June 9

“What good is it for one blind person to lead another?” Jesus asked. The first one will fall into a ditch and pull the other down also. A student is not greater than the teacher. But the student who works hard will become like the teacher” (Luke 6:39&40). “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” (Proverbs 27:17). Each of us has the ability to influence others for good, or for evil. That is especially true of teachers and other leaders, which is no doubt, why they will be judged more harshly by God than will other people (James 3:1). Their sphere of influence is greater and those who follow them, completely trust them. To violate the trust others have placed in us by leading them to do wrong, or teaching them lies is a huge sin.
King Solomon saw nothing wrong with having 700 wives and 300 concubines (I Kings 11:3). Many, if not most, were of foreign descent and responsible for not only leading Solomon astray, but in turn, also leading the nation of Israel astray. Is it any wonder then, that one of his sons, Rehoboam, thought it necessary to have 18 wives and 60 concubines (II Chronicles 11:21)? In turn, Rehoboam made sure that all of his sons also had plenty of wives (II Chron.11:23).
And, like his father before him, Rehoboam also “abandoned the law of the Lord’” with the result being that, “all Israel followed him in this sin” (II Chron.12:1). Rehoboam was “an evil king, for he did not seek the Lord with all his heart” (II Chron.12:14). During his reign, the people of Judah “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, arousing His anger with their sin”. Under Rehoboam’s leadership, the people of Judah, “imitated the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites” (I Kings 14:22-24). In other words, Rehoboam led the people of Judah down a dark path of sin.
But, our God is a gracious God. Whenever He sees even a hint of repentance, He acts accordingly. And when King Rehoboam exhibited the slightest amount of humility, God’s anger was temporarily turned aside (II Chron.12:7-12). When so many are watch-ing our lives, and God is so willing to bless our obedience to Him and our love for Him, why does anyone put God’s grace to the test? May we learn from the lives of others like Rehoboam, and always, “do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8), rather than doing so only once in a while. Remember, others are watching and following.