2nd Chronicles 12 INCONSISTENT It is important for each person as they come to maturity to realize I have this one life before me to use for the greatest possible objective They need to make sure their goals are consistent with those that please God. Successful living is not merely fulfilling one's personal ambitions, but living in such a way that other people are benefitted by what I have been able to do, and by glorifying and honoring God. Self-satisfaction and the pursuit of pleasure will never be attained. Satisfaction for work done right and with good results for God's glory, man's blessing and a sense of personal accomplishment, can be ours when we keep things in this right order.
After a bad start due to bad advice and a bad decision, Rehoboam made a few wise decisions for about three years. But when he had become established in his reign and had impressed himself with his importance, and apparently thought he "had it all together," he "forsook the law of the Lord." He responded to divine direction in hard times but abandoned the word of God when he felt he was in control and self- sufficient. Not only was he unfaithful to the Lord, but also, in his role as leader, others followed his leadership away from God. Inconsistency and expedience accompany self-sufficiency and personal pride in one's accomplishments. It is a fundamental failure of the natural man to want credit for that which seems to be success. It is a foolish person who ignores the supreme authority of God in all matters of life.
People quickly turn to God when things go bad, or difficulties arise that are beyond our control. A sick child or a bad report from a doctor moves people to turn to God and call on Him for help. If everything is going well, we take God for granted and claim our successes on our personal astuteness. When in danger in a storm, a battlefield, a potential accident of some kind, people have no hesitation to call, "O God, help me now." But if the wind is favorable, the land is peaceful, and the journey pleasant, we need to be alert and guard our faith lest we think, "We are doing just fine on our own, thank your very much! I don't need You now!"
The cities on the southern border of Judah didn't stop the Egyptians from invading Judah. The best laid plans of Rehoboam did not keep the enemies away from Jerusalem. The impressive view of the temple did not keep the invaders from taking away the treasures that were in the temple nor the extravagant treasures of the king's palace. All that we think is gain can be lost in a very short time when we become inconsistent.
To humble one's self and say the right thing, is always a good step to take. But sin is sin, and the damage done by sin may never be repaired no matter how sorry we may be or how sincere our words might be. Rehoboam and the princes of Judah humbled themselves. They gave God the credit for doing the right things when they said, "The Lord is righteous." But the damage had been done. "All Israel" had been affected. The treasures were gone. The "world" had taken control and nothing would be the same again. "Some deliverance" made it possible for them to survive as an identifiable people, only because of God's grace. He was not destroyed altogether, and there was still some good going on in Judah.
God looks on the heart of man, and when one does not "set his heart to seek the Lord," evil is the inescapable result. Poor Rehoboam and those around him did humble themselves and confessed the Lord was righteous, but when God is left out, spiritual loss can never be fully restored. For some reason Rehoboam thought the missing gold shields could be replaced with bronze and it would be alright because they looked similar. This inconsistent man was more concerned with the outward appearances than with reality. When God has been left out of our lives, nothing we can do will measure up to that which has been lost. If reality doesn't come from within our heart and soul, religious appearances are only superficial and pleasing only to the natural man.
For people to be concerned only with how they look to others is to miss the whole point of a vital living faith. When we compare ourselves with other people, we are measuring ourselves by the wrong standard. There will always be those more successful, more intelligent, more capable than we are. But when we realize who we are before our Lord's eyes, we can live "quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty" without the need for fanfare and popularity. When we do what we do as "to the Lord," we may not excel like others, or be as successful, but we will be conscious of doing the will of God from the heart and leaving the results with Him. How gracious it is of God when evil is rampant to see "there was some good in Judah." When anything becomes more important than the central focus of life on the will of our Lord, pretty much all else in life is superficial.
A person may be raised in privileged circumstances and have a strong Christian heritage, but if one does not "seek the Lord" with the heart, life can all be wasted and nothing but our failure remembered. It may have been the influence of his mother that kept his heart on other things and how he and his work appeared externally. He was not a consistent person. Sometime it seemed maybe he would stick with that which was right, then also like it was on a whim, Rehoboam changed again. He went one way, then another, then back again because he was a man without convictions enough to be consistent. That same attitude is possible with anybody who does not know the Lord personally and lives without being committed to Him.
Another serious matter for us to consider: my children may observe my inconsistencies and be affected in the same way in their lives. Solomon didn't leave his son a very good example as far as his personal life was concerned. The exiles who came back to Jerusalem and were reading these Chronicles had heard through Jeremiah the prophet, "I will come to you and fulfill My good word to you ... for I know the thoughts I think toward you ... thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you hope and a future. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall pray to Me, and I will hearken to you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart." When they, or we, make that search, we will find our Lord God near us to act in grace toward us, ready to forgive and restore us. It was too bad Rehoboam never really did that.