REND YOUR HEART &

HAVE CONTINUOUS FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD

1Ki 12:20
After king Solomon’s death, his son, Rehoboam, began to reign. Now all the people had come to make him
king, but because of the fall of Solomon, God took the kingdom from Rehoboam and gave 10 tribes to
Solomon's servant, Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
Now the Lord had told Jeroboam, that He was taking the kingdom and giving it to him because of the sin of
Solomon, and after the word of the Lord came to pass and Jeroboam reigned in Israel, Jeroboam soon after
becoming king built a town named Shechem (the name of it means part; portion; back early in the
morning) in mount Ephraim (the name of it means fruitful; increasing) He then built Penuel (the name of it
means face or vision of God; that sees God) Just as the works of his hands declared he turned back from the
face of God early before becoming fruitful in the way of the Lord.

1Ki 12:26
He became afraid that the people would be turned back to Rehoboam if they went up to Jerusalem to worship
God. So He led the people to rebel against God by worshipping golden calves. He consecrated the most
wicked men to be priests of the high places and gave the people holy days to sacrifice to the calves like the
Holy days of God, having had the word of the Lord spoken to him before that he would reign as king and
that God would establish his house forever; but Jeroboam abandoned the word of God and then did greater
evil then Solomon had. He built the alter of sacrifice to the golden calf in Bethel (the meaning is the house
of God)

1Ki 13:1
When a man of God by the word of the Lord cried out against his sin he was moved to rage, not repentance
even when the word of the Lord was again made to come to pass in his sight he rebelled. Soon his son
became sick and Jeroboam sent his wife in disguise to see the prophet Ahijah; Jeroboam knew the word of
God was with Ahijah, but his heart was so hard that he would not go to get the word of God, he was
completely cut off from fellowship with God.

1Ki 13:2
It was foretold that Josiah (the name means the Lord, burns; the fire of the Lord) would be born to the house of
David and that he would bring the kingdom back to God

2Ch 34:1
Josiah was just 8 years old when he was made king; his heart was perfect before the Lord, he did not go to the
right or the left he followed after God with all his heart and all his love was to the Lord.

2Ch 34:3
In the 8th year of his reign he began to seek the Lord.
By the 12th year of his reign he had grown into the understanding of who God was and the nature of God so
that he began to clean up the land. Josiah's attitude toward God was completely different than that of
Jeroboam. He took down the alters of the false gods, cut down the groves and ground the molten images to
dust, all this he did without the knowledge of the written law. Here we see in fellowship with God and in
seeking after Him, Josiah had learned God's ways.

2Ch 34:14-2Ch 34:19

It was not till the 18th year of his reign that the book of the Law of God was found, and read to the king and
when Josiah heard the words of the Law he rent his clothes a sign of rending his heart. When Josiah was
confronted with his sins his heart was broken before a Holy God.

How do we behave, when confronted by an Almighty, Most Holy God whose Word and Law condemn all sin?
If we are not of Him, we cast away his warning, persecute his messengers, revile God, and defend our position.
If indeed we are of God and love Him, we rend our hearts over our sin like the tearing of a garment; we despise
all that the world loves and cling to God in hope; seeking after Him to the bearing of good fruit meet unto
repentance. For the Lord our God has not left us hopeless; in due season He sent His only begotten son into the
world not to condemn the world but to save it. God’s wrath abides on all sin, but His wrath was poured out on
Christ Jesus, on the cross that we through his death and resurrection could become Sons of God through his
blood, believing the report of the Lord God that Jesus is the risen Lord.
1Ki 12:20
And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto
the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but
the tribe of Judah only.

1Ki 12:26
And Jeroboam said in his heart; Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
1Ki 12:27
If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people
turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to
Rehoboam king of Judah.

1Ki 13:1
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood
by the altar to burn incense.
1Ki 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD;
Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the
priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

2Ch 34:1
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
2Ch 34:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his
father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
2Ch 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David
his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the
groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

2Ch 34:14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the
priest found a book of the law of the LORD given by Moses.
2Ch 34:15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the
house of the LORD. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
2Ch 34:16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that
was committed to thy servants, they do it.
2Ch 34:17 And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have
delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.
2Ch 34:18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And
Shaphan read it before the king.
2Ch 34:19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

How do we behave, when confronted by an Almighty, Most Holy God, whose Word and Law condemn all sin?
If we are not of Him, we cast away his warning, persecute his messengers, revile God, and defend our position.
If indeed we are of God and love Him, we rend our hearts over our sin like the tearing of a garment; we despise
all that the world loves and cling to God in hope; seeking after Him to the bearing of good fruit meet unto
repentance. For the Lord our God has not left us hopeless; in due season He sent His only begotten son into the
world not to condemn the world but to save it. God’s wrath abides on all sin, but His wrath was poured out on
Christ Jesus, on the cross that we through his death and resurrection could become sons of God through his
blood, believing the report of the Lord God that Jesus is the risen Lord.