1 Kings 14:21-31 “Danger of Foreign Influences”
Solomon’s son Rehoboam reigned in Judah 41 years, 17 of which were in Jerusalem the city which the Lord had chosen to put His name. Under his reign Judah did evil in God’s sight more than all their fathers, developing false forms of worship and worship of false God’s. Could it be this influence came from his mother who was a foreigner? “…And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.” (21d) Consequently, Rehoboam was attacked by Shishak the king of Egypt. When the church drifts from Divine defined worship because of the influence of the ungodly world around us, we become vulnerable to this world’s attacks and suffer great loss. “He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house,…” (25a, b). They not only did the suffer the loss of pure worship, they also suffered the loss of God’s protection from foreign enemies (Egypt and the ungodly world). Also we learn, “There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.” (31). In summary the foreign influence on king Rehoboam and Judah resulted in weakened worship, weakened defense against outsiders, and war within the nation of Israel.
