Readings:
II Chronicles 13
Acts 21:15-26
Focus:
II Chronicles 13:10a: "But as for us, the Lord is our God and we have not forsaken him...."
In opposing King Jeroboam of Israel, Abijah, King of Judah, great-grandson of David, remained true to God. Jeroboam, on the other hand, had turned to other gods, imitating the peoples around him.
It was surely easier to follow the prevailing cultures of the ancient middle East and set up statues of gods to be worshipped. The Israelites were alone in not having a physical representation of their god. Jeroboam succumbed to contemporary pressure and created golden statues of gods for his subjects to worship. (Jeroboam also had secret motives for doing this; if he kept his people from going to Jerusalem to worship, they would remain more loyal to him.)
Abijah, on the other hand, resisted the temptation to provide a visible "god" for his people to worship, and remained true to the commandments of God, in spite of cultural pressure. He did not forsake God. Neither do I want to.
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Thanks for this post, Debbie. I too want to remain true to the commandments of God. It's good to be standing with you.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I wish I knew who you were!
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