Strengthened Himself…And He Did Evil

2 Chronicles 12:1,14, “[1] And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. [14] And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.”

This passage tells about Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, as king. The Bible says that he strengthened himself and forsook the law of the Lord. It also states that he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.

Rehoboam was not a good King. I believe the reason for this was that he was looking in the wrong place for his strength. The verse above says that he “strengthened himself.” Because he found his strength in himself, he no longer saw the need for God. He forsook the law of God. Because he forsook the law of God, he did evil.

The question I have for us today is this: “Where do we find our strength? Is our strength found in ourselves or do we find our strength in the Lord? John 15:5 says, “…For without me, he can do nothing.” We must find our strength in God. Contrary to what many think, we do not have the strength to go through life on our own. We need God. 2 Corinthians 12:9a says, “[9] And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Let us focus today on getting our strength from the Lord. Rehoboam didn’t, and he did evil in God’s sight. Will you be like Rehoboam or will you seek the Lord for your strength? The choice is yours.