Precious Seed striving to help you in your Christian life
We are a UK registered charity which, primarily, publishes a magazine to encourage the study of the scriptures, the practice of New Testament church principles and interest in gospel work in the UK and abroad. We hope you will find the content of these pages a help in your Christian life. We are constantly adding new content and features to our site, so please revisit periodically to check for updates.
Click here to view Issue 2 of 2019
Daily Thought for: 26th May
REHOBOAM (2)
2 Chronicles 12. 1-16
We have noticed that although Rehoboam followed bad advice in 2 Chronicles
10, he founded his reign on good principles in chapter 11. Sadly, however,
this was not maintained; ‘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’, 2 Chr. 12. 1. Whilst we are not told precisely
why ‘he forsook the law of the Lord’, the answer may well lie in 1 Chronicles
11. 18-23, with the concluding summary, ‘And he desired many wives’. Was
it a case of ‘like father, like son’? He was wise enough to ensure that
his large family was sufficiently dispersed, and sufficiently occupied,
not to cause problems, but he was certainly lacking in spiritual wisdom.
It is perilous to allow anybody, or anything, to override our love for
God and His word.
The excellent features of Rehoboam’s reign described in chapter 11, are
now reversed. His obedience to the word of God gave place to disobedience,
v. 1, his once spiritually-minded contemporaries joined him in his folly,
v. 1, and his ‘fenced cities’ fell, v. 4. We should notice that if we forsake
‘the law of the Lord’, v. 1, we transgress against the Lord Himself, v. 2.
Like Rehoboam, this can only leave us powerless against the enemy. Shemaiah’s
message is intensely relevant in these circumstances: ‘Thus saith the Lord,
Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of
Shishak’, v. 5. It is not without significance that Shishak was the ‘king
of Egypt’. The world will ultimately prove to be a hard taskmaster.
It is encouraging to read that ‘the princes of Israel; and the king humbled
themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous’. They learned the lesson,
and the Lord granted them ‘some deliverance’. But they were reminded of
their past failure every time the guard was on duty. Rehoboam tried to
keep up appearances—he knew that the guard carried brass shields instead
of gold shields, and the guard themselves must have known this as well,
so who was the king trying to deceive? It is hopeless trying to keep up
appearances when the reality is gone. Even if we do manage to maintain
the façade, we must remember that ‘the fire will try every man’s work of
what sort it is’, 1 Cor. 3. 13.
Daily Thought for: 26th May
REHOBOAM (2)
2 Chronicles 12. 1-16
We have noticed that although Rehoboam followed bad advice in 2 Chronicles
10, he founded his reign on good principles in chapter 11. Sadly, however,
this was not maintained; ‘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’, 2 Chr. 12. 1. Whilst we are not told precisely
why ‘he forsook the law of the Lord’, the answer may well lie in 1 Chronicles
11. 18-23, with the concluding summary, ‘And he desired many wives’. Was
it a case of ‘like father, like son’? He was wise enough to ensure that
his large family was sufficiently dispersed, and sufficiently occupied,
not to cause problems, but he was certainly lacking in spiritual wisdom.
It is perilous to allow anybody, or anything, to override our love for
God and His word.
The excellent features of Rehoboam’s reign described in chapter 11, are
now reversed. His obedience to the word of God gave place to disobedience,
v. 1, his once spiritually-minded contemporaries joined him in his folly,
v. 1, and his ‘fenced cities’ fell, v. 4. We should notice that if we forsake
‘the law of the Lord’, v. 1, we transgress against the Lord Himself, v. 2.
Like Rehoboam, this can only leave us powerless against the enemy. Shemaiah’s
message is intensely relevant in these circumstances: ‘Thus saith the Lord,
Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of
Shishak’, v. 5. It is not without significance that Shishak was the ‘king
of Egypt’. The world will ultimately prove to be a hard taskmaster.
It is encouraging to read that ‘the princes of Israel; and the king humbled
themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous’. They learned the lesson,
and the Lord granted them ‘some deliverance’. But they were reminded of
their past failure every time the guard was on duty. Rehoboam tried to
keep up appearances—he knew that the guard carried brass shields instead
of gold shields, and the guard themselves must have known this as well,
so who was the king trying to deceive? It is hopeless trying to keep up
appearances when the reality is gone. Even if we do manage to maintain
the façade, we must remember that ‘the fire will try every man’s work of
what sort it is’, 1 Cor. 3. 13.
Daily Thought for: 26th May
REHOBOAM (2)
2 Chronicles 12. 1-16
We have noticed that although Rehoboam followed bad advice in 2 Chronicles
10, he founded his reign on good principles in chapter 11. Sadly, however,
this was not maintained; ‘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’, 2 Chr. 12. 1. Whilst we are not told precisely
why ‘he forsook the law of the Lord’, the answer may well lie in 1 Chronicles
11. 18-23, with the concluding summary, ‘And he desired many wives’. Was
it a case of ‘like father, like son’? He was wise enough to ensure that
his large family was sufficiently dispersed, and sufficiently occupied,
not to cause problems, but he was certainly lacking in spiritual wisdom.
It is perilous to allow anybody, or anything, to override our love for
God and His word.
The excellent features of Rehoboam’s reign described in chapter 11, are
now reversed. His obedience to the word of God gave place to disobedience,
v. 1, his once spiritually-minded contemporaries joined him in his folly,
v. 1, and his ‘fenced cities’ fell, v. 4. We should notice that if we forsake
‘the law of the Lord’, v. 1, we transgress against the Lord Himself, v. 2.
Like Rehoboam, this can only leave us powerless against the enemy. Shemaiah’s
message is intensely relevant in these circumstances: ‘Thus saith the Lord,
Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of
Shishak’, v. 5. It is not without significance that Shishak was the ‘king
of Egypt’. The world will ultimately prove to be a hard taskmaster.
It is encouraging to read that ‘the princes of Israel; and the king humbled
themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous’. They learned the lesson,
and the Lord granted them ‘some deliverance’. But they were reminded of
their past failure every time the guard was on duty. Rehoboam tried to
keep up appearances—he knew that the guard carried brass shields instead
of gold shields, and the guard themselves must have known this as well,
so who was the king trying to deceive? It is hopeless trying to keep up
appearances when the reality is gone. Even if we do manage to maintain
the façade, we must remember that ‘the fire will try every man’s work of
what sort it is’, 1 Cor. 3. 13.
