7 Go, tell Yarov'am, Thus says the LORD, the God of Yisra'el: Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you prince over my people Yisra'el, 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it you; and yet you have not been as my servant David, who kept my mitzvot, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my eyes, 9 but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made you other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back:
10 therefore, behold, I will bring evil on the house of Yarov'am, and will cut off from Yarov'am every man-child, him who is shut up and him who is left at large in Yisra'el, and will utterly sweep away the house of Yarov'am, as a man sweeps away dung, until it be all gone. 11 Him who dies of Yarov'am in the city shall the dogs eat; and him who dies in the field shall the birds of the sky eat: for the LORD has spoken it.
12 Arise you therefore, get you to your house: [and] when your feet enter into the city, the child shall die. 13 All Yisra'el shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Yarov'am shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, in the house of Yarov'am.
14 Moreover the LORD will raise him up a king over Yisra'el, who shall cut off the house of Yarov'am that day: but what? even now. 15 For the LORD will strike Yisra'el, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Yisra'el out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. 16 He will give Yisra'el up because of the sins of Yarov'am, which he has sinned, and with which he has made Yisra'el to sin. [1 Kings 14:7-16 HNV]
Recently, I began studying the kings of the Old Testament with some friends. I noticed on the chart that we were using that a few of the leaders of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are labeled good, but most of them are labeled bad, mostly bad, extra bad, and the worst.
King David is described as a good king who “followed [God] with all his heart” (1 Kings 14:8) and is an example to follow [3:14; 11:38]. The bad kings are noted for their willful rejection of God and for leading their subjects into idolatry. King Jeroboam, the first king to rule Israel after the kingdom was divided, has the legacy of being remembered as one of the worst kings—“who sinned and who made Israel sin” (14:16). Because of his bad example, many kings who came after him are compared to him and are described as being as evil as he was (16:2,19,26,31; 22:52).
Each of us has a unique sphere of influence, and that influence can be used for evil or for good. An unfettered faithfulness to God is a light that will shine brightly and leave a legacy of good.
It’s our privilege to bring glory to the Lord. May others see His light shining through us and be drawn to His goodness.
Oh, make me, Lord, so much like Thee,
My life controlled by power divine,
That I a shining light may be
From which Thy grace may ever shine. —Robertson
The smallest light still shines in the darkest night.
