God May Condemn Us, Even After Blessing Us
Note from today’s Bible reading: 1 Kings 13-14; 2 Chronicles 10-12
Because of Solomon’s sin, God took part of the kingdom from him and gave it to Jeroboam. However, Jeroboam sinned in such a way that God decided to “blot [the house of Jeroboam] out and destroy it from off the face of the earth” (1 Kings 13:34).
When Jeroboam’s son became sick, the prophet Ahijah gave Jeroboam’s wife a message for the king. God reminded him that He had “exalted [him] from among the people and made [him] leader over My people Israel” (1 Kings 14:7). Yet he did “more evil than all who were before [him]” (1 Kings 14:9). Because of this, God said He was “bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam… I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone” (1 Kings 14:10).
This serves as a warning for us. God has abundantly blessed us in this life. Not only that, but we have access to all spiritual blessings in Christ and the hope of eternal life. However, God showed with the example of Jeroboam that one who was blessed by God could still be condemned if he did not obey the Lord and follow Him wholeheartedly (cf. 1 Kings 14:8).
So remember that God may condemn us, even after blessing us. We should certainly be thankful to God for all He has given us, yet we should not allow ourselves to become complacent, indifferent, or disobedient after receiving these blessings. Instead, let us serve God wholeheartedly and do what is right in His sight.