Human Response 504: Forsake God or Humble Self

2Chronicles 12:1, 5, 7 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him….Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam…and said unto him, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I left you in the hand of Shishak….And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves: therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.

Rehoboam, first king of Judah, had forsaken the Lord once he established the kingdom. As a result, Shishak, king of Egypt, invaded Judah and made off with treasures. The prophet came to Rehoboam to tell him the reason for the trouble. Then, because of God’s Word, he humbled himself before the Lord. Therefore, God granted some deliverance and would not destroy Judah. God’s wrath would not be poured out on Jerusalem, at this time.

Shishak attacked because Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord; Shishak’s invasion was limited because Rehoboam humbled himself. Both responses yielded predictable results. The lesson for us is clear: when we ignore the Lord and sin against His Law and try to go it alone bad things will happen: when we humble ourselves before the Lord and repent and believe then the Lord limits the extent of the damage that comes from living in a sinful world. When trouble threatens we turn to the Lord in humble penitence and complete trust in Jesus. Sin still makes life hard, but because of Mercy we are not destroyed. Expect some deliverance in response to humble prayer. Deliver us from evil.