Taxes, Yokes, and Lessons from Rehoboam

Hey Friends, this is David Evans your host and teacher.  I hope that today finds you filled with joy and sunshine, and that this day will be the best day of your life.  

As Tax Day approaches I thought that it would be appropriate for Todays Minute in the Word to be “Taxes, Yokes and Lessons from King Rehoboam”

In the year 931 BC, in the land of Israel, a young man named Rehoboam became king over all the land of Israel. He inherited the throne from his father, King Solomon, when he died. 

The people of Israel approached their new king with a sincere request, they wanted Rehoboam to lower the taxes that his father had put in place.  King Solomon’s taxes had forced the people into hard labor, and made it difficult for them to even survive. 

Rehoboam was not sure what to do, concerning their request, so he consulted with his advisers. 

In 1 Kings 12:6-8, the elder advisers, who had been around during Solomon’s reign, advised Rehoboam to show goodwill to the people. They assured him that this would strengthen his kingdom. They said, “If you will be a servant to these people today and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”

On the other hand, Rehoboam’s closest friends and allies, the young advisers, told him that if he gave in to the request of the people it would make him look weak and powerless. Their advice was to enact even harsher taxes. 

King Rehoboam was in a dilemma.  Should he lower the tax rates and decrease the weight being carried by the people, or increase the taxes and show the people that he is completely in control.

Eventually, Rehoboam chose to follow the advice of the young men. He rejected the advice of the elder advisers, which proved to be a disastrous decision. 

In 1 Kings 12:10-11, it is recorded that Rehoboam said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” This choice ultimately split the kingdom, the tribes of Benjamin and Judah in the South, and the Northern Kingdom with the other 10 tribes of Israel.  

Out of rebellion the northern tribes crowned Jeroboam as their king, while Rehoboam remained king over the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

In looking at Rehoboam’s leadership a few things become very clear. 

Wise leadership, whether for a king or at your work, at home, or in a classroom, must be grounded in love. 

Which means being sensitive to those we are privileged to lead. 

We must remember to lead with empathy, compassion, and wisdom.

The Bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians 16:14, “Do everything in love.” Constantly looking to the teachings of Jesus for guidance on how to lead, as he did, with love and compassion. 

Jesus shows us that true leadership is not about controlling others for your personal gain, but about serving and loving them and in doing so showing them the Love of God.

Philippians 2:3-4 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, whether in our personal or professional lives, we must remember that our responsibility is to care for those we lead. We must act with love, compassion, and empathy towards them, seeking their best interests, even if it means sacrificing our own personal desires and wishes. 

Let us remember the example of King Rehoboam and seek to lead with love, compassion, and wisdom, following the teachings of Scripture.

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The Evil One, cursed be he, has one central way of attack. First, it is to tempt a person to sin, and then once he or she sins, is to push that individual deep into depression and sadness. If the Evil One gets us to commit sin, he then wants us to feel so terrible about sinning that in our minds we think it is impossible for us to ever repair the break of relationship that we had with God.

The whole goal of the Evil One is to create distance between us and God. Or if he can, make us think that God has pushed us a way.
However, this is far from the truth. God will ALWAYS be next to us, even when we sin.

In Leviticus chapter 16 we read, “In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”

In this verse, we know that God himself dwells in the Most Holy place, even when the children of Israel were actively rebelling against God and living in a state of uncleanness. No matter how far the people tried to run away from God, God was still dwelling in the Holy Place, waiting for them to cry out to him and repent.

It is hard for us to imagine how deep the love of God is toward us even when we turn our faces away from him. It is so easy to fall into a spiritual depression thinking that God is angry at us and that our relationship with him is beyond repair. Many times in these cases we walk further away from God and not towards him. While we are responsible for our sins, and we will be held accountable, God always loves us and is always close to us. He is dwelling among us as the verse states in the “midst of their uncleanness.”

If we find ourselves away from God today, remember that the Evil One is wanting us to walk further and further away from God, but don’t ever think that God has walked away from us because we have sinned. God will always be there, loving us, and ready to cleanse us from all sinfulness. It is up to us to turn around and walk towards God again. He will always be there ready and willing to forgive.

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In Proverbs chapter 3, we read this powerful truth: “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.”

King Solomon is writing about the extreme importance of kindness, too.

This simple command to bind truth and kindness to our necks and write the on our hears, he is teaching us that these two life giving principles need to be a focal point of who we are.

