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KING JEROBOAM AND HIS “CONVENIENT” WORSHIP 

 

In my previous article, I discussed King Jeroboam’s ascent to the throne as King of Israel. Jeroboam was chosen by God to succeed Solomon on the Throne of David in the stead of the heir apparent, Rehoboam. However, Jeroboam did not honor God’s law. In fact, he instituted unauthorized worship and convenient gatherings for God’s people rather than follow the protocols instituted by God.  Jeroboam's wickedness influenced the nation for generations to come. We often read this assessment of kings who superseded Jeroboam and later followed in his steps: "And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin" (I Kings 15:34)

 

As soon as Jeroboam became king, he introduced a new system of worship into Israel. While there are many valuable lessons to be learned from Jeroboam's life and reign as king, we want to focus our attention on the false worship that he introduced to the people. This worship is described in 1 Kings 12:25-33 and I Kings 13:33-34. In part, these verses say, "And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David; If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin; for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi."

Jeroboam was more concerned about the people turning back to Rehoboam that he completely disregarded Yahweh's pattern and requirement for worship. This scenerio is being played out repeatedly in our houses of worship as we seek to entertain people rather than enter into the Lord's Presence!

Where Was the Error In Jeroboam's “Convenient” Worship? 

Before we answer that question, we should note that Jeroboam was a man who was involved in religious activity, and in the eyes of many people, that was all that mattered. Jeroboam's example demonstrated that it is possible to operate in a religious capacity and yet not please God.  Jehovah said to Jeroboam that he, "hast done evil above all that were before thee; for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back" (I Kings 14:9)


I will give you the answer in my next article. Until then, Worship in Spirit and in truth!

 

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I simply love training God’s prophets! They are one of God’s premier officers within

the ranks of Kingdom and Church government. Because intercession is the chisel that

God uses to form, shape and incubate the prophet, they are wired with powerful

intercessory hardware! After all, much of what prophets do on a daily bases is

intercessory in nature.


In my prophetic training classes (Shamar Prophets Training Camp), one of the

definitions I give for intercession is “to cause a meeting between two opposing sides

for the purpose of bringing resolution”. Prophets position themselves as ‘the resolvers’

of Yeshua’s problems and the enforcers of God’s decisions for both His church and the

earth. Prophetic Intercession confronts rebellious and bewildered generations with

God's unchanging desires through the weapon of intercession.

Priest & Prophet Unite


Old Testament scriptures verify that one of the roles of the priests was to represented

the needs of the people to God, whereas the prophets represented the interests of

God to the people. In prophetic intercession the burden of prophet and priest unite at

the highest level.


Look at the picture of prophetic intercession found in Old Testament scripture, that

clearly reveals Moses’ intercessory skill, as he is found pleading to be "blotted of

God's book rather than for God to write off his people! (Exodus 32:32).


Similarly, we see the heart of a prophetic intercessor in the New Testament

demonstrated in apostle Paul who said, "I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my

heart. For I could pray that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake

of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites" (Romans 9:2-

4). Paul was not feigning exaggerated grief in his letter to the church in Rome. This

was one of the many cries he carried at all times in his spirit; as he prayed without

ceasing.


It is intercession that paves the way for the fulfilment of these prophetic assurances:


"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet,

until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, and her salvation like a torch that is

burning. And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you

will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will designate" (Isaiah

62:1-2).


This is not wishful daydreaming by Prophet Isaiah. This is the purpose of God revealed

in Isaiah's soul and expressed in his prophesying. He is speaking of the prophetic


intercessors of his generation becoming persistent and passionate in prayer for God's

purpose and plans to be accomplished.


"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will

never keep silent. And you who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; and give

him no rest until he establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth." (Isaiah

62:6-7).


Through prophetic intercession, the Spirit of God reveals the will and intent of the

Sovereign God, reminding Him of the covenantal agreements made with His people

throughout history (Isaiah 55:11). Every unfulfilled promise is still in force and will

remain so until fulfilled. Meanwhile they are being pleaded by the Spirit before God's

throne.


A Prophetess Comes Forward


One of the most significant yet under recognized prophetic intercessors in the New

Testament is the prophetess Anna. After seven years of married life, she had been

suddenly widowed and thereafter devoted herself in the Temple to fasting and prayer.

Now, at 84 years of age, we find her still ministering in her.


There was a prophetess, Anna… a widow to the age of eighty four. And she never left

the temple, serving night and day with fasting and prayers. And at that very moment

she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of him to all

those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38).


In what way can she be considered a prophetess? Unlike John the Baptist, she was not

the herald of the Messiah. Unlike Elijah, she was not challenging the prophets of Baal

or calling down fire. Anna was a prophetess of the secret place, interceding in keeping

with the purposes of God for her generation. Her intercession was her prophetic

ministry.


Undoubtedly Anna's intercessory burden for years had been for a fulfilling of God's

Covenant promises to the patriarchs. She was looking for the Deliverer, the Messiah,

the Hope of Israel. She was one of the prophetic intercessors God had ordained to pray

through those promises of a coming Messiah. God's entry into every generation has

been through a line of faith such as is seen in Anna.


A Covenant Basis


To engage in prophetic intercession is to commit to praying through God's

prophetic purposes. It is a privilege of the highest order, that of entering into

intercession with, and in, Christ. This total yielding to his purpose enables Christ to

function in his High Priestly ministry, in its fullest sense, before the Father. In this

ministry you become a laborer together with God, you enter into partnership with the

Almighty.


