When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the LORD.
— 2 Chronicles 12:1
This is one of those statements in Scripture that should leave us genuinely concerned — and if we are paying attention, perhaps a little frightened.
A Good Beginning
On the surface, the first part of this verse looks like cause for celebration. The kingdom of the south was established and strong. A strengthened nation is usually regarded as a sign of blessing — we want nations to be able to provide for themselves, defend themselves, and thrive. And for a time, that is exactly what was happening.
The context is important. In the previous chapter, the kingdom had just split — ten tribes forming the northern kingdom, with Judah and Benjamin making up the south. A division like this would naturally create vulnerability. But the king had been faithful in ensuring the people followed the law of God, and even some of the priests from the northern kingdom had come south to offer sacrifices to the Lord. It was a recipe for blessing — and blessing came. The kingdom was strengthened and well established.
And Then — Abandonment
But the very next thing the Chronicler records is devastating. With the strength and establishment came something else — the forsaking of the law of God. And the phrasing is pointed: it was the king himself who led the way, with the people following after him.
Here is another sobering illustration of how the very things God gives us for our good and welfare can become the very things that draw our hearts away from Him.
We have seen this pattern before in Scripture. Solomon’s foreign wives, given in the context of political alliances and personal affection, turned his heart after other gods. And in Exodus 32, the gold and ornaments the Lord had ordained for the children of Israel to take with them out of Egypt — those very items became the raw material for the golden calf they ended up worshipping.
The Sneaky Nature of Idols
This is the insidious nature of idolatry — idols almost never begin as overtly wicked things. They begin as good things. An idol is anything that replaces the reign of Christ in our hearts, and the most dangerous idols are usually forged from the very blessings God provides.
The wood used to carve idols is wood God created. The gold and silver used to make them are resources He gave. And in our own lives, the pattern is no different. Our intellect, our social standing, our wealth, our health, our comfort, our families — all of these are good gifts from God. And yet we are capable of taking every one of them and placing them in the position that belongs to God alone, making gods out of the very things He gave us.
God’s first commandment addresses this directly — and it comes first precisely because this is the foundational issue:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
— Exodus 20:3
The strength and establishment of Rehoboam’s kingdom became the very thing that drove the people away from God. And John, writing his first epistle, gives us a sharp and clear warning precisely because he knows how easily this happens:
Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
— 1 John 5:21
Worshipping the Provider, Not the Provision
May we be a people who carefully guards our hearts against this drift — watching over ourselves to ensure that the blessings God provides from His loving mercy and grace do not become the very things that draw us away from our Creator.
Let us not worship what is created. Let us worship the Creator. Let us not worship the provision. Let us worship the Provider.
Amen.
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