During the Joseon Dynasty, there was the an insular rebellion . He was a commander of the Pyeongan province, and after the Injo rebellion, he was dissatisfied with the royal family and successfully rebelled, but within 20 days, he was betrayed by a subordinate general and lost his life. Thats why we have the idiom 'short-lived rule'. Even in todays text, we have two kings who sat on the throne for a short time and then disappeared: Zechariah, who reigned for six months, and Salum, who reigned for one month. Today, lets look at the lives of these two kings to see what we need to know to avoid ending up with a 'one month kingdom.
First, there is the sin of rebellion against God.
Today, Jeroboam II, king of northern Israel, dies and his son Zechariah ascends to the throne. Jeroboam, the third generation of Jehus line, had heard that God had told Jehu that he would have four generations of his descendants after him on the throne, but he didnt believe God, and he was worried that the next dynasty would be the last, and he was afraid that Jehus dynasty would fail and be forgotten. So, he named his son Zechariah, which means 'the Lord remembers.' But even with that good name, Zechariah does evil, following in his ancestors footsteps, and he doesnt turn back. He has a six-month grace period, but he doesnt know what to do with the mediocrity of evil, and he misses his last chance. Thinking he still has money and power he commits the foolishness of knowing and not leaving evil behind. Zechariahs story ends with the rebellion of his confidant, Shallum, son of Jabez. Treason always hits close to home, so 'I didnt see you coming' shouldnt be in our lexicon as believers. Rather, 'I knew you would. Salum struck Zechariah to death in front of the people, a death of extraordinary violence, a public execution in front of the people. Jeroboams sin is idolatry in a nutshell, which is rebellion against God, and yet this evil has become so commonplace that no one thinks of it as evil. The reason God gives us this incomprehensible event of rebellion is to make us reflect on our own sin of rebellion against God. The suffering of being rebelled against is an opportunity God gives me to turn away from Jeroboams sin. I believe that if we interpret any suffering well, we will live for eternity, not just a month and a day.
Second, human justification goes about one month.
Zechariahs reign was recorded as it was written, and the dynasty of Jehu ended in the fourth generation. Neither he nor his descendants listened to the future tribulation that God told Jehu about, and so he died after six months of wasted time. Salum was able to incite the people to publicly stampede and kill Zechariah, but his reign lasted only a month and a day, a month and a day of power that was won in the name of right and wrong and human causes. No matter how good a cause is, a cause without God is only one month. Human cause is the claim of I am right, and we dont seek God because we build up our own side and become popular. We bet our lives on this kind of cause. The most powerful cause these days is human rights, but what we claim as human rights is my thoughts, my emotions, my feelings. This is the conclusion of the values that symbolize Salum. We must stop asserting our thoughts without the Word to avoid a life of fighting for a cause that ends in a month and a day. We must stop asserting our thoughts without the Word to avoid a life of fighting for a cause that ends in a month and a day. The Word is the only true cause.
Third, the wages of rebellion are rebellion.
Menahem, the son of Gad, was a very loyal general to Jeroboam the Great, and he said, I will get revenge on Salum! He made up his mind, sharpened his sword, rallied his forces against Salum, and a month later, he marched his army into Samaria and ambushed him. Salums rebellion succeeds so easily that he quickly becomes arrogant and fails to stop Menahems attack. Shallums life begins and ends with rebellion. No matter how good your cause, no matter how good your intentions, if you take up the sword against the hierarchy, you will always be rebellious. Order is too important. The cross is wisdom and timing. There is no 'in the sight of the Lord' in Salums life because he lived his life without regard to God.Salums life shows the typical human being who has left God. Dont be born a rebel who has left God and spend your life in rebellion, blaming others. I believe that the only way to live an eternal life is to obey Gods word today, to keep my place, and to labor for salvation.
Community confession is a sharing from the youth group. I got a part-time job through my professor, but I was underpaid by 80,000 won. I should have passed it off as a good experience, but I wanted to make up the 80,000 won, so I started gambling. He started with a small amount of money, but eventually borrowed up to 10 million won and had a negative bank account of 3 million won. He couldnt afford it, so he opened up to his family, his pastor, his girlfriend, and his ranch community. His family had a meeting and instead of paying him back, they imposed three conditions: he had to open up to the community, go to psychiatric treatment until they deemed him to be clean, go to a mental therapy, and complete a parenting class. He was afraid to disclose his gambling in the nurturing mentor, but the minister convinced him that God would reveal it through the case, so He had the courage to disclose it in the last hour of the nurturing teacher. He sinned, but He survived because He has a family and a community. Everyone gambles and goes into debt dreaming of a month in the world, but if we just share it with the community, it becomes lighter like this.
What you need to know to not end up with a month of glory is that we have rebelled against God. We may have human reasons, but they are only valid for a month. I hope you will be one of those who ask God to give you a justification in His Word, not to forsake Him for the glory of a month.
