Accept a "no" is a sign of maturity!

Hear "no" is part of life. After all, things do not always go as we would like. But there are those who uphold this fact a good, while others simply can not handle it.

"The acceptance has to do with how the person was created. If from small reached everything that wanted without going through major frustrations and without heed the 'no' necessary, the person grows waiting for the world to tell you 'yes' . it gets very disappointed if there is the opposite, "says Marina Vasconcellos psychologist, family therapist and couple the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp).

When parents do not set limits, the lowest grows with his/her distorted perception of self and others. Will always be concerned about their interests and desires, without seeing how it affects the environment. The tendency will be to relate to individuals who submit to his /her personality, as well as educators did.

"And in relationships, will have difficulties by the inability to empathize, that is, put yourself in the other and achieve what their role and the relevant boundaries in a relationship," adds Miriam Barros psychologist, a specialist in family therapy, psychodrama and coaching. In other words, there is a great influence of permissive parents and protectors who gave everything easily to the child, not putting limits needed on many occasions.

sign of immaturity

The opposite is also true, though more rare: those who received many negative childhood can grow wanting to try only "yes" for the shake of the head from one side to the other brings bad memories of the past. This is the case of parents that other children stunted in situations where it would be imperative to act so strictly.

In this sense, to listen "not" would then be a sign of growth. It reveals, for example, that we are aware that there are difficult or impossible achievements, and must have patience in many moments of life. And most of all, how much is necessary to deal and endure the frustrations.

"The person who created shows within itself the power to deal with setbacks and thus gain internal mechanisms to resolve conflicts that daily life presents. And all this without nonconformity or despair, without undue anger, without unnecessary fights. Becomes an affordable, tolerant human being, who knows negotiate, whose living is in a quiet way, "considers Vasconcellos.

arrogance latent

Who has not developed this ability is likely to become an arrogant and authoritarian person who wants things his/her way, imposing situations to others without putting yourself in their place. "From immature personality, will be seen by others as someone selfish, inflexible, 'owner of the world', always difficult to handle," said Miriam Barros. There will be resistance to obey orders, follow rules, to respect other people's space. And all this will probably be reflected in various areas of life: work, friends and loving relationships.

At the other end of the arrogant, may be someone who doubts the own ability and their potential each time it receives a "no". It is as if he/she 'refuse me it is because I am not fit, better give up, do not know to do it right'. "One way or another, there is a lack of preparation for the frustration and hence the immaturity," says family therapist Marina Vasconcellos.

FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW LISTEN "NO"

Stop and think before reacting. "The first thing to do to begin to accept not, is to change the way of thinking about the world and people," says Miriam Barros

Understand that not always things will be "your way". "And that suffering is part of life and life takes work," says therapist

Try to respect their peers when they tell you not

Consider why people who live with you call it inflexible, proud and authoritative. "Would not it be better to change their behavior and make more positive adjectives? Qualities appreciated by everyone?" Asks Marina Vasconcellos

Repeat to yourself that the world does not revolve around you. People are not required to serve you at the time you want and the way you want

Finally, believe that accepting the negative is challenging and stimulating for growth. "Certainly, will be leading to a more consistent personal development," concludes Vasconcellos

Source: Uol science and health - Wellness

Aceitar um "não" é sinal de maturidade!

Ouvir "não" faz parte da vida. Afinal, nem sempre as coisas caminham como gostaríamos. Mas há quem acolha tal fato numa boa, enquanto outros simplesmente não conseguem lidar com isso.

"A aceitação tem a ver com o modo como a pessoa foi criada. Se desde pequena alcançava tudo o que queria, sem passar por grandes frustrações e sem acatar os ‘nãos’ necessários, a pessoa cresce esperando que o mundo lhe diga ‘sim’. E fica muito desapontada caso ocorra o contrário", salienta a psicóloga Marina Vasconcellos, terapeuta familiar e de casal pela Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp).

Quando os pais não impõem limites, o menor cresce com uma percepção distorcida dele mesmo e dos outros. Estará sempre preocupado com seus interesses e suas vontades, sem enxergar o quanto isso afeta o entorno. A tendência será se relacionar com indivíduos que se submetam à sua personalidade, assim como os educadores o fizeram.

"E, nos relacionamentos, terá dificuldades pela incapacidade de sentir empatia, isto é, de se colocar no lugar do outro e alcançar qual o seu papel e as fronteiras relevantes em uma relação", acrescenta a psicóloga Miriam Barros, especialista em terapia familiar, psicodrama e coaching. Em outras palavras, é grande a influência de pais permissivos e protetores que deram tudo facilmente para a criança, não colocando os limites necessários em muitas ocasiões.

Sinal de imaturidade

O oposto também é verdadeiro, embora mais raro: aqueles que receberam muitas negativas na infância podem crescer querendo experimentar somente o "sim", pois o balançar de cabeça de um lado para o outro traz lembranças ruins do passado. É o caso de progenitores que tolheram demais os filhos em situações em que não seria imperativo agir com tanto rigor.

Nesse sentido, saber ouvir "não" seria, então, um sinal de crescimento. Revela, por exemplo, que temos consciência de que há conquistas difíceis ou impossíveis, sendo obrigatório ter paciência em muitos momentos da vida. E, mais que tudo, o quanto é imprescindível lidar e suportar as frustrações.

"A pessoa mostra que criou dentro de si a faculdade de lidar com as contrariedades e, dessa forma, ganha mecanismos internos para resolver conflitos que o cotidiano apresente. E tudo isso sem inconformismo ou desespero, sem raivas impróprias, sem brigas desnecessárias. Torna-se um ser humano acessível, tolerante, que sabe negociar, cujo convívio é de certa forma tranquilo", considera Vasconcellos.

Arrogância latente

Quem não desenvolveu tal habilidade tem grandes chances de virar um indivíduo arrogante e autoritário, que quer as coisas do seu jeito, impondo situações aos outros sem se colocar no lugar deles. "De personalidade imatura, será visto pelos demais como alguém egoísta, inflexível, ‘dono do mundo’, sempre difícil de lidar", destaca Miriam Barros. Haverá resistência para obedecer ordens, seguir regras, respeitar o espaço alheio. E tudo isso provavelmente se refletirá em várias áreas da vida: trabalho, amigos e relacionamentos amorosos.

No outro extremo do arrogante, pode estar alguém que duvida da própria capacidade e de seu potencial cada vez que recebe um" não". É como se pensasse ‘se me negam isso, é porque não sou apto, melhor desistir, não sei fazer direito’. "De um jeito ou de outro, existe o despreparo para a frustração e, consequentemente, a imaturidade", diz a terapeuta familiar Marina Vasconcellos.

PARA QUEM NÃO SABE OUVIR "NÃO"

Pare e pense antes de reagir. "A primeira atitude a tomar, para começar a aceitar o não, é mudar a forma de pensar sobre o mundo e as pessoas", diz Miriam Barros

Entenda que nem sempre as coisas serão "do seu jeito". "E que sofrer faz parte da existência e viver dá trabalho", diz a terapeuta

Procure respeitar seus semelhantes quando eles lhe dizem não

Reflita por que as pessoas que convivem com você o chamam de inflexível, orgulhoso e autoritário. "Não seria muito melhor mudar seu comportamento e ganhar adjetivos mais positivos? Qualidades apreciadas por todos?", pergunta Marina Vasconcellos

Repita para si mesmo que o mundo não gira em torno de você. As pessoas não são obrigadas a atendê-lo na hora em que você quer e da maneira que deseja

Por fim, acredite que aceitar as negativas é algo desafiador e estimulante para seu crescimento. "Com certeza, será preponderante para um desenvolvimento pessoal mais consistente", conclui Vasconcellos

Fonte: Ciencias e saúde - Bem estar

The Invisible World of Women - Page 38

Today my client called to the office so I just arrived, he was a little nervous, the Federal Police agent who would talk to me tomorrow, will have a due diligence to do in the city where I was born, Feira de Santana. His brother called him at four o'clock morning to warn ...

I asked him to have calm, that everything was going the way it has to happen.

I laughed when he told me:  speak to me more, I love hearing you talk ...

And I explained how important is we keep the faith, do not lose that connection with God, I told him the day I had to go to the dental clinic, and the place is horrible to find a place to park, by the way, I had talked to my dentist about it, I thought of stopping treatment.

As always, I turned to the one who could help me, God ... for the fourth time after that I found my place, as if it had been guarded by angels to me ....

On the first day, cars was parked to every side of the street, my car is large, it gives me a bit of work to find vacancies, just before the hill start, I looked to the left and there it was, believe me, never pulled so ease there. lol, I left the car with a heart full of joy, I cried a lot ...

On the second day  when I came back, I had changed all the tires, and when I stopped in front of a house, I heard a voice of a woman saying, do not leave your car there, the owner of the house will cut all four tires with a knife .. .it was the neighbor who lived across the street ... I thought, and now Father, what do I do? I turned on the car already ready to leave she asked me where I was going, I said I was making a dental treatment at the clinic on that street, and I was already looking elsewhere, because of the difficulty of having no where to stop the car when she told me put It here in front of my garage .... right there,  my tears fell again, forgot my appointment and I told to her what I'm telling you guys, the her eyes flashed and she opened a smile and said, I believe, I replied laughing, You can believe, you just be used by God.

And so the third time I put my car in front of her door again, and in the fourth He booked almost in front of the clinic, I laughed and thanked Him ....

After telling all this to my client, I finished explaining that we are all connected with God and with each other, this connection is lost with any feeling that is not worthy of our Father .... I have exercised and I would love that each of you do the same, my client assured me that he will ...

The first thing we need is faith, it is not because something you wanted to happen did not happen, You will give up or stop believing, calm, this is the first step, trust in our Father, it has to make you feel light, as if everything had been resolved, and put the problem in His hands, we can not take off from Him.

So, I hope ... who knows our Dad has no other ending to this story?

Page 38

O MUNDO INVISÍVEL DE UMA MULHER - Página 38

Hoje o meu cliente ligou para o escritório assim que acabei de chegar, estava um pouco nervoso, a agente da Polícia Federal que iria conversar comigo amanhã, terá uma diligência pra fazer na cidade onde nasci, Feira de Santana. O irmão dele ligou às quatro da manhã para o avisar... 

Pedi a ele que tivesse calma, que tudo estava acontecendo da maneira que tem que acontecer. 

Eu ri, quando ele me respondeu, fala mais, adoro ouvir você falar... 

E eu expliquei o quanto é importante a gente se manter na fé, não perder essa conexão com Deus, contei para ele o dia em que eu tinha que ir  para a clínica odontológica e o lugar é horrível para achar uma vaga para estacionar, por sinal já havia conversado com a minha dentista a respeito disso, pensei em parar o tratamento. 

Como sempre, recorri a o único que poderia me ajudar, Deus... pela quarta vez depois disso encontrei a minha vaga, como se tivesse sido guardada por anjos pra mim....

No primeiro dia, carros estacionados para todos os lado, o meu carro é grande, ele me dá um pouco de trabalho para encontrar vagas, um pouco antes da ladeira começar olhei para o lado esquerdo e lá estava ela, acreditem, nunca estacionei com tanta facilidade naquele lugar. rsrsrs, saí do carro com o coração cheio de alegria, chorei muito...  

No segundo dia em que voltei, havia trocado todos os pneus, e quando parei na frente de uma casa, ouvi uma voz de uma mulher dizer, não deixe seu carro aí, a proprietária da casa vai cortar os quatro pneus com uma faca...era a vizinha que morava em frente... pensei, e agora Pai, o que faço? Liguei o carro já pronta para sair ela me perguntou, pra onde eu estava indo, eu respondi que estava fazendo um tratamento de dente na clínica naquela rua, e que já estava procurando outro lugar, por causa dessa dificuldade de não ter onde parar o carro, quando ela me disse, bote aqui na frente da minha garagem.... ali mesmo minhas lágrimas caíram mais uma vez, esqueci completamente da minha hora marcada e fui contar a ela o que estou contando pra vocês, os olhinhos dela brilharam, abriu um sorriso e disse, eu creio, rindo eu respondi, creia, você acabou de ser usada por Deus.

E foi assim, na terceira vez coloquei na porta dela novamente, e na quarta Ele reservou uma quase na frente da clínica, eu ri e agradeci.... 

Depois de contar tudo isso para o meu cliente, eu finalizei explicando que nós todos estamos conectados com Deus e uns com os outros, essa conexão é perdida com qualquer sentimento que não seja digno do nosso Pai....eu tenho exercitado e gostaria muito que cada um de vocês fizessem o mesmo, ele me garantiu que vai...

A primeira coisa que precisamos é ter fé, não é porque algo que você queria que acontecesse não aconteceu, que vai desistir ou deixar de acreditar, calma, esse é o primeiro passo, a confiança em nosso Pai tem que te fazer sentir leve, como se tudo já tivesse resolvido, e se colocamos o problema nas mãos Dele, não podemos tirar.

Assim, eu espero... quem sabe Ele não tenha um outro final para essa história?

Página 38

Open my eyes that I understand your trials ....

Jeremiah Complains to the Lord

1 Whenever I complain to you, Lord, you are always fair.

But now I have questions about your justice. Why is life easy for sinners? Why are they successful?

2 You plant them like trees; you let them prosper and produce fruit.

Yet even when they praise you, they don't mean it.

3 But you know, Lord, how faithful I've always been, even in my thoughts.

So drag my enemies away and butcher them like sheep!

4 How long will the ground be dry and the pasturelands parched?

The birds and animals are dead and gone.

And all of this happened because the people are so sinful.

They even brag, “God can't see the sins we commit.”One ancient translation; Hebrew “He won't live to see what happens to us.”'

The Lord Answers Jeremiah

5 Jeremiah, if you get tired in a race against people, how can you possibly run against horses? If you fall in open fields, what will happen in the forest along the Jordan River?

6 Even your own family has turned against you.

They act friendly, but don't trust them.

They're out to get you, and so is everyone else.

The Lord Is Furious with His People 

7 I loved my people and chose them as my very own.

But now I will reject them and hand them over to their enemies.

8 My people have turned against me and roar at me like lions.

That's why I hate them.

9 My people are like a hawk  surrounded and attacked by other hawks.'

Tell the wild animals to come and eat their fill.

10 My beautiful land is ruined like a field or a vineyard trampled by shepherds and stripped bare by their flocks.

11 Every field I see lies barren, and no one cares.

12 A destroying army marches along desert roads and attacks everywhere.

They are my deadly sword; no one is safe from them.

13 My people, you planted wheat, but because I was furious, I let only weeds grow.

You wore yourselves out and gained only shame!

The Lord Will Have Pity on Other Nations

14 The Lord said:

I gave this land to my people Israel, but enemies around it have attacked and robbed it. So I will uproot them from their own countries just as I will uproot Judah from its land. 15 But later, I will have pity on these nations and bring them back to their own lands. 16 They once taught my people to worship Baal. But if they admit I am the only true God, and if they let my people teach them how to worship me, these nations will also become my people. 17 However, if they don't listen to me, I will uproot them from their lands and completely destroy them. I, the Lord, have spoken.

Devocional Comments:

As a journalist in Russia, I have had the opportunity to cross paths with some of the country’s wealthiest and most powerful business leaders. These millionaires are intelligent, astute and insightful. Some are even self-professed Christians. But many of these wealthy people have built their fortunes through ruthless tactics including theft and murder. Their public lives might be the object of envy, but their personal lives are being destroyed by their immoral tactics.

Sometimes I wonder why these leaders of industry have received such prosperity. Why does God allow them to possess and squander money that someone else would use, to say, construct a church building and feed the hungry?

Jeremiah asked a similar question in Chapter 12: “Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; they grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind (vs. 1, 2).

There’s nothing wrong with questioning God’s judgments. Remember how Abraham questioned God’s decision to destroy wicked Sodom? Abraham pointedly asked, “Suppose there were 50 righteous within the city, would you also destroy the place?” (Gen. 18:24). When the Lord said He would save the city for the sake of 50 righteous residents, Abraham dropped the number of people to 45, and then 40, 30, 20 and finally to 10. The Lord said He would withhold His judgment for the sake of just 10 people.

God welcomes questions and the chance that they provide to show His love and mercy. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7).

Prayer: “Dear God, I don’t understand why the wicked prosper while the righteous fall on hard times. I don’t understand why a wicked person may live to the age of 90 while a righteous person may die young. But I am glad that You are willing to listen to me and discuss my questions. Open my eyes as I seek to understand Your judgments, and keep my faith in You strong. Amen.”

Andrew McChesney

Journalist in Russia.

This text caught my attention, as I read it seemed that my eyes were being opened clarifying what I have always supported my father never wrong, I ask Him to give me the words in His time so I can take you a more clearly to the pages of my life.

Rosa Soares

Abra os meus olhos para que eu entenda os teus julgamentos....

Jeremias faz perguntas a Deus

1— Ó Senhor Deus, se eu discutisse esse meu caso contigo, tu provarias que estás com a razão. Mas eu preciso te fazer algumas perguntas sobre a tua justiça. Por que os maus ficam ricos? Por que os desonestos conseguem sucesso? 2 Tu os plantas, e as suas raízes se firmam; eles crescem e produzem fruto. Vivem sempre falando bem de ti, mas na verdade não se importam contigo. 3 Mas tu, ó Senhor, me conheces; tu vês o que estou fazendo e sabes como te amo. Ó Senhor, arrasta essa gente como ovelhas para o matadouro; separa-os para o dia da matança. 4 Por quanto tempo a nossa terra ficará seca? Até quando o capim murchará em todos os pastos? Os animais e as aves estão morrendo por causa da maldade dos moradores da terra, que dizem: “Deus não vê o que estamos fazendo.”

5 Deus respondeu:

— Jeremias, se você se cansa apostando corrida com os homens, como é que vai correr mais do que os cavalos? Se você não se sente seguro numa terra de paz, como é que vai conseguir viver nas matas do rio Jordão? 6 Até os seus irmãos, gente da sua própria família, são traidores. Todos eles criticam você pelas costas. Não confie neles, ainda que venham com conversa de amigo.

Deus fica triste com o seu povo

7 O Senhor disse: “Abandonei o meu povo e rejeitei a nação que escolhi.

Entreguei o povo que eu amo na mão dos seus inimigos.

8 O meu povo escolhido virou contra mim como um leão na floresta.

Eles gritaram contra mim, e por isso eu os detesto.

9 O meu povo escolhido é como um pássaro atacado de todos os lados por gaviões.

Venham, animais selvagens, venham tomar parte na festa!

10 Muitos governadores estrangeiros destruíram a minha plantação de uvas, pisaram os meus campos e fizeram da minha linda terra um deserto.

11 Arrasaram a terra, e ela está abandonada diante de mim.

A terra toda virou um deserto, mas ninguém se importa.

12 Em todos os morros do deserto, apareceram homens para assaltar os outros.

Eu mandei a guerra para destruir o país inteiro; ninguém pode viver em paz.

13 O meu povo plantou trigo e colheu espinhos; trabalhou muito, porém não ganhou nada.

Por causa do fogo da minha ira, as suas colheitas fracassaram.”

Os povos vizinhos de Israel

14 O Senhor Deus disse:

— Agora, vou falar sobre os vizinhos maus de Israel que arruinaram a terra que eu dei ao meu povo. Levarei essa gente para longe das suas terras, como se fossem plantas arrancadas. E tirarei o povo de Judá do meio deles. 15 Mas, depois de levá-los para longe, terei pena deles e trarei cada nação de volta para a sua terra, para o seu país. 16 Eu quero que eles aceitem de todo o coração a religião do meu povo. Quero que aprendam a dizer: “Juro pelo Senhor, o Deus vivo” — assim como no passado eles ensinaram o meu povo a jurar pelo deus Baal. Se fizerem isso, eles também farão parte do meu povo e terão sucesso. 17 Mas eu arrancarei pelas raízes e destruirei completamente qualquer nação que não quiser obedecer. Eu, o Senhor, falei.

Comentário devocional:

Como jornalista na Rússia, tenho tido a oportunidade de me encontrar com alguns dos mais ricos e poderosos homens de negócio do país. Esses milionários são inteligentes, astutos e perspicazes. Alguns até mesmo professam o cristianismo. Mas muitas dessas pessoas ricas construíram suas fortunas através de táticas cruéis, incluindo roubo e assassinato. Suas vidas públicas podem ser objeto de inveja, mas suas vidas pessoais estão sendo