My way = big losses

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise, and disguise yourself, that it not be known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people. Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall happen to the child.” . . . .  
Ahijah could not see. . . . The Lord said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her.” When she came, she pretended to be another woman. But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you. Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, but you have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to anger, and have cast me behind your back, therefore behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam. . . . When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord. . . . The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And henceforth, the Lord will strike Israel. . . .   And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.” 
Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet. (1 Kings 14:1–18)

I had an early appointment today with time to only read this sad story. Imagine being told your child would die because his father sinned even though he knew not to. Not only that, this was that man’s only heir so he also lost the throne that he had inherited from his father. 

That the child would be buried rather than slaughtered was “because in him there is found something pleasing to the Lord” is a startling statement to those who tend to think of death as a punishment, but that child must be trusting God, and that would please Him. His mother may have taken comfort in that later.

This backs up the importance of NT teaching for wives: “. . . .  let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33) This isn’t just an attitude. Respect has a way of making someone desire to be respectable. It means an attitude of regard that would not encourage sin, or go along with it trying to trick a prophet. Being submissive to someone does not mean obedience that disobeys God. Being a helper includes encouragement to do right.

Jesus, You have convinced me that I am free to make choices but cannot choose the consequences. How foolish to go against Your plain teaching as this father did and lose his child, his throne and legacy, and having his enemy win over him. Worst of all, making You angry enough to release his enemy against him. Therefore I’d like to read more about the positive side of obeying You.

Revealed Truth

Today I am rejoicing in how God reveals truth to His people and even to those who are not yet His people. One of those whose faith in Christ has not yet been expressed says profound things. One of them came out when I told her that I enjoyed being with her because she has such a good attitude. She said, “Well, not always, but if it’s bad, I just wait a minute and a better one comes along.” 

How delightful. The Holy Spirit works like that to put His thoughts into our heads and as Jesus said, we know His voice and when we obey it, we are blessed and a blessing to others.

Today’s reading described another way that the Spirit speaks. Peter fell into a trance and was given a message from God that told him to break Jewish tradition and not call anything forbidden that God had made clean. (See Acts 10)

At the same time, the Lord revealed to a Gentile man to “Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea” so he did, with his messengers arriving just after Peter had his vision. So Peter went with these men he normally would not associate with. . . .  

And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” 

Of course the man was ready to hear about Jesus, and as Peter shared the gospel with him, “the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.” These Gentiles were baptized and Peter and those with him stayed for some days. 

The church questioned what Peter did, but when he related the story, “they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.’ ” (Acts 11:13–18)

This is God’s way. We get ideas or have instant responses to people and events that might seem right at first, but if we wait a minute, the Holy Spirit will give us His attitude and our response will fit God’s will. Generally, this is to be like Jesus and glorify Him in all we do:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

These verses now pop into my mind:

Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. (Psalm 25:5)
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:14)
But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. (Psalm 38:15)
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; (Psalm 130:5)

PRAY: Lord, hearing how one person waits for a better attitude is such a lovely example. I am blessed by her ability to do just that — listen for a better option and acknowledging that it will come to her. Thank you for another delightful lesson from You about how You speak truth and how You use many ways to make it clear. I know Your Word is the final authority and am blessed to realize its ability to help me recognize truth when expressed in other forms.