The LORD will work THROUGH them.

Yesterday, we took some time to back up and look at how God works in people to bring them back to A Garden Walk.  God gives us the picture that God has in mind for us.  Then, God lets us choose.  Even when we choose to fight that picture, God works with us patiently to bring us back.  This is what we see happening with Solomon even after he turns away from The LORD.

I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. (1 Kings 11:36 NIV)

While God is patiently working with Solomon to turn him around, The LORD has other parts of The Garden to tend to as well.  Solomon is being punished and all but one tribe of Israel is being removed from his reign.  Who will lead the northern tribes of Israel now?  The LORD is working that out.  Jeroboam will b then new king of the north.

However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. (1 Kings 11:37-38 NIV)

This is where God’s bigger picture helps out.  The LORD has a design for our lives.  It is beautiful.  It is not messy.  When we go against that design, however, The LORD has a plan for bringing us back to that design.  While things get messy as that plan pans out, The LORD is clearly accomplishing that plan whether we are on board with it or not.  That’s because The LORD has followers who are on board.  The LORD leads those followers to do their part of God’s Plan.  When they mess up, The LORD works in them to bring about repentance.  With those who are being obedient, The LORD works through them to empower, equip, and encourage others to walk together with God.

I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever. (1 Kings 11:39 NIV)

How about you?  Do you see The LORD’s design, plan, and purpose for your life?  Is The LORD working in you to bring about positive change in your life?  Is The LORD working through you to empower, equip, and encourage one more?

The LORD will work IN them.

Solomon started off strong, but then gave in to political and marriage pressures to worship other gods.  Now, The LORD is taking away the kingdom of Israel from Solomon…mostly.

But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. For Solomon has abandoned Me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed My ways and done what is pleasing in My sight. He has not obeyed My decrees and regulations as David his father did. (1 Kings 11:32-33 NLT)

This is a particularly confusing area for our understanding of God.  Some teachers focus on the clear contrast between right and wrong, holiness and sin.  They make it clear that sin is rebellion against God and that all rebellion is punishable by death.  The wages of sin is death.

Other teachers will focus on God’s love, telling us that love conquers all.  They will tell us that God clearly does not want to put us to death and so God will always let us off the hood when we rebel.  God may threaten death, but God will not ultimately give us death for our sin.  God’s love will win.

The tough part about these two extremes is that there are Scriptural stories that seem to fit with each view.  We can point out places like the flood in Noah’s day, Sodom and Gomorrah, and many places in Israel’s history to verify that right is right, wrong is wrong, and that sin is punished with death.

Other stories, though, seem to point to God’s love, mercy, and grace.  Think about Jonah’s frustration with The LORD when the Ninevites didn’t get what they deserved.  Even the story we are reading now seems to match this second picture: Solomon is not put to death.  His father, David, was not put to death either when he failed with Bathsheba.  What’s going on then?  Which view is correct?  The answer is…both…sort of.

You see, God really does have a design in mind for our lives.  That’s what I often refer to as A Garden Walk.  God wants to walk together with us as we live a life filled with purpose and living in harmony with other people who are made in the image of God.  When we go against this design we end up fighting God, hurting people, or both.  This rebellion needs to be stopped in order for all people to experience A Garden Walk.  God calls us to repent (turn around) and stop the hurtful behavior because God wants us all to experience A Garden Walk.  God works in us, giving us the warnings and the time to turn back to God before turning us over to the ultimate punishment for our actions: death.

The Lord isn't really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. (2 Peter 3:9 NLT)

Right really is right.  Wrong really is wrong.  God’s design really is God’s design and rebellion against God will really be punished with death.  God doesn’t want to punish us, though.  God wants us to see the error of our ways, return home, and walk together with God.

How about you?  Do you see the picture?  Does it help you to see what The LORD wants for you?  Does it help you see where The LORD wants you to turn back to God?  Do you see how The LORD works in us?

The LORD will lead them.

Solomon had turned away from The LORD and started following other gods.  Even with all the wisdom provided by God, Solomon walked away from God.  So, The LORD prepared to remove ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel from Solomon, giving it to a new king: Jeroboam.

One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him along the way. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone in a field, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten of these pieces, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give ten of the tribes to you! But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. (1 Kings 11:29-32 NLT)

The LORD delivered the message to Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah.  A prophet is simply a spokesperson for God.  Prophets are called by God to deliver messages from God to a person or group of people.  We’ve seen this before.  Moses functioned as a prophet when he told Pharaoh to let God’s people go free.  He also functioned as a prophet when giving Israel the ten commandments, Levitical laws, and even seasons and festivals to celebrate.  Before he died, The LORD told Moses to let the Israelites know that more prophets would come after him.

