have not been taught otherwise believe Channel One is who they are.  Falsely they believe those skills and talents are their doing, and the wealth that is from them also is for their use to make them happy.  

My pastor has been talking about upside-down living and using the Beatitudes to teach on this subject.  Jeroboam did not have the Beatitudes to refer to and reflected on but you and I do.  Each week Pastor Ray Sill has made sure we understand this truth, Jesus’ disciples  needed to be taught.  All of us are ignorant about many things and we will not learn them in this upside-down culture we find our world in at this time.  Yesterday in the sermon the Pastor refers to Luke 12:32, it's one of the verses on Fear not, that carried Jan and me in victory through this pandemic of fear over the virus.  “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”  As followers of Christ, the only one to fear is God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way

 

1 Kings 13:20-34

 

June 5, 2021

 

            

And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back.  And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you,   but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”   And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.   And as he went away a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body.   And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown in the road and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

And when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the word of the Lord; therefore, the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word that the Lord spoke to him.”   And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it.   And he went and found his body thrown in the road, and the donkey and the lion standing beside the body. The lion had not eaten the body or torn the donkey.   And the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back to the city to mourn and to bury him.  And he laid the body in his own grave. And they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”   And after he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.   For the saying that he called out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places that are in the cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass.”

After this thing, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places.   And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.

As the great Paul Harvey often said, and that is the rest of the story.  The rest of the story often happens to pastors and teachers, does the word of God speak to that issue?  In the Gospel of James 3:1, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.  Every preacher and teacher needs to keep in their mind what God did to the man of God and hold to the teaching of 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

From the Back Porch,

`Bob Rice

 

 

 

June 4, 2021

 

1 Kings 13:11-19

 

The Prophet's Disobedience

Now an old prophet lived in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told to their father the words that he had spoken to the king.   And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him the way that the man of God who came from Judah had gone.   And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So, they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.   And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”   Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”   And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’”   And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him.   So, he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.

 

A powerful message to each of us in this, a man of God sent on a mission from God, believes a lie, and turns from truth to obey a man who deceives him into believing a lie.

 

We have been warned to watch out for false teachers, and preachers, but many who do not study God’s word, have no understanding of this.  Many of them who go by the name of Christian and even some in leadership can tell you all about some person in Hollywood, who is the latest person who has a hit song.  They know all about a sports team, or they keep up with golf and all the main player but do not have time to sit in a quiet room and ask God to show them his truth. 

 

Are you so content with this life, a government where leaders tell you lies, and how we find out that so do many of its leading scientists have lied to us?  But they are not the ones to be on guard against, it is the man who stands behind the podium on Sunday, with his Bible, and yet like the old prophet tells you lies.  

 

Do the Scriptures warn us about such men?  Yes, in both the Old and New Testaments, we need to put to heart Acts 17:11 and make sure we applied it to each sermon we heard.  “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”

 

It is my belief that 2 Timothy 4:3, is happening now, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”  Look at 2 Peter 2:1-3, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.   And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them, the way of truth will be blasphemed.   And in their greed, they will exploit you with false words.”

 

It is 2021, and if you cannot see that this verse is referring to now, you sure live in a different world than I do; 2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.   For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

A Man of God Confronts Jeroboam

 

1 Kings 13:1-10

 

June 3, 2021

 

 A Man of God Confronts Jeroboam

And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings.   And the man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’”   And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.’”   And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up so that he could not draw it back to himself.   The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.   And the king said to the man of God, “Entreat now the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” And the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before.   And the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”  And the man of God said to the king, “If you give me half your house, I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place, for so was it commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.’”   So, he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.

Often my problem has been not reading the Scriptures but applying them to my daily life.  It is not our outward actions, the LORD looks at but the intent of our hearts.  You can go to church and many Bible Studies but if you never examine yourself and apply them to how you, lead in your family, at work, and with your neighbors, what real value are they?

 

As you read the Proverbs, give thought to these verses, Proverbs 12:15, “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.”  I recall a foolish young man who God was a blessing and using in His kingdom to turn people’s hearts back to God.  He had by most people's account, been a never was, and now people were asking him to speak and lead and He became prideful.  God sent men and one exceptional lady to warn him, but he did not listen.  Great was his fall, I am that man.

 

So, when I read Proverbs 19:20, “Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.”  I do so now, but a very foolish person like the young man I was talking about would ignore such a council.

 

That young man had to go back to the Scriptures and allow the men God sent to him to teach him the ways of God.  One that is very dear to him is 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!  

 

That young man also had to learn about his unique version of his flesh, his flesh desire to be first, be the best, and have the praise of men, and that is what the old devil used to destroy him.  We all have unique flesh and if you are blind to yours, you are an easy target for the evil one.

