In 1 Kings 12
we read about Rehoboam being made king
over Israel. Rehoboam was asked by many of the tribes to make their
lives
easier than his father had. Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had
counseled Solomon his father. They told him to be a servant to the
people. He
did not like their counsel. So, he asked counsel of men his own age.
They told
him to be hard on the people.
Rehoboam then
goes to the people and tells them that he
is going to be very hard on them. In verse 11, he says, “And now,
whereas my
father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my
father hath
chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”
There are
several things that Rehoboam could mean by
scorpions. This Hebrew word was used to reference the animal scorpion.
This
animal has a stinger on its tail that can inflict a very hurtful wound.
The
word was also used in reference to a thicket bush that had very long
needles.
These needles could also inflict a severe wound. Sometimes people were
disciplined by being flogged with these bushes.
Another thing
the word referenced was a special whip.
This whip had lead balls tied into the ends of the leather straps. This
whip
would not only cause welts but would also severely bruise the skin. It
could
also tear the skin after several strikes.
Rehoboam made a
big mistake in saying these things. The
majority of the people decided they would not stay under his reign.
Instead,
they chose to be ruled by Jeroboam.
God rules us
with love. He has great mercy and grace. I
am thankful that we have a loving God. But we must also remember that
God is
just. He will punish us in the Judgment if we have not obeyed his will.
Rehoboam’s hard rule was not just. But God’s punishment will be just.
And God’s
punishment will be much worse than a scorpion’s sting, or a needle
prick, or
even a flogging.
Read your
Bible. Study it. And if any of this is hard
to understand, ask an adult to help you.
Empty!
By Steve Higginbotham
This
past week, a friend of
mine (who shall remain nameless) had some car trouble more than 500
miles from
his home. If you’ve ever been in that situation, it is certainly
disconcerting
to say the least. What do you do? Who do you call? How much will it
cost? All
these questions rush through your mind.
In my
friend’s case, after
paying a tow truck, it was just a matter of putting gas in the gas tank
(now do
you see why he will remain nameless)?
But in
his defense, while he
ran out of gas, his gas gauge was showing that he still had a quarter
of a tank
of gas remaining. Of course, I couldn’t help but see a spiritual
application in
this event.
How
many people do you suppose
are trusting in a “fallible gauge?” How many people do you think are
being told
they’re alright, but their “tank is empty”? I do know that on the day
of
Judgment, there will be some who stand before Christ, surprised that
they are
not saved (Matthew 7:21-23).
To
avoid such a fate, we must
trust in the only “gauge” that will never fail and never mislead us…the
Word of
God. Friends, spend time in God’s Word so that you can make your
calling and
election sure.
