2 Chronicles 12:7,8
‘When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them; and I will grant them a little deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. But they will become his slaves, so that they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”’
The last entry in Chronicles was just a few verses prior. It said generally, “Once Israel was strong they forgot the Lord.” They triggered the promise that if they forgot God, they would receive all of the promised curses spoken about by Moses. That was coming through the king of Egypt. However, they repented and today’s verse is God’s response. They will be enslaved for a time to learn some lessons.
What this reminds me of is the life of a lukewarm believer. They are a christian, but they aren’t close enough to God to receive His blessings. They aren’t the property of the devil, but they fall for many of his lies.
Here’s an analogy about the uninterested christian. God’s way is like a highway. To be in His will is to be in the center of the path. His cloud by day provides shade. There is less noise there, so His voice is better heard and the confusion of the enemy is minimal there. Jesus is walking with us there.
The distracted christian is all over the place. The enemy isn’t on the path, but just on the outside. His voice is real clear at the edge. This one falls for many of his lies. There is so much heart ache and unnecessary pain. There are potholes to trip in. Branches lean in and could hit us. It’s like being walking wounded.
The lukewarm christian still dabbles in sin and feels it’s effects. Sin itself brings much pain. It also enslaves us. Jesus said in John 8:34, ‘Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.”‘ Some struggle with addictions. These are hurting themselves. They are the prodigals who are in the pig slop. They are miserable and God is sad. Many live their lives like this.
Others aren’t nearly as extreme, just uninterested. These aren’t receiving God’s joy and peace. They don’t get the blessings by walking and obeying Christ. They’ve done enough to get in, but it stops there. The devil is happy to leave these alone. They aren’t doing any damage to his efforts, they are doing little for God’s kingdom, so the devil is content to leave them in their blind, pitiful state.
Hebrews 5:12 says this, “Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food.” They are eternal babes in Christ. It’s a sad state. No one’s happy.
We are in the Czech Republic now. It’s so beautiful. It wasn’t destroyed in the war. Most of the buildings, in which there are thousands, are still standing. However, I heard that 9% are religious. It’s unfathomable to think that so many are without God. Very sad. We just got off a cruise made up of brits, ausies and those from the US. I met one British christian and one US believer. All enjoying themselves without a though of God. It breaks my heart. These are intelligent people in the sunset of their lives. Many will be gone in five years. Hopefully they will accept Him. He seems like the last thing on their minds. Not like, “I’ll get to it.”, but God isn’t even an option. Very sad.
King Rehoboam is about to bring his nation into slavery for forsaking God. It is God mercy to put people in a problematic state. It gets there attention and turns them to God. While these appear to be curses they can be life lines. Thank You, God.
May we learn from his example. Help us to be deep in Your will. Walking with You, enjoying You and helping others to know You.