The burden of prophetic intercession is the result of a growing conviction of the

purposes of God for our time. Whether it is preached, prayed, or prophesied, a thing

is only prophetic if it brings us into a knowledge of the heart, mind and world

of God in our time. It might be an increasing inner conviction of his will or a sudden

revelation by His word. It may be hearing the condition of something that triggers ones

prophetic spirit as was the case with Nehemiah. Nehemiah heard the condition of

Jerusalem and the distress of the remaining Jews who had survived the captivity and

was moved to fast and pray. He entered into a season of intense intercession. The

basis of his plea is very important for us.


"I beseech thee O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the

covenant… let thine ear now be attentive and thine eyes open to hear the prayer of thy

servant which I am praying before thee now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of

Israel thy servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned

against thee; I and my Father's house have sinned." (Nehemiah 1:5-6).


Nehemiah's plea cannot find its root of hope in any merit on Israel's part, for he

confesses their sin and treats it as his own. Neither is it based on sentiment, for his

heart is scandalized by Israel's departure from God. Nehemiah's prophetic prayer base

was the covenant of God with His Nation. All prophetic intercessory engagement is

rooted in our unwillingness to break covenant with our Sovereign.


Nehemiah did not ignore the condition of Israel, the tragedy that had stripped her of

her land, city, temple and glory. Nevertheless, he found his hope in his knowledge of

God as a covenant-keeping God. Despite what the church today appears to be, the

prophetic intercessor does not base his praying on either good or bad conditions, but

rather on the covenants and future of God.


Coming to the birth


The spirit of the intercessor is the womb in which God's prophetic purposes are brought

to their fullness. It is also through intercession that the church overcomes in the

conflict that surrounds all prophetic fulfillments, the clash between new beliefs and old

traditions, God’s desires and Satan’s agendas.


The prophetic intercessor conspires with God to bring forth his glory in the church.

The word "conspire" literally means to "breathe together". The Hebrew word here

translated "breathed" is literally "to breathe violently." This suggests the intensity of

God's action in the fulfilling of his intention. It was experienced again at Pentecost

when there was the sound of a violent wind filling the house as God sent his Spirit into

the new corporate man of the church.


Prophetic intercession is our conspiring together with God, breathing violently into

situations through prayer in order to bring life.


When any community of God's prophets and intercessors has the spirit of prayer

poured out upon them, they share a sense of divine opportunity and become excited

with the prospect of what God will do. The old limits to their expectation are rapidly

overrun. Their praying embraces new power. They are suddenly liberated from

considering the condition of things from a human perspective, and see from the eyes of

the Holy Spirit. Their intercession assumes a prophetic dimension. It gathers up the

initiatives God has willed for their generation and boldly stakes claim to them.


Such will be the prophetic intercessors of this era. Will you be among them? Anything

less than such selfless, passionate, potent praying will simply be less than what is

required for such a time as this.


"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will

never keep silent. And you who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves; and give

him no rest until he establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth" (Isaiah

62:6-7).




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If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and

require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven,

forgive their sin, and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 AMP 

 


2 Chronicles, chapter 7, verse 14 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible where the

author has recorded a spiritual revelation given to king Solomon. This passage of scripture

fascinates me as it was not given through a prophet, but rather, it was given directly to King

Solomon, the reigning king of Israel.


2 Chronicles, chapter 7, verse 12 tells us that, “Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at

night and said to him, "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice.”.

 



This verse constitutes a target audience, that is, a group of people that this passage of

scripture is addressed too, and with it, a set of conditions that these people must meet. If

the people addressed fulfill the conditions outlined in this passage of scripture, God

promises to bestow upon them certain blessings.

 

Here recorded in 2 Chronicles is one of the most amazing passages of scripture that

contains a formula for rescuing our nations.  This verse is a conditional statement in which

there are four conditions that must be met by God’s people to humble themselves, pray,

seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways. If these conditions are met, there are three

promises that God will bestow on His people: to hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and

heal their land.

 

As a former corporate accountant, this passage of scripture is extremely relatable in that it

is laid out in the Bible in the format of a basic ‘IF, THEN, ELSE’ statement.  Those of you

who are familiar with computing software such as Microsoft Excel, the following formula

may look familiar to you: “IF([Condition],THEN [What to do if the condition is true],ELSE

[What to do if the condition is false])”. The verse in 2 Chronicles is constructed in the same

format, e.g., IF my people meet the outlined conditions, THEN God will bless them; ELSE God will allow them to continue to wallow in the consequences of their own

sins.

 

Verse 13 of 2 Chronicles is key because it helps us place this scripture into its context; "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,”.  In short, verse 13 describes a situation where God’s people find themselves under God’s judgment, wherein, God is orchestrating the hardship that the land is experiencing. The Bible records many examples throughout history where God’s people found themselves in situations such as this. In cases like these, it is futile and offensive to God to spend our time warring, binding, and loosing dark spirits when Yeshua Himself has ruled against the land.


Rather, it is of vital importance that we recognize that 2 Chronicles 7:14 contains

a formula that can be used by God’s people to reverse His anger and judgment and

usher in a time of God’s blessing. 


When God’s Elect apply this formula and successfully fulfill the “IF, THEN, ELSE” conditions, our God is faithful to hear, answer and heal our Land.

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