READ:
Instead of printing out the text for reflection, allow me to summarise the passage for this morning's devotions.
I will summarise the portions that relate to the history of Israel, and omit the portion on the history of Judah.
In 1 Kings 14, God had, through the prophet Ahijah, predicted that Jeroboam's dynasty would be wiped out. What I did not expect was that the dynasty would be wiped out not by external enemies, but by an internal coup. An Israelite by the name of Baasha killed Jeroboam's son Nadab, and after establishing himself as king, murdered Jeroboam's and Nadab's entire household and lineage. Baasha ruled for twenty four years, after which his son Elah succeeded him. Elah ruled only two years. One day as he lay drunk, one of his commanders, Zimri, killed him. And just as Baasha had done to Jeroboam's household, Zimri killed every male family member and friend of Elah's. But not only did he slaughter them, he threw their bodies out for the dogs and birds to feed on. When Israel heard of the coup, they immediately installed Omri the commander of the army as king. Omri then laid siege to the city where Zimri was. Zimri, seeing no way out, set the palace on fire and died in the blaze. Zimri's reign lasted 7 days.
REFLECTION
As I took a bird's eye view of this sad portion of Israel's history, I made one observation. From the time of Rehoboam onwards, there developed a culture of dishonour and violence. Rehoboam was the last king of the united nation of Israel. Unlike his father Solomon and grandfather David, Rehoboam had no respect for God or for the people. He exploited his people and when they approached him to petition that he treat them more kindly, he rebuffed them and told them he would be even harsher. God then commissioned one of King Solomon's servants Jeroboam to take a large part of Israel and to separate the kingdom into two kingdoms: Israel and Judah. However, the place of worship would remain in Jerusalem, in Judah. Jeroboam disrespected God and disobeyed Him, and instead installed worship places outside of Judah. Then he built statues to represent God. This was in blatant disregard for God. This disrespect for God set the cycle of dishonour after dishonour. His son Nadab ruled only 2 years and was deposed and killed by another Israelite Baasha. But it was not simply that Baasha usurped Nadab's throne that was shocking. It was what Baasha did. Not only did he slaughter every member of Nadab's household, he treated their bodies with utter dishonour. To refuse to bury a person and instead cast the body out to the dogs and birds is the ultimate sign of disrespect. One only does that to one's external enemies. But to do that to one's fellowman, and former king, displayed deep contempt. It simply was a display of an utter lack of honour. And this culture of dishonour continued. A commander of the army, Zimri, did to Baasha's son Elah exactly what Baasha had done to Nadab, Jeroboam's son. The rot of dishonour and rebellion had set into the nation of Israel. Within 7 days of Zimri's rule, he was deposed by another general Omri. The cycle of rebellion and dishonour had become a norm.
RELATE
The fifth commandment is "honour your father and your mother". I used to wonder why and how one should honour parents who in our view do not merit honour. It seemed so unnecessary. Yet as I reflected on the concept of 'honour', I discovered that 'honour' is an ethos that creates a culture. When we constantly show honour, we create an environment of kindness, and mutual respect. Where we constantly dishonour and disrespect others, we create a toxic environment and this permeates the entire place. Hence if we were to show respect to our elders regardless of what they have done, we pass on a legacy of respect and honour to our children. We stand a greater chance of being honoured by our children. This principle is apparent in the passage for our devotions. When Jeroboam dishonoured and disobeyed God, he created an environment that did likewise. The Bible's refrain describing the kings was that "they did what their fathers had done". Each act of dishonour and rebellion perpetuated more acts of rebellion and dishonour until rebellions and gross disregard for their predecessors became a norm.
The principle of honouring others is important in every sphere of our lives, whether it is in the home, or workplace, or church. Whenever we show dishonour to others, we breed a toxic culture of disrespect. And disrespect will lead to rebellion.
We can show honour and respect even to those whom we disagree with. It is important even when we disagree with another, or find their behavior repugnant, that we continue to speak with and about our opponents with respect and honour. This attitude of respect will then permeate that entire environment.
REST
Father, please help us to be slow to speak, slow to anger, quick to listen and quick to show honour. Help us to be conscious of how we regard others, even those we disagree with, so that there will be an environment of mutual honour in our homes, our church and our workplaces. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
CML
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