The Deceit of Half Truths - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 13:4-8,

"Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, 'Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! Don't you know that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an official of Solomon son of David, rebelled against his master. Some worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them. And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David's descendants."

Here is half a story if ever there was one! Abijah, king of Judah, Rehoboam's successor, who headed out to confront Jeroboam and his northern ten tribes challenged them with the above.

We know from 2 Chronicles 11:2-4 that Abijah's father, Rehoboam, was told by the Lord that it was the Lord himself that brought about the split of Israel ("this is my doing") and gave the northern ten tribes to Jeroboam... it was not due to a rebellion that had its origin in the machinations of Jeroboam and "scoundrels" that gathered with him that caused his father to lose the northern ten tribes. It certainly was not due to a taking advantage of Rehoboam's youth, indecisiveness and lack of strength. It was due to his grandfather's (King Solomon) turning from the Lord that caused it. See 1 Kings 11.

I think we can be quite certain Abijah was well aware of it.

Isn't it just like a politician to provide half truth in order to justify? Isn't it just like a lot of us...?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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