When you were younger you probably heard the phrase, “Kill them with kindness.” The focus of this advice may sound a bit harsh, but I believe that it tells us how powerful kindness can be.

In Romans 2:4 Paul says that “God’s kindness leads you to repentance.” Paul knew that kindness can soften even the hardest hearts.

See, most people go through life asking themselves, “What is in it for me?”

However, this leads them to live a shallow, and empty life. Life lived “all about me” can be a very lonely existence.

Instead of asking “What about me?” we should start asking, “What about we?”

In other words, how can I truly help others?

How can I bring joy and comfort to someone else’s day?

How can I make the world a better place for the people around me?

Only through giving can you receive the joy of helping others. But don’t just take my word for it. Go out and try it!

Today, lets make kindness our priority.

The post 21 – More than me! appeared first on Being a Disciple.

Each one of us has experienced difficult times in our lives, and some of us may be going through a painful time right now. But God himself hears our cries for help and he knows and understands our weaknesses.

In Isaiah 54, the Lord says, “It is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flames and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; no weapon forged against you will prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.”

Not only is the person that forges weapons under Gods control, the one who uses the weapons against us is as well. God knows everything that can possibly be known about the weapons being made and how they will be used against us. There is nothing outside of his ability to control.

We do know that there is an enemy that is actively scheming to destroy us, this fight is not one of flesh and blood but against powers, and against the darkness of this world. We cannot sit back and relax, the evil one is plotting to destroy our relationship with God.

Right now, the evil one is crafting and forging weapons against each one of us. Our weaknesses are being studied and mapped, our vulnerabilities are being observed. The evil one is looking for activities that can shake our faith and bring us down to our knees. He is designing weapons that are best fitted to destroy our defenses and spiral us into confusion and defeat.

But God!

But when God does not desire something to be, it simply can not be. It doesn’t matter how the evil one huffs and puffs, or what the doctor tells you, or what your financial report says. It does not matter how much evil surrounds you, the only thing that matters is what God has ordained.

If God says that nothing evil will harm you, than nothing will.

A few chapters earlier in Isaiah 43:2, we read these empowering words, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

So if you are facing deep water, rivers, or fires this week, rest in knowing that you have the best life insurance policy in the world. You are covered completely by the power of God.

The post 20 – Life Insurance appeared first on Being a Disciple.

A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.” — Isaiah 40:3–4

The book of Isaiah is full of verses that are calling us to repent and to be healed.

Isaiah 40 begins with some of the most well-known words in the Bible: “Comfort, comfort, my people, saith my God.”

Two verses later we read: “A voice of one crying: ‘In the wilderness; prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”

Have you ever wondered how to find your way back to God?

When you are in the desert the life-giving waters of God have evaporated into the deathly dryness of the wilderness.

Any time that we turn our backs on God and act in a sinful way, we are creating a barren desert all around us. Void of all of Gods goodness and living water, before long we are empty, dry and alone.

However, being that God is a loving God, he has given us a way of return. It is as if he is standing at the edge of our lives shouting, “Don’t turn away, please make a space for me in your life!”

“Prepare the way!” “Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

If you want God to dwell in your life, you must make a way for him to come.

The rocky, cavernous landscape of our lives filled with the impediments and boulders of despair and brokenness can block the path.

If we want to turn our wilderness into a highway that can be traveled quickly and easily to God we must remove the boulders and make a straight path. Bridges must be built over canyons, and the high places must be torn down.

For God to have complete access into our lives, we need to create a straight path.

We must destroy the things that cause us to stray off of the path. Create guardrails that keep us from deviating off the road and causing ourselves to return to the desert.

We need to walk the straight path so that God can work miracles in our lives, and lead us to the springs of living water that never run dry.

If we want to drink of that living water, we need to develop Godly ways, Godly habits, Godly consistency, and practices.

Today, lets make our path a straight one and clear the way for God, and he will be there waiting for you.

The post 19 – A Highway in the Desert appeared first on Being a Disciple.

Deuteronomy chapter 31 and verse 19 reads:

“Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.”

This verse picks up the story of the Children of Israel after they have spent 40 years in the desert. They are now in the land of Moab, soon to be crossing the Jordan River into the promised land.

Moses has just been told by God that he will not be able to go into the promised land and his life would soon be over.

God wants him to do a few things to help the children of Israel remember the years that they have spent in the wilderness learning to follow God with all their hearts, soul, mind and strength.

