1 KINGS 14 : 1-20

LUKE 17 :20-30

The opening statement of this 14th chapter of the lst book of Kings begins this way: "At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick . . ." This word is directly connected with the foregoing word of the 13th chapter. There we read, that God, because of Jeroboam's disobedience and rebellion, would "cut off" the house of Jeroboam, erasing it from the face of the earth. Thus when Abijah, the promising son of Jeroboam, fell sick, God had begun to carry out his Judgement upon the house of Jeroboam. "At that time" refers to the period when Jeroboam was in full swing of his evil ways.

THE FRUIT OF SIN

Let us take good note of this fact, that the writer of the sacred scriptures does not look upon this sickness as an accidental happening or unrelated event; according to God's Book and time table of justice, there are no unrelated events We may not always see the straight line or connection immediately, but that is no proof that there is no straight line or connection. Thus the sacred writer of these holy scriptures interprets this sickness much as "cause and effect". Sin and evil provokes God's judgement. If a person sows evil he or someone else will reap the fruit thereof.

"At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick."

God often touches man where he is the most vulnerable. He lays His holy hand upon him where it hurts the most; where he is the weakest; where he lies the most open and ;bare for the correcting hand.

So here. Who fell sick? Jeroboam's -eldest son, the good son! The promising young lad, the one who did love the Lord and worshipped Jehovah. It was the bouncing, young crown prince who fell seriously ill!

What was the word which Elijah the prophet had spoken to Jeroboam, when God was about to give him the largest part of the Kingdom of Israel?

"And if you will harken to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you" (vs. 38, chapter 11).

What was going to come of this "build you a sure house" if this his promising oldest son was to die? It was this gnawing uncertainty, coupled with great fear of divine justice and judgement which caused him to seek con-tact with the man of God, who a number of years ago foretold him that he would reign over Israel.

Yes, here is a matter which ought to give the church, the believer, and the unbeliever, something to think about! Even though Jeroboam had turned himself away from God in disobedience and rebellion - worse! - "cast God behind his back", Jeroboam still knew that God was not to be bypassed altogether; that God still held the reigns of life and death in His hand, that He could not be ignored entirely.

BACK-DOOR REVELATION

And so this is what Jeroboam was led to do: He was going to find out what God had in store for his son, for him and thereby for his house. But how was he going to do that? For he had cut himself off from the source of all life and truth! He had done away with God. He had turned his back toward God, His church and His prophets.

Well, this is where evil ingenuity further took over. He wasn't going to ask God Himself! Imagine Jeroboam prostrating himself before Jehovah God, whom he had rejected, whom he, like a worthless object, had cast behind his back?! No, this was out. He was not going to turn to God in repentance and faith. No matter whether He held the life of his son and the future of his house in His hand or not. Instead, he was going to find out from his prophet what was in store for his house.

But then, Jeroboam was not going to see the prophet himself either; for that would be an invitation to bring back old memories; old memories of the conditions upon which he was going to reign as king; and if there was one thing about which he did not want to be reminded, it was this conditional promise upon which he was to reign in Israel.

And so, driven by fear, stubbornness and desperation, he turned to his wife. She could play the trick. The prophet Elijah did not know her voice. He had never seen her, moreover he was nearly blind now. Through her I can play the game safe. I am all right as long as she does not dress up as queen! Even a queen is just the same as every other woman as long as the clothes and the crown do not betray her!

And Jeroboam said to his wife, "Arise, and disguise yourself, that it be not known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh; behold, Elijah the prophet is there who said of me that I should be king over the people. Take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what shall happen to the child."

Here we clearly see the crudeness of Jeroboam's religion. It was all based upon the assumption that by tricking Jehovah's prophet, he would be able to trick Jehovah as well. Had Jeroboam not given it any thought that such a thing is impossible in regard to the Holy one of Israel? Did Jeroboam not know that God cannot be fooled, belied, bribed or tricked?

JUDGEMENT HARD, AND SWIFT

How soon he would find out! How soon reality would dawn upon his wife as well. For hardly was the sound of her feet heard at the door of the prophet's house, or Elijah, the prophet called out to her: "Come in, wife of Jeroboam; why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with heavy tidings for you."

