What do you think Jeroboam did after God shriveled up his hand (as we saw last week)? Do you think he finally repented and turned to God?
I Kings 13:33a Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways.
So, God
gave him yet another opportunity to repent and turn back to him (through the
illness of his son). However, Jeroboam still didn’t change or repent. God,
through the prophet Ahijah, painted a bleak future.
I
Kings 14:7, 9-12 7 Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up
from among the people and appointed you ruler over my people Israel… 9 You have done more evil than all who
lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made
of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me.
10 “‘Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the
house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave
or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it
is all gone. 11 Dogs will
eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will
feed on those who die in the country. The Lord has
spoken!’
12 “As for you, go back home. When you set foot in your city, the
boy will die.
Even after all this,
Jeroboam defiantly didn’t change. We see defiant evil today, too. God is
faithful, though. He will judge evil in His time and for His purposes. He also
generously and patiently gives opportunities for people to repent and turn to Him.
Who do you and I know
that is defiantly ignoring God’s warnings? Let’s pray for them to respond to
God, before it’s too late.
Alice