God says that when you die “these people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.”

Then God gives Moses an odd command. He tells him to “Write a song.” Now God gives him what the song is going to be, but God composes a song that the Children of Israel will sing.

The question is why? Why does God want them to have a theme song when they enter the promised land?

You can see them marching into the promised land flowing with milk and honey and you can here the underlying score being played with a full orchestra and choir pounding home the emotion and triumph of this journey.

Andrew Lloyd Weber or Rogers and Hammerstein are nothing compared to the closing number that God and Moses arrange at Horeb.

Can you picture it. In the closing act of this 40 year epic God says…Hey I want you to remember this tune, this melody, this theme as you enter into the promised land.

So the song begins.

“When you enter into the promised land. The land that I have promised to you and your father Abraham.

It will be flowing with Milk and Honey, and you will eat. And you will be full. And you will become fat.”

(I am liking this song already.) What a song!

It continues.

“When you have done this, THEN WILL YOU TURN FROM ME AND SERVE OTHER GODS, AND PROVOKE ME AND BREAK MY COVENANT.”

Wow…this song took a turn in an unexpected direction.

But it goes on.

“Than it shall come to pass, that many evils and troubles will befall you, THAN THIS SONG SHALL TESTIFY AGAINST YOU AS A WITNESS.

For it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of your children; for i know your imagination, even now, before I have brought you into the land which I promised.”

As human beings there is something in us that loves a life of ease and plenty. This promised land would be the greatest test the Children of Israel would face in understanding their desire to love God. God knows the “imaginations” of his children and already recognizes a tendency in them to be drawn to the gods of the land.

He sees how easily that people forget about the God that has brought them into the land of plenty when they have eaten their fill and are getting fat. This is identical to one of their first tests in the desert when they desired to “eat to the full around the flesh pots of Egypt.”

God doesn’t want them to enter into another form of slavery in the promised land. God knows “thy rebellion and thy stiff neck.”

Have you ever thought about your own theme song? That song that keeps popping up in all major scenes of your life? What song is God writing about you to warn you about the things that allure you? When you are entering into the promised land what crescendo of music will be playing?

Your song will be a witness against you, just as the children of Israel’s song was was a witness against them.

God wants you to remember this song. This song of warning. Sing it to your children so they understand. Don’t forget it.

The post 18 – Our Song appeared first on Being a Disciple.

“Everybody line-up!” I can still hear the PE teacher yell that early spring morning, as all of us kids scrambled to line up along the kickball field base line. “Today we are playing kickball.”

“Tim; Aaron, you are the team captains, you get to select the players.” You quickly look down the baseline as everybody is trying to get into line, the great kickball players are the cool ones, just standing relaxed, confident and have begun to try to get the captains attention to be picked first. Others are just standing there without much thought, but knowing that soon they would be picked. But there are a few, that are trying to hide. The ones that know they will be picked last. The ones that don’t have many friends and have limited skills in kickball.

The captains begin naming off players, typically choosing their best friends and the best players first, and before long there are only two or three people remaining. The captains begin struggling on which person to pick, and trying to remember what each persons name is.

Each one of us at some point has been the last person standing. The one viewed as being the least valuable, the one that everybody is staring at.

Inside of us we feel the shame of being the last person chosen. That moment in time where nobody had any faith in us.

Having people believe in us is one of the greatest life giving moments of our lives. The simple, but powerful words of “I believe in you” are some of the most significant and powerful words that you or I may speak. Just from that simple phrase, you are telling someone that they are significant, they have value, and that someone has faith in them.

Belief in people brings the best out of them. As a parent, telling your child that you believe in them, will arm them with a confidence to face all of life’s hardships.

Many times in our spiritual walk we feel like that last person standing on the kickball field. What can I possibly bring of value to God. With all my faults and failures, shortcomings and scars, how can I be of value to the God that created all things.

In John 15, Christ is teaching his disciples a few hours before he is arrested and crucified on the cross and was teaching them about love.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you… I am telling you this so that my joy may be in you… There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends… You did not choose me, but I chose you…”

“But I chose you.” These words of Christ are some of the most important words that he spoke to us.
Christ has chosen us to be on his team. Christ was looking down the baseline, and pointed his finger directly at you, and selected you for his team. It was his choice, not choosing you as the last person standing, but as a valued and valuable member of his team.

All of the times in our life where we want to give up, when life is tough and we feel defeated, or worse – worthless, we must remember that everyday that we are alive, God has chosen us for a purpose. God himself believes in us.

