I Kings 16:31 And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.

    Graduations are all over and many of those graduates are now heading off to college orientations. Most have some idea, even if vague, of a career plan. Often, the plan includes the sentiment that they “just want to make a difference.” Of course, we understand what they mean. 

    Jeroboam undoubtedly had dreamed of the day he would be king. He had plans! He knew from observation, both at home in Israel and in Egypt, that the king could gain a kind of immortality through his reign because his name would be written everywhere! Jeroboam had wanted to make a difference. 

    He was certainly a trendsetter! He was the first of many kings of the Northern Kingdom. In fact, he was the king to which all who were compared! But not in a way he would have wanted. The comparisons always came back to his sins! When Jeroboam became king, it was due to a split in the kingdom. He was king of the Northern kingdom. Jerusalem was in the south. He knew people might be drawn there for religious purposes and then might question their allegiance to him. So, out of political expediency, he had two idols made and set them up in convenient locations. 

    His career, his desires, came first. He had set his priorities. Any consideration of God was far down the list. But God really won’t be anywhere on a person’s ‘list’ except first. From our perspective, we may think we can put God wherever is convenient for us. But we will discover, sooner or later, that that was only a cheap imitation, devoid of any real semblance of God. Jesus knew this, of course. That’s why He said, 

    Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

    Jesus knew that however we lined up the rest of our priorities, as long as God is at the top of the list, the rest of the list will have a way of working out. Then we’ll see that making a difference might be good, but letting God make a difference is far, far better!

 

blessings,

Pastor Russ