Bible In One Year-Day 133 (Monday, May 13, 2013)
Commentary: 2Kings12-14. In the book of 2Kings, so far, we notice a particular statement “the sins of Jeroboam”. Many of the kings of both Israel and Judah fell into this sin. What is the sin of Jeroboam? We recall that Jeroboam was King Solomon’s Secretary of Labor; 1 Kings 11:28 “And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.”
When the kingdom was severed from Solomon, Jeroboam was the fortunate one to be exalted by God to have ten of the tribes of Israel according to the prophecy of Ahijah, 1 Kings 11:31 “And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee:”
Unfortunately, due to the fear of losing the kingdom, Jeroboam defected from the approved way of worship by making idols and likened them to the God who brought them out of Egypt;
1 Kings 12:28-31 “Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.”
This apostasy was the sin of Jeroboam. The shrines he built were the ones that the subsequent kings worshipped and these are the places referred to as the high places. These high places became points of evil decisions, witchcraft activities and satanic verdicts. As Christians, we need to do away and be totally separated from ancient worships and traditions that do not glorify Jesus. If we continue in them, we are living in the sins of our ancestors even though we claim to be Christians. Some don’t participate but indirectly support unholy traditions in one way or the other. An evil point of contact remains intact by any form of support or affiliation such as family names that still reflect idolatry.
Another way of applying knowledge of the sin of Jeroboam is that he cajoled his subjects with the idols in telling them that Jerusalem was too far for them to worship God “…and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem:…”
Many church heads are in the ministry of “feel good” thereby shying away from telling the flocks the truth. The fear of Jeroboam was that he might lose his throne and people to Jerusalem.
The only King who abhorred this worship was Jehoash (Joash), because he had a good spiritual father who guided him from a very tender age; 2 Kings 12:2 “And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.” Jehoash reigned for forty years. His love for God gave him the grace to contact Elisha on the sick bed where Elisha gave the last prophecy. Jehoash made the same statement Elisha made when Elijah was to be separated from him;
2 Kings 2:12 “And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.”
2 Kings 13:14 “Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”
The interaction between Elisha and King Joash is a lesson for us not to give up in spiritual warfare. What happened in that room determined Joash’s victory over Syria and the number of times it would happen. The same manner, what goes on in your closet or on your prayer altar determines your physical victory. Elisha carried an anointing that sank to the bones; unfortunately, Joash did not utilize it to the fullness when it was available. We must learn how to use the anointing available at every prayer meeting to the utmost. This is what determines what happens later. Some write down prayer points rather than pray it with the available anointing at that moment. The prayer might not work later because the anointing for it had gone. Prayers work by reason of anointing and faith. The point at which Joash’s striking stopped was the point at which his victory stopped. A dead man tapped the anointing in Elisha’s bones and came back to life. Jesus’ anoint can revive you again, call upon Him now. The reading for today is 2Kings15-17. Keep the fire burning and alive.
Pastor Supo Abayode
+1-302-230-6792
MFM Delaware, USA