Now if this wasn't a word oi judgement, what can be called such? Jeroboam was looking for future happenings in relation to his house and son's sickness. Well, he got it and more than he had dared to long for. Far more terrible than he had ever dreamed of. The terrible future highlights being:

a. His house was to be wiped out entirely; "as man burns up ,dung until it is all gone", so nothing would be left from his royal house. And all because he had cast God behind his back as

a useless and worthless object.

b. His people would even be excluded from a proper burial.

c. The whole nation would be led into captivity.

OBEY GOD'S WORD OR FEEL GOD'S HAND

This is how things still stand in the world: either you or I or all men everywhere are to hear God's word and obey G-od's voice, or we and the world will come to feel God's hand. And when God comes with his hand, this disobedient, rebelling child feels it too.

God lays hold of the rebel's self-made future. And the Holy One makes that future unsure. It gets blurred and dark.

God can do that to individuals, households or nations. And in various ways. By way of unemployment, inflation, too high taxation, depression, sickness, natural catastrophe, anarchy, oppression, war, loss of money, honor and fame, etc. In fact, there is no situation or circumstance through which God does not speak, either in mercy or in judgement.

When God speaks in judgement the future always gets unsure, blurred and dark. And that is where man is so vulnerable. That is where he (by himself) lies wide open, i.e. unprotected! This is where the Holy One takes the ground from under the feet of the rebel, in judgement.

When a person keeps on showing disobedience, he or she will inevitably reap the bitter fruit thereof. There just is no question about it. This is what the word of God tell us. The hand of God shall come to rest upon that person, upon that family, and/or upon that nation.

And here we must keep in mind that God's thoughts are infinitely higher than our thoughts.

Abijah, the God fearing boy, was to die in order to bring God's judgement upon the wickedness of his father's house. Man does not work that way, does he? No. But that is because God's ways are wholly different from our ways. God thinks infinitely much higher than you and I do. God sees infinitely much further than you and I do. God is God!

But now, we must remember that God not always works like that. No, only sometimes, only once in awhile, in certain cases; when He, in His infinite wisdom judges it to be necessary and just. We are to remember that God thereby has not set aside the principle of: What you and I sow, you and I will reap.

Nor are we to overlook that, when God in judgement took away this God-fearing boy, while it brought judgement to the father, it brought forgiveness, eternal life, glory, heaven and joy supreme to the son! And this is how it still is today when God has judged it to be wise and necessary to work that way. Suffering, hardship and death is never loss to the godly! Ask Paul! Romans 8 : 35 & 38-39.

What is true on an individual and family basis is equally true on a national and world wide basis.

God's hand is beginning to rest heavily upon our nation and world. These are critical days in which you and I live. Situations are explosive. Col. Nasser said this afternoon, that his subjects "are hotter than burning coals to fight Israel".* But then who made these situations so explosive? Who brought these critical days upon us? We have done it.

CORPORATE GUILT AND INDIVIDUAL GUILT

It is true that one person stands far more guilty than the other, that is not it. Those who are spiritual indifferent, and thereby have rejected Christ; and those who knew the way so well but refused, bear far more guilt; some people have hastened and increased the judgement of God. But in all, it is equally true that there is a corporate guilt.

We all have gone astray. Everyone nas turned his own way. Even the church member has not at all times put God and His Holy cause first. Look at the field of evangelism and stewardship! Look at the lukewarmness in the church and hoarding up of possessions while the mission of the church suffers and millions die from malnutrition. Look at pharisee-ism and self righteousness, etc.

Yes, we all have somehow helped to bring on this judgement of God upon the world. I think that the theme of Expo tells quite a story too. "Man and his World". What a commentary on the world's

ignorance and refusal of God! It is like stating bluntly, we ignore the Creator and Redeemer. We have nothing to do with Him. He has nothing to do with the world. We are the people of our own destiny.

And I am convinced that it is not coincidence that just during the building of this Expo tower of Babel, the world is going through another great crisis, facing a power clash, which seems to be unavoidable, even while all respectable world leaders seek to ward it off.

YOUR RESPONSE AND MY RESPONSE

Now after this, the all important question is: What is each individual going to do with this hand of God's judgement which increasingly so, begins to rest upon our families, nations and world?

And the reason I say: What is each individual going to do - is because the world, the nations and the families are all made up of individuals. Amid so in whatever way the individual answers, the family replies and in whatever way the family replies, the nation moves. Even as in whatever way the nations move, the world will end up.

