Divine Providence (Part 4)

By Bob Myhan

God can and has brought about the defeat of kingdoms through miraculous intervention, as when He sent an angel to destroy the army of Assyria to prevent the untimely defeat of the southern kingdom of Judah .

Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses--all dead. (Isa. 37:36)

Such is not necessary, however, for the flow of history has been changed repeatedly by events that seemed insignificant at the time.

A familiar nursery rhyme well illustrates this point.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Solomon sinned against God by both encouraging and practicing idolatry.

Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen." (1 Kings 11:11-13)

But how did God tear the kingdom away from Solomon? He did it through the decisions of Rehoboam to raise taxes and the decision of the northern tribes to rebel.

And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt , for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt ), that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, "Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." So he said to them, "Depart for three days, then come back to me." And the people departed.

Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, "How do you advise me to answer these people?" And they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. And he said to them, "What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us'--thus you shall say to them: 'My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist! And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!' "

So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, "Come back to me the third day." Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!" So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying:

"What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

To your tents, O Israel ! Now, see to your own house, O David!"

So Israel departed to their tents.

But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah . (1 Kings 12:1-17)

There is no doubt God could have done it directly but He did it indirectly—not by a miracle but by providence.

“God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.” (Dan. 5:21)

However, there has never been but one theocracy—only one nation that was ruled by God through a systematic law. That was ancient Israel . (see Exodus 19:3-6)

When the ten northern tribes formed a separate and distinct kingdom from Judah , God told Jeroboam He would bless him if he kept the statutes and commandments of God (1 Kings 11:38-39). But Jeroboam did not keep the statutes and commandments of God. (see 1 Kings 12:25-33)

When Jeroboam’s son, Abijah, fell sick Jeroboam sent his wife to the prophet of God to find out what would become of Abijah. Though she was in disguise, God told the prophet who she was and said to tell her that Abijah would die as soon as she stepped foot, again, in the capital city and he would be the only child of Jeroboam who would be buried. The others would be eaten by dogs if they died in the city and eaten by birds if they died in the field. Both Jeroboam’s personal reign and his dynasty would come to a grisly end (see 1 Kings 14:1-16). All happened because of free human decisions and actions. (see 1 Kings 14:17-20; 15:25-30)

While God did not directly cause these things, He allowed them to occur. &

Guidance from Above

By Shane Williams

A recent device that has really made a difference is the GPS. It has really changed the way many people do things in all areas of life, whether in work, travel or in play.  Using the signals from multiple satellites, a GPS can determine your location anywhere in the world.  This information can be used to help a lost hiker or hunter return to camp or enable a driver to locate a house, restaurant or attraction in a city they've never been to before.  It has even helped others find their lost or stolen cell phones, with their built-in GPS capabilities. In a very literal sense, it is "guidance from above."

It will, however, only help the person who believes the information given and acts on it.  What if a person viewed the GPS and said:  "I can't possibly be where this thing says I am"!

What good would it be if a person turned off the unit, stuffed it in a pocket, and headed out on his own?  If one said, "I know I'm going west, even though this says I'm going south," you would call such a person stubborn or hard-headed or set in his ways, for denying the plain truth staring at him from the GPS.

In a similar way, God's guidance system for us today is the Bible (His Word).  It will benefit our travel through this life only if we study and obey it.  We sing a song sometimes in our assembly:  "Trust and Obey for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."  Jesus said:  "Why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" (Lk. 6:46).

Consider these other passages of Scripture concerning God and His Word: 

As for God, His way is blameless; The Word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. (Psa. 18:30).

How can a young man keep his way pure?  By keeping it according to Thy Word. (Psa. 119:9).

Blessed are those who hear the Word of God, and observe it. (Lk. 11:28).

For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the Living and Abiding Word of God. (1 Pet. 1:23).

Remember that guidance from above is promised to all who will accept God's Word and follow it.  "Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16) (The Lilbourn Light, Vol. 11, No. 9, January) &