Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Father, King
- Father: This is the pinnacle of the Covenant Triangle. God is the Father. He is the creator. He is love. Our relationship with the Father is rooted in His love for us. We get our identity through Him. When the Father is in our life, obedience becomes clear.
- King: This is the pinnacle of the Kingdom Triangle. When we look towards God’s position in the universe, we acknowledge that He is an omnipotent king. Authority comes from Him. Power comes through His authority. He is looking for representatives for His kingdom.
This is an
incredibly interesting chapter in the Bible.
Let me summarize for a second.
Rehoboam uses the influx of Levitical priests to fortify his position
and make all of the cities strong. Once
they are strong, Rehoboam begins to lean a little too much on his own
might. God brings Shishak out of Egypt
to humble Rehoboam. Rehoboam and the
people see the error of their ways and repent.
God sends Shishak back home, having plundered the Hebrew people but not
enslaved them.
Naturally,
we can see the repentance cycle in this story.
Humanity gets the wrong perspective, gets itself into trouble, repents,
and God gets them out of trouble. It’s
the story of humanity, right?
The story is
far more deep than this, though. Do you
hear the signs that Rehoboam’s repentance may not have been all that
sincere? Look at his epithet. The Bibe clearly says that he did evil in the
sight of the Lord. David, who did many
things wrong but genuinely repented, is remembered well. Rehoboam, who did things wrong and repented,
is remembered as being evil. We can only
conclude that this repentance wasn’t really genuine. Furthermore, do you notice what he does? He doesn’t humbly accept the place that God
has for him. When the shields of Solomon
get carted off, Rehoboam replaces them with bronze. This is not a man interested in repentance
and change! This is a man interested in
covering up the failings and faults and making the surface look like everything
is okay. This points us to why he is remembered
as evil and his repentance isn’t genuine.
But, look at
God’s reaction. He forgives
anyways. He turns Shishak back home and
sends him on his way. He provides for
His people. He accepts their repentance,
sincere or not. This is a Father. This is a King. Parents and leaders know what it is like to
have children or citizens underneath them who say what it takes to get them out
of trouble only to go back to their own ways when trouble has passed. Parents and leaders extend grace even when
grace isn’t fully warranted. That’s why
God is truly Father and King.
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