Moses continued, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. (Deuteronomy 18:15 NLT)

These (at the time) future prophets would have signs, miracles, or short-term predictions given by God to prove that they are speaking for The LORD.  If they don’t have a miracle or they get a prediction wrong: stone them to death.  The prophet would also teach them to follow the same God that had been revealed thus far.  In other words, their teachings would be in sync with the Scriptures of their day.  These tests were passed by every prophet captured in the pages of the Bible.

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21 NIV)

God empowered prophets to provide miracles and predictions.  The LORD provided prophets the words to speak.  All of this was given to the prophets through the Holy Spirit of God.  This Spirit was not only offered to the prophets of old.  This Spirit was provided to the Apostles of the New Testament era as well.  Jesus told them that it would happen ahead of time.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8 NLT)

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Apostles waited until God provided the Holy Spirit to empower them in their ministries.  On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on them in the form of tongues of fire.  They began speaking in different languages – preaching the Gospel to the different people groups who were gathered in town at the time.  When the crowds heard that Jesus was the Messiah that they had been waiting for, they felt convicted and asked: “What must we do to be saved?”

"Repent," Peter said to them, "and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38-39 HCSB)

The same Spirit that empowered Moses, the Prophets, and the Apostles is now available to you and me.  When we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we are doing the same thing the people did on that day of Pentecost.  When we repent (turn back to God) and are baptized (immersed in water) in the name of Jesus Christ, we are following in the rest of their steps.  We, too, receive forgiveness for our sins AND the gift of the Holy Spirit.  God empowers us to do our part of God’s plan.  The LORD is ready to lead us.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9 ESV)

How about you?  Are you a follower of The LORD?  Have you been empowered by God to do your part of God’s plan?  Will you allow The LORD to lead you?

The LORD will always have followers.

Solomon had many “forks in the road” throughout his life.  He had opportunity after opportunity to choose to walk with God or to walk away from God.  Many of his choices were good.  He chose well in setting up his leadership team, honoring his father, David.  He chose wisely in asking God for wisdom to lead all of Israel.  He led wisely as he built the Temple of The LORD.  Each time, he was blessed abundantly by The LORD for those choices.  Now, however, he has married many foreign wives for political peace.  He let them bring their gods into his home.  He started worshipping those false gods, too.  That was not wise.

Then the LORD raised up Hadad the Edomite, a member of Edom's royal family, to be Solomon's adversary... God also raised up Rezon son of Eliada as Solomon's adversary... Another rebel leader was Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon's own officials. He came from the town of Zeredah in Ephraim, and his mother was Zeruah, a widow. (1 Kings 11:14, 23, 26 NLT)

Solomon forgot that all of his blessings came from The LORD.  Perhaps he thought his wealth and political savvy were a result of his wits and cunning.  Maybe he thought the women flocked to him because he was handsome.  Or, maybe he just thought is was “not that bad” to marry all these women and to bring home all their gods.  Whatever the reason, Solomon forgot that The LORD is God. 

God created all things seen and unseen.  God has a design for it all.  God has an agenda.  God has a plan.  The LORD has made it clear that we are invited to be a part of God’s design and plan.  We, then, are invited to choose. Whether we choose God or not really does not change God’s design, agenda, or plan.  The LORD will always have followers who are willing to follow God.  The only choice we really make is whether we are with God or against God.

Don't just say to each other, 'We're safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.' That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. (Matthew 3:9 NLT)

How about you?  Have you ever thought about the fact that The LORD will accomplish His agenda whether you are on board or not?  Does it encourage you or challenge you to know that The LORD will always have followers?  Are you one of them?

A Fork in the Road

The LORD was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the LORD's command. (1 Kings 11:9-10 NLT)

Life is filled with decisions – major decisions, minor decisions, quick decisions and slow decisions.  We make decisions every day that can affect the course of our life.  We approach a “fork in the road” and decide whether which path we will take.  How often, though, do we ask The LORD for directions.

So now the LORD said to him, "Since you have not kept My covenant and have disobeyed My decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. (1 Kings 11:11 NLT)

Then, after we go down the path of our choosing, we find ourselves glad (or regretting) that we made that choice.  We experience, first hand, the results of our choices.

But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, My chosen city." (1 Kings 11:12-13 NLT)

God wants us to get to the point where we ask God for directions.  The LORD wants what is best for us, even when we don’t.  God wants to give us an abundant life in this life as reassurance for the next.  When The LORD gives us directions, then, we are being led down the Path of Life.

The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.  (Proverbs 12:28 NLT)

How about you?  How often do you made “fork in the road” kinds of decisions?  Do you ask The LORD for direction before making the choice?  Do you allow God to lead you on the path of life?