Day 113, or April 23. Be careful what you do and say. Our thoughts today are rooted
in two chronicles, chapter 10, verse 19. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house
of David to this day.
First, the big picture surrounding this verse. The stability of the United Kingdom under
David and Solomon quickly deteriorated after Solomon died. The chronicler reminds his readers
of the North-South split, which produced the divided kingdom when some tribes rebelled
against the family of David and declared independence. The children of Israel were in danger of becoming
just another nation rather than God's special people. However, God had other ideas, and
he protected his people in ways that they hardly deserved. The chronicler looks back
to how it all started when Solomon died. It must have filled his heart with sadness and
a fresh resolve to be more faithful to the God who never gave up on them.
And now today's action step.
Upon the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam succeeded him, but he was not popular. The
northern tribes rejected his authority and declared that they would not follow the house of David.
David's line was rejected not because of something he did or said, but because of someone
else who followed him. This jolted me as I thought of the number of folk who have rejected
Christ not because of something he said or did, but because of something done or said
by one of his followers. I remember a man being counselled who, as a new believer, was
advised to attend a good lively church in his town. He laughed and said, I knew there
was a catch. I have to go to church. His image of the church, which had been formed by some
errant attenders, was so distorted that Christ's gospel was being rejected.
Take this as a warning. We must be careful every moment of every day that we do not cause
any to stumble because of our actions. Don't ever become the excuse for someone not taking
Jesus seriously.