King & KingdomsSample

As the King of God's people, Jeroboam should have been the most committed follower of God. His role was to set the standard everyone else aimed for. But he was far from being an example worth following. Jeroboam turned his heart from God over and over again, and here we see the consequences of his choices finally catching up to him. God powerfully warns Jeroboam--and powerfully convinces him how serious his situation is.

The events of this passage can seem strange: why does God act so harshly toward Jeroboam? The truth is, we simply don't understand how dangerous his position was. Jeroboam was the leader of the people, and whatever he did, they would bear the consequences of. So, if his hard-heartedness was going to lead him astray, it also threatened all of God's people. Jeroboam had to understand the weight of responsibility on his shoulders and how serious being obedient really was.

The New Testament claims that Christians are now royal priests and holy royalty. That's an incredible gift and deeply encouraging, but have you ever thought how big that responsibility is too? If you're in Christ, you are now in the same position Jeroboam was in, and people are depending on you to point them the right way.

Think it Over: What would change in your life if you were called a king or queen? Would you feel like you had more responsibility? Would that change how you lived?