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The Scriptorium

Legacy Lost

Two kings, two botched opportunities.

The Heart of God: David and Solomon (7)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on 1 Kings 12 and 13, and 2 Chronicles 11 and 12.
What David and Solomon had worked so hard to establish, Rehoboam and Jeroboam would now squander, and set the people of God on a course of distance from God, division among themselves, and dissipation of God’s promises and blessings.

For reflection
1.  How did Rehoboam demonstrate that he was not concerned to carry on the legacy he had inherited from his father? Are we wise to discard the wisdom of the past, and of the generations that have preceded us in God’s covenant? Explain.

2.  Both Rehoboam and Jeroboam turned from the Lord and did evil. What was the evil done by each one? How was their evil directly contrary to God’s revealed will and His covenant? What was in the hearts of these men to cause this to happen?

3.  Meditate on 2 Chronicles 12.1-8. How would you describe the way God often uses historical situations to turn the hearts of His people back to Him? Does He do this still?

4.  Jeroboam tried to make the faith of Israel more convenient and democratic. How can you see that in 1 Kings 12.25-33 and 2 Chronicles 11.13-17?

5.  Rehoboam tried to make living in God’s covenant harsher than what God required, while Jeroboam tried to make it easier and more convenient than God allowed. What’s the lesson for us from these two extremes of disobedience?

Summary
It’s pretty clear that when the hearts of God’s leaders go bad, the people will be led into compromise, disobedience, sin, and outright rebellion against the Lord. What temptations face the leaders of God’s covenant community today that might cause them to go the way of Rehoboam or Jeroboam?

Closing Prayer
How long, LORD?
Will You be angry forever?
Will Your jealousy burn like fire?
Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You,
And on the kingdoms that do not call on Your name.
For they have devoured Jacob,
And laid waste his dwelling place.
Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us!
Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us,
For we have been brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
For Your name’s sake!
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let there be known among the nations in our sight
The avenging of the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before You;
According to the greatness of Your power
Preserve those who are appointed to die;
And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom
Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,
Will give You thanks forever;
We will show forth Your praise to all generations.

Psalm 79.5-13

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understood the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course,
Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

We are happy to be able to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in this series by clicking here. Please prayerfully consider sharing with The Fellowship of Ailbe through your giving. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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