 

It is clear that Jeroboam had fearful flesh, and was fearful of man, but had no fear of God, which are the sins he had committed.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Jeroboam's Golden Calves

 

1 Kings 12:25-33

 

June 2, 2021

 

Jeroboam's Golden Calves

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel.   And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David.   If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”   So, the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”   And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.   Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.    He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.   And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So, he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.   He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.

What do we know about how Jeroboam became the King of Israel's 10 tribes?  God sent His man to tell him all that God was going to do for him.  But the one Jesus called the thief, that comes only to kill, steal, and destroy, the devil, put fear into Jeroboam’s heart and He attempted to replace the God of Creation with his little gods, that could not see or hear.  The bottom line is Jeroboam did not put any faith in what God or his man had said.

How dangerous is fear?  I witness the control of fear on the Church of the living God, the God who states in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  And you may be saying that is Old Testament, does the New Testament speak on the issue of “Fear”?  I am so glad you ask that question, for both the New and Old Testaments are full of Scripture on fear.  “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”  (2Timothy 1:7)  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (2 John 4:18) “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”  

(Matthew 6:27).  

 

Yes, the Scriptures are full of teaching on fear, it is a powerful tool, and God is very clear in His Word on how fear will destroy a person, or Church, or Nation.  All during the China Virus, I ask the Lord who should I listen to.  This verse came to me, and it was my guide.  It is found in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  

I wish my report is I heard each week a sermon on “Fear Not”, but I do not recall any, but every time I got overwhelmed with the news telling me I had to lock myself in my house and not touch anyone and wear a mask if I did not want to die, this Scripture came into my mind.  And I put my trust not in science, but in the God who sent His only Son, to take my punishment for being a sinful man.  We obey the law, but we did not stop having people in our home, we hugged them when they came and when they left.

What did Jan and I learn from the China Virus, that faith in a big God will overcome fear?  No one was telling us at Church services to fear, but actions do speak lower than words.  The message coming from the Church of the living God was to close the door, stay locked up and don’t dare touch anyone, and listen to the science.  Yes, actions do speak loudly.

Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”

 

Let us close with this thought, a wise person will repent and learn from his error, and never forget we serve a God of the second change, for if we confess, He will forgive and forget.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

The Kingdom Divided

 

1 Kings 12:21-33

 

                                                             June 1, 2021

 

 

The Kingdom Divided

 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.  But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God: “Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, you shall not go up or fight against your relatives the people of Israel. Every man return to his home, for this thing is from me.’” So, they listened to the word of the Lord and went home again, according to the word of the Lord.

I do not believe it is an overstatement to say that the USA finds itself in this place with more than half of the Nation saying to the Marxist Socialist we will not follow you.  The Church is under attack by this group and many in name only Christian have exited the Church building saying we do not need to be there.  And has God spoken to His Church, about such a time as these?  Yes, and very clear, look at Matthew 24:10-13, “And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.   And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.   But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”   No one only the Father knows the timeline for this, yet what we are witnessing is real, and much of this is taking place.

 

We also find this information in Matthew 24:33-35, “So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.   Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.   Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

 

I do not have the Spiritual Gift of a teacher, but as an exhorter, I like to see people act on what God has shown them in His word.  Jesus asks this question, “Who do you say I am?”  How you answer that question is very telling, for if you answer and believe as Peter did in his answer; Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  If you find you cannot do so, it saddens me to say, you are not part of God’s Church, your membership may be in a church, but if you die at this moment, the Father will say, I never knew you.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Bad Counsel

 

1 Kings 12:12-15

 

May 29, 2021

 

So, Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.”   And the king answered the people harshly and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”   So, the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

 

It is easy for a smart person to be stupid, and Rehoboam did not acquire his father’s wisdom.  But God, one of my favorite statements, “but God,” was all over this and the new king listens to the council of his peers and not the older men who had been with his dad.

When God has spoken, it will happen, not in your timeline or mine, but according to His desired will.  The Church, not Baptist, nor Catholic nor any of the other man-made groups are the Church, all of them have members of the Church in them.  Could it be agreed that membership in the Body of Christ is placing one’s faith in Christ alone, and if you are not in agreement with that, you are not a part of the Church of the Living God?  Jesus made clear to all in Matthew 16:15-18, that it was Peter’s confession of Jesus, that is the Rock Jesus is building His Church own.

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.   And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

When Jesus tells us; “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.”  That is not a suggestion, it is the only way it is going to take place in one’s life.  It will require discipline, in reading God’s word and seeking His will in your life.  

 

Shall we agree that the Bible is true, and a follower of Christ will not only study it but do what it directs them to do?  Shall we finish with 1 John 2:15-17, ^“Do not love the world or anything in the world?  If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.   For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.   The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”  Nothing has changed at all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  But I’ve changed and it's all because of Jesus Christ, I do not desire the worldly desire of my youth, I’m still learning and seeking the will of my Father, and I need Jesus more today so I can finish my race and get the prize.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice 

 

 

 

Rehoboam took the counsel of the Young men

 

1 Kings 12:1-11

 

                                                                   May 28, 2021

 

 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.  And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.  And they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now, therefore, lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you.”   He said to them, “Go away for three days, then come again to me.” So, the people went away.

Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?”   And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.”   But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.  And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put on us?”   And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to this person who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us,’ thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs.   And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

I’m still a young 79-year-old and have a desire to finish strong, I do not want to do like Solomon.  Most of the men who gave me council has died, and I miss those men, but God has raised up men who seek him to give me council.  In my short life on planet earth, I’ve learned it is not age that brings wise council, but men and women who study to show themselves acceptable before God.

 

Now listen to me the United States of America leadership does not look to the God of Creation, but to the little gods of wealth and power, and are taking our nation the way of Solomon’s son Rehoboam.  And in Texas, we have not had the governor or Mayors who are God-haters as they have experienced in California, Oregon, New York, and other states, but it will happen.  You and I need to become Christ's warriors, learning how to do Spiritual battle.  And denounce the little gods in our life.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Sin of Pride cost Solomon 10 tribes

                                                                 1 Kings 11: 32-43

 

May 27, 2021

 

 ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes  (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),  because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.   Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes.   But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, ten tribes.   Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.   And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel.   And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.   And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.’”   Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

 

Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?   And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.  And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

 

The wisest and richest man to live on planet earth did not finish strong but brought disaster to his family and nation.  God told Jeroboam He would give him the 10 tribes of Israel and would establish his kingdom as he had with David, on this condition.  “And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.”

 

If you are wondering why would anyone not do so, have you given thought to why do you not listen and do what is right and keep His statutes and commandments?  It is so easy to blame the leadership in government or even the Church, but often we do not see the log in our eye, wanting to take the speck out of a brother's eye.

 

From The Back Porch,

Bob Rice

                                                                     1 Kings 11:23-33

 

May 25, 2021

 

 God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah.   And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band, after the killing by David. And they went to Damascus and lived there and made him king in Damascus.   He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing harm as Hadad did. And he loathed Israel and reigned over Syria.

 

Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted his hand against the king.   And this was the reason why he lifted his hand against the king. Solomon built the Millo and closed the breach of the city of David his father.  The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.   And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country.   Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.   And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes  (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that 

 

I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),  because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did. 

 

It matters not how God comes against a man, in Solomon's case it was two adversaries, one was an outlaw with a band of worthless men, of low values.  We have witnessed our President inviting the family of George Floyd to the Whitehouse in memory of their son.  George Floyd was an evil man who spent most of his life in prison for crimes against others.  I have yet to see the President honor a family that has lost their life by dying in the line of protecting the public as our police do every day.  We lost 138 of these men and women, of all colors whose job it is to keep the peace and address bad guys, who are breaking the law so far this year.  How many bad guys did the police shoot and kill this year?  (Offices down memorial page)  I look for a site that would give me a truthful account of how many unarmed black men in 2019, one group said 8 but the fact-checkers said they were wrong it was 13.  Now 13 is a long way from what one would believe by reading the New York Times, you would believe it was a number in 1000.

 

There is no excuse for the police officer that held Floyd on the ground, many questions in my mind as to why anyone would remove a handcuffed man from a squad car, it all seems a little crazy.  My reason for using this example or the adversary like the media, the Democrat party, ignorant of people who only get information from one source, believes what some group sends them on Facebook or some tweet.  Could that be we as a nation or under the judgment of a Holy God?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

The Lord Raises Adversaries

 1 Kings 11:9-22

 

May 24, 2021

 

 The Lord Raises Adversaries

 

And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.   Therefore, the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.   Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.   However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom.    For when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he struck down every male in Edom (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom).   But Hadad fled to Egypt, together with certain Edomites of his father's servants, Hadad still being a little child.   They set out from Midian and came to Paran and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him an allowance of food and gave him land.    And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.   And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh.  But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.”   But Pharaoh said to him, “What have you lacked with me that you are now seeking to go to your own country?” And he said to him, “Only let me depart.”

My dad was not as forgiving or patient as God was with King Solomon, for he warned Solomon twice before bringing a judgment on the nation of Israel.  Dad only gave you one notice, and the next time was punishment for your bad choices.  And as a dad, I can tell you the last thing a dad should want is for his action to harm his children.  But Solomon did and we will see that he did not have the integrity of his dad David.  Solomon left his sons and the Nation under the judgment of a Holy God, and all the good that he did earlier was lost by his lust for women.

 

The Lord raised up two adversaries against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, and Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah.  We will explore how both were used by God to bring judgment.

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice