The Root of the Problem

When all Israel realized that the king had refused to listen to them, they responded, “Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Back to your homes, O Israel! Look out for your own house, O David!” So the people of Israel returned home. But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah. —1 Kings 12:16-17 NLT

I recently noticed and have seen examples to the fact that there are times when a problem can appear to be one thing on the surface but, deep down, the root of the real issue is a stand alone dilemma that exists on its own. When we try fixing the problems before us without getting to the root of what has caused that problem in the first place, our efforts run the risk of being futile. The verses above tell of the turning point in Israel, when the northern tribes separated themselves from the house of David, the tribe of Judah. On the surface, this looks like a story about a king who refused to listen to his people, causing them to rebel. However, upon deeper inspection, we notice that the root of the problem was actually something completely different. Sometimes, the problems we see are rooted in things that cannot be seen at the time.

In the chapter before our reference verses take place, it was prophesied that someone else will become king over ten of the tribes of Israel, while a descendant of David would continue reigning over the house of David. The prophet stated this was distinctly because David’s son, King Solomon, had begun worshiping other gods while he was king. Because of this, it was prophesied that ten tribes of Israel would be separated from the “house of David,” not during Solomon’s reign as king but, during the reign of the next future king—King Solomon’s son, King Rehoboam. When this prophesy came to pass, our reference verses tell us of how the Israelites rebelled against King Rehoboam because he refused to listen to them as their king. The Bible then tells us that King Rehoboam even tried sending someone to try to help reconcile the Northern tribes back to his kingdom, but the Israelites stoned that man to death! 

Can you imagine how King Rehoboam must have blamed himself and his own actions for the things that were now happening to him and under his authority? Can we empathize with King Rehoboam and with how no matter what he did to try to fix the division in Israel, nothing worked—not knowing that it was his father’s decisions that were now reaping havoc in his own life without his knowledge? Similarly, naturally, and practically speaking, there are also so many other examples in this world of people who biologically, spiritually, emotionally, financially, and mentally suffer because of decisions made by people around them or people who came before them. (As a side note, this is why I often advise others to stay away from those whose actions are prideful. Proverbs 16:18 says “pride goes before destruction” and I often say as a reminder that destruction does not discriminate. It destroys anyone and anything surrounding it, affecting more than just the person or people who started it.)

It is so important for us, not only to pray against but, also to take cautionary steps that deliver us from destruction happening around us (or to us) as a result of decisions made by others. Once again, these are things that can be affecting our lives biologically, spiritually, emotionally, financially, mentally, etc. We were born into a world that was full of chaos before we even got here and will continue to be filled with chaos after we leave. While this does not absolve us from the consequences brought on by our own actions, it does give us a reminder of how important it is to naturally and spiritually seek to be freed from anything negative that is present in our lives due to the actions of others. We must take the necessary steps to dissociate ourselves from negativity in every area of our lives; be it in our mind, body (health), and/or soul.

Lots of Love, XO