God has said, I believe in you! If God has said that he believes in us, shouldn’t we, too?

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Everybody goes through tough times in their lives.  Circumstances that are beyond our control impact each one of us, and in the chaos we find ourself in a deep, dark valley.  Some people through their own choices bring trials into their lives, but many times difficulties cross our pathway that was completely outside of our control.

In Psalm 55:6, you can hear the desperate cry of King David, “My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me.  Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest.”

King David had just been betrayed by his close friend and counsellor, Ahithophel.  The significance of that would have been enough for anybody to cry out to God, but the betrayal was deeper.  Davids own son Absalom had plotted with King Davids closest friend and advisor to kick David off the throne.  Ahithophel joined with Absalom in destroying Davids reign as king.

In the Psalm, you can hear the extreme anguish of David’s heart after this bitter betrayal.

During this dark period of David’s life, he cries out and says.  “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest.

When we go through these dark times, it is very tempting to wish that our troubles would melt away, or that we could magically fly away.

But David provides his response in the end of the chapter.

“As for me, I will call upon the God; and the LORD shall save me.  Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice…

…Cast they burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” 

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The Bible goes into great detail concerning how the Tabernacle should be built. In very fine detail it explains each specific vessel that should be constructed and sanctified for service. The details are so precise that here in Jerusalem at the Temple Institute there are scholars that have begun to reconstruct the vessels of the Temple.

In Exodus 25, God gives the details on how the Ark of the Covenant should be built.i

And they shall make an ark of ACACIA wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length, and a cubit and a half the breadth, and a cubit and a half the height.

And thou shall overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about..” — Exodus 25:10–11

It is easy to read these dimensions and only consider what the ark of the covenant would have looked like. But is there more to these descriptions than just design and beauty?

If you look at the plans to this beautiful ark you will see that God commanded them to cover the ark INSIDE and OUT in Gold. Why would God want Gold on the inside? Nobody would ever see the inside?

Some scholars say that this tell us that what a person is on the inside must match what is on the outside. Who you are on the inside must match what is seen on the outside. Even though people will never be able to see what is truly inside of you, the thoughts and character beneath the surface must match what people see.

God says in 1 Samuel 16:7 “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

These temple vessels had to be filled with God’s purity to be able to be used for his service. For God to be able to use a vessel both the INSIDE and the OUTSIDE must be of Gold.

You could ask, Why didn’t God just command that the entire ark be made out of solid Gold?

But, the use of the acacia wood shows us that we as humans are of earthly substance, created by God, but only by God’s perfecting work covering us can we be used for his service.

Remember, only being purified on the inside and the outside can God’s presence dwell in his vessel.

People should be able to look at the outward appearance and know that God is living in the heart.

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One of the teachers of Torah came to Jesus while he was discussing the text and noticed that Jesus was giving great answers, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

The most important one,” said Jesus, “is this:  ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

Jesus in answering this teacher of Torah, combined two commandments out of Torah.  The Shema, from Deuteronomy chapter 6 and the second part from Leviticus 19:18 where is says, ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.  I am the LORD.’

Most of us are extremely blessed to be surrounded with people who make it easy for us to love and to keep this commandment.  But then there are people in our lives – you know the ones.  They are the type of people that God allows to cross our paths, who make keeping this commandment very difficult.

How can we love these people who make our lives so difficult?

See, the secret of love is hidden within the Hebrew word for love, אַהֲבָה AHAVA.  At the very center of the word אַהֲבָה AHAVA, is the word havwhich means “to give.”

The secret of love is to give.  Not just in words, but in actions as well.

If we reflect on our lives, we soon realize that we don’t love those who give us the most, but we love those the most who we give to the most.  If you are a parent you understand the depth of love for you son or daughter, but also the tremendous sacrifice and giving involved.

When we are able to give to someone, we are giving to that person a small piece of who we are.  The more we are able to give, the greater we become a part of that person.  By loving our neighbors, the stranger, or that person who is causing us the most trouble, the goodness of giving begins to show in their lives.

To love your neighbor requires for you to give.  The more you give, the more capacity you will have to love more.  And before long, you will see the reflection of your love shining through their lives.

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One of the great experiences as a father is to take your kids on a tremendous mountain hike.  To be able to stand at the base of a mountain and to look up at the peak that seems so far away and insurmountable, and have your kids wonder how they will ever make it to […]

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