If we have sin in our life, it’s not too late to turn to God. Solomon, Rehoboam, Jeraboam, Abjiam, all Kings, of either Judah or Israel, were said to NOT follow the Lord as David did. Their disobedience and unwillingness to repent caused division and war between their Kingdoms and destroyed their family lines for years. It’s not until Asa that we see a King who is devoted to the Lord again. Even though David did sin by taking the wife of Uriah and having Uriah killed, he repented and sought God’s forgiveness (Psalm 51). God’s response to David after Uriah’s death was that David was the Lord’s servant, who obeyed God’s commands and followed Him with all his heart and always did whatever God wanted. We learn from these scriptures what God thought of David and the Psalms David wrote crying out to God that God is merciful. We are never too far from God’s grace. Every chapter I would read of another King not learning the mistakes of the former King and following in the same wrong decisions, I would ask the question that can be applied to us today: How many generations of destruction will it take for us to learn to turn to the Lord and repent?
“In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.” -1 Kings 11:6 NLT
“But even after this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from the common people. He appointed anyone who wanted to become a priest for the pagan shrines. This became a great sin and resulted in the utter destruction of Jeroboam’s dynasty from the face of the earth.” -1 Kings 13:33-34 NLT
(Concerning Jeroboam): “I ripped the kingdom away from the family of David and gave it to you. But you have not been like my servant David, who obeyed my commands and followed me with all his heart and always did whatever I wanted. You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made other gods for yourself and have made me furious with your gold calves. And since you have turned your back on me, I will bring disaster on your dynasty and will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel. I will burn up your royal dynasty as one burns up trash until it is all gone.” -1 Kings 14:8-10 NLT
“Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. During Rehoboam’s reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, provoking his anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors.” -1 Kings 14:21-22 NLT
“Abijam began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. But for David’s sake, the Lord his God allowed his descendants to continue ruling, shining like a lamp, and he gave Abijam a son to rule after him in Jerusalem. For David had done what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and had obeyed the Lord’s commands throughout his life, except in the affair concerning Uriah the Hittite. “There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam throughout Abijam’s reign.” -1 Kings 15:1, 3-5 -6NLT
“Although the pagan shrines were not removed, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful to the Lord throughout his life.” -1 Kings 15:14 NLT
-LMM
Scott Maxon 