Now, as always, the individual can reply this way, or he can reply that way. He can reply like Jeroboam did, or he/,she can reply like Paul of Tarsus did. I suppose,

I do not -have to remind you of the fact that thousands and millions do move like Jeroboam moved.

They fully well know that the future is only known to God and that God cannot possibly be bypassed, that He unmistakably holds the reigns of life and death, future and welfare in His hands" and yet they refuse to turn to Him and before Him in repentance and faith.

Now knowing that He unmistakably holds the reigns of life and death, future and welfare in His Hands; and refusing to turn to Him and bow before Him in repentance and faith is doing like Jeroboam did. They are trying to get the blurred, uncertain, dark fearful future, cleared up by some round about way. And that way the foolish and stupid rebel believes that he can out-smarten and outmaneuvre God, while yet taking hold of future forebodings which He alone determines.

THE BLACK TURN: UNBELIEF AND SUPERSTITION

Some go about it this way: black magic, tea cup reading, stargazing, fortune tellers, sooth sayers, dreams, visions, seance; others turn to the Bible and the church as a magic form or round about way to clear up the blurred future. Yes, this is Jeroboam's crude religion all over.

Who has ever outsmarted, outmaneuvred, belied, bribed, fooled God? Who can disguise himself before the Holy one of Israel, who has revealed Himself in Christ Jesus? - Who still speaks in clear

tones through His Word and Spirit? Who? Jeroboam's wife could not disguise herself before the Holy one of Israel. Ahab, King of Israel tried it. Remember his battle with the armies of Ramoth Gilead. He had disguised himself as an ordinary soldier in battle - but we read that "a certain man drew his bow at a venture and struck the King of Israel".

No one can disguise himself before God Almighty. The Bible states that we are open and naked before Him with whom we h ave to do.

And let us also remember that no one can cut himself off entirely and completely from the reality that there is a God over and above all. This just cannot be done entirely and absolutely. There always remains the remnant of image of God in which every human being is created. This endowment of creation can never be entirely removed or erased. Man always relmains man, in other words, a responsible being. John Calvin said a spark of image always remains. One of Red China's leaders stressed the same, only entirely different: man is incurably religious, he said. In that the godless man is right. No one can kill his conscience for 100%. Now this fact explains that while thousands and millions of people refuse to hear God's Word, they yet insist on knowing what the future shall bring them.

BLACK MAGIC APPROACH

But they can't and won't go to God in Christ Jesus. They have refused the Word and turned down the Spirit. So they can oniy cLo like the fool, who lived in a certain house. When he left his house one day he threw away the keys, of both front and back door and locked all the windows. But when he wanted to enter his house sometime later to get some of his possessions he had to break a window to get in.

Spiritual speaking, that is what thousands and millions of people do who have turned their back to God. They have thrown away the holy keys, of the Word and the Spirit which would have led them to Christ and the heart of God. The prayer windows too are bolted, and so when their fear and desperation led them to consult the Future they had to break a window, i.e. consult black magic, a teacup reader, spiritualists, stargazers etc. believing that in some round about way God would reveal the future.

Well, let me tell you, that those who do not get "replies" by any one of these round about ways are the' better off. For them some possibilities of mercy seem to be open yet. But if the black magic answers begin to flow freely, the judgement point of no return has been passed.

To move in this direction then obviously is not the answer. This way God's answer to the world crisis inevitably is judgement, hard and full, soon and complete. No, Jeroboam's black magic approach was of the devil and so is every black magic.

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH HIS WORD AND SPIRIT

There is only one way that an individual and world Catastrophe can be avoided. And that is not just statesman like diplomacy. Diplomacy can be good and, effective. God can use it, but never apart from obedience to the Word and the Spirit. For then no amount of clever and patient diplomacy will avoid punishment.

The only way out to a world judgement catastrophe is Christ Jesus, the Son of 'God, the Messiah and Lord, who during His babyhood lived in Nasser's country and walked in Israel, where now armies prepare for battle. in His name, I call a definite and radical turning unto God, repentance and faith, by all.

This is the direction into which individuals, families and nations are to move.

This is what' makes the future certain. For in Christ life is never unsure. In Christ life Eternal is guaranteed, no matter what. Even if in judgement God has to turn the world upside down, those who have turned to Christ shall still be secure and forever safe. The redeemed of the Lord shall never perish.