Sunday, September 20, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: 2 Chronicles 8-13
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 109
Key Verse
2 Chronicles 10:16 — “And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents.”
Devotional Thought
The story of Solomon’s glory and Rehoboam’s folly is a warning about how quickly a good inheritance can be squandered. Solomon built store cities, fortified gates, and amassed gold until silver was “as stones” in Jerusalem. The Queen of Sheba came to test him with hard questions and left breathless, confessing that “the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me.” Yet by the end of his reign, Solomon’s heart had turned, and his son Rehoboam inherited a kingdom already fracturing. When the people begged for relief from their heavy yoke, Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men and answered roughly: “My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” In one arrogant sentence, he lost ten tribes. As you read this in late September, when the year’s work begins to show its harvest, consider what you are building. Are you building with wisdom that seeks God, or are you adding weight to others while ignoring the counsel of the wise?
The passage also shows how God’s purposes move through human failure. Rehoboam’s harshness was not outside God’s plan; the division had been foretold to Jeroboam. Yet Rehoboam was still responsible for his pride. When he finally humbled himself, the Levites and faithful Israelites came to him, and Judah was strengthened for three years “for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.” But then, “when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD.” Prosperity became his downfall. This is a sobering pattern: strength without humility, success without obedience, and abundance without gratitude.
Psalm 109 sits alongside this reading with a different tone. The psalmist cries out against lying tongues and those who return hatred for his love. He gives himself to prayer, asking God to act because “thy mercy is good.” He does not pretend the wound is small: “I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.” There is a place for honest lament. But the psalm also warns us not to become the wicked man who “remembered not to shew mercy.” Rehoboam forgot mercy and lost a kingdom; the psalmist asks God to remember mercy and save him.
So what does this ask of you today? It asks you to weigh your words, especially when you have power over others. It asks you to seek counsel, to remember the poor and needy, and to guard your heart when things go well. And it invites you to bring your wounds to God in prayer rather than repaying evil for evil. The God who gave Solomon wisdom and who heard the psalmist’s cry is the same God who hears you.
Reflection
- Where in your life has God blessed you with strength or success, and are you still walking in humble obedience as you did when you first sought Him?
- When someone has wronged you, do you give yourself to prayer as the psalmist did, or do you answer roughly and add to their yoke?
Prayer
O God of my praise, hold not thy peace on my behalf. I confess that I have sometimes answered others roughly and forgotten the mercy I have received. Forgive me for the pride that grows in seasons of strength. Teach me to seek wise counsel, to speak good words to those who look to me, and to remember the poor and needy. When my heart is wounded, let me give myself unto prayer, trusting in Thy good mercy. Help me to walk in the way of David and Solomon, not forsaking Thy law when I am established, but building every day upon the foundation of Thy faithfulness. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 109:1 — “Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;”