Daily Devotional for Monday, March 31

Rehoboam’s Attack Stopped

“Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me,” 2 Chronicles 11:4.

Rehoboam escaped from Shechem with his life and little else. When he returned to Jerusalem, he set about to strengthen Judah. He gathered an army of 180,000 skilled warriors from the tribes under his control. The king prepared for war. No matter what the cost in lives lost, he would defeat the north and force them to surrender to his leadership as king. He would bring the nation together again as it had been under his father, Solomon, and his grandfather, David.

            God’s plan was quite different. God sent Shemaiah the prophet with a message for Rehoboam and the people. “Ye shall not…fight against your brethren:…for this thing is done of me” (2 Chronicles 11:4). Thankfully, the king and his warriors listened to God. They realized that it was not God’s will for them to shed the blood of their brothers that day. They laid down their weapons and returned to their homes.

            We have all faced moments in life when we were convinced that we must take matters into our own hands and do something to repair or fix a particular situation. However, when we look into God’s Word and take the matter to Him in prayer, we often realize our plans are not always His plans. Being still requires faith: faith that God will be faithful to His promises and His plans. God has purposes that we may never know. Many times, His purposes call for us to exercise restraint when our sinful nature wants to lash out. God stopped Rehoboam’s plan that day, preventing him from making matters worse. We must remember to look to God’s Word and take every situation to Him in prayer and wait for the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit.

REFLECTION

“A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident” (Proverbs 14:16).

Karen Meigs