Journal Entry 10/9/2010:

   I Kings 11:39 God's Word says, "And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not forever."  Next to this in my Bible I wrote; "Amen! Reaping isn't forever! Thank-you Lord" 

  The Bible says that the prophet Ahijah found and met up with a man named Jeroboam, and when they were alone, the prophet told him what God was going to take away from king Solomon's son and give to him and why, so Jeroboam understood why God was going to afflict the seed of David.

     1 Ki 11:34  God told Jeroboam, "But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen Me to put My name there. and I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel." 

     God also promised to build Jeroboam a house, as He built for David, and promised to give Israel unto him if, he would walk in obedience to God as David His servant did. 1 Ki 11:38

   Solomon was the present king and responsible for leading God's people after his father, David, died. And God's Word says that "Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam..." 1 Kings 11:40  Solomon was angry and jealous of the blessings that Jeroboam was promised, but God was disciplining Solomon for sin.

Psalm 10:4  "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not all his thoughts."

(Wow, instead of repenting of his sin and trying to restore a relationship with God, he became angry and hateful enough to want to commit murder. Sin begets sin; evil begets evil. This was surely not going to get God to "unbless" Jeroboam and bless him?!  This is unfortunately a typical "reaction" because "pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Pro. 16:3)  

1 Kings 11:33  God's word says that this was " because that they have forsaken Me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians..."  

   Jeroboam had been king Solomon's servant, and even Solomon, himself, recognized the man. 1 Ki 11:28 "And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph." But, now he had to flee from his home into Egypt, and submit himself to the king of Egypt, king Shishak, for his safety. 1 Ki 11:40

  Even though the people had to obey the king or face death, king Solomon turned from God and turned the hearts of the people from God to sin, and as a result, God was going to give Solomon's son reign over one tribe, the tribe of Judah, and give Jeroboam reign over ten tribes of Israel. The nation was to become divided.  (We really need to pray for our leaders - A child of God or not, it doesn't matter, because "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it withersoever He will." Proverbs 21;1)

 I heard Warren Wiersbe, a man of God, say one time, "When God is not allowed to rule, He will overrule."  How true!

  But, because God is merciful, "He corrects us in measure" and reaping isn't forever! Praise God! (See excerpt from the blog -  "Jesus and the Christian Life" at the end of this entry.)

   1 Ki 11:34  God said, "Howbeit, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his (Solomon's) hand... for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes."  

   When Solomon died, Rehoboam, Solomon's son, thought he was going to reign in his father's stead, but when Jeroboam heard that Solomon died, he came out of hiding.  1 Ki 11:29-39 

   Only, because of Rehoboam's grandfather, king David, was Rehoboam going to be able to reign anywhere at all.  

   Solomon had knowingly disobeyed God's Word, but I am no better than he was. I too knowingly disobeyed God and went against His Word.  I also got even worse and felt an unusual hatred towards God's people when I saw them entering or leaving a particular church.

  At the time, I did not understand that those feelings I had came from jealousy. I, now know, that I was jealous of God's blessings on their lives. I could see the peace and joy the people had on their faces when entering and leaving this church. The same peace and joy I once had when I walked obediently and closely with God. I did know that the pastor of that church preached only the Word of God. I, like Solomon, became angry instead of repentant. 

   But, God is a just God. He cannot bless disobedience.  I knew this, but what I knew, did not matter in my condition. My salvation was a gift from God, and good works could not gain me any "favor" with God. They could not save me to begin with, so God did not want my good works now, or any of my resolutions. He wanted only my heart.  

   God gave me a free will and because of this He was not going to force me to do anything.  Discipline, chastise and persuade me, yes, because I was a child of His. A disobedient child, but nonetheless, a child of His, and He still loved me, His creation, His child. Wow! 

   The Holy Spirit convicted my spirit and my heart was grieving because of sin.  I was in a battle between my flesh and my spirit.  The flesh is strong without God, and pride can have a stronghold on our minds. The devil is the deceiver, a liar, and the "accuser of the brethren".  He does not want us walking in a right relationship with God, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  

   Because, when we walk in obedience to God's Word, "greater is He that is in us (the Holy Spirit), than he that is in the world". And then, and only then, are we a threat to the devil. For, when we are obedient and walking in this life yielded to God's Holy Spirit, we have a desire to tell others about God's saving grace, about Jesus Christ and His victory over the flesh, death, hell, and the devil. We want to help rescue as many as we can from perishing, forever without God.  

   God is Love. A love I still cannot comprehend, but a love that I want others to know. We do not have to live miserable lives. This life here on earth is a gift from God. An experience as children of God that even the angels can not have. We can all have a blessed relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We just need to repent, trust and obey! 

1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

   I thank God for His mercy, grace and forgiveness; for when I turned from my sin and sought God"s forgiveness with all of my being, He forgave me and restored unto me the joy of my salvation. God has blessed me beyond measure, even though it was not His blessings that I sought; for I knew that I deserved nothing. I only wanted Him back in my life, and His forgiveness. But wow, God really does bless obedience. I understood this, and I believed this, but now I "know". 

   1 John 3:21,22 "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight."

   1 John 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His son Jesus Christ." And Truth does set us Free! Amen! 

   John 8:31-32  "If ye continue in My Word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

   I thank God for loving me, for saving me, for His mercy and especially for His tender loving forgiveness. I want to thank God with a dedicated life to Him. All to Him I owe. 

Pro.16:20 "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

Pro. 1632  "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city."

Excerpt from blog post "Jesus and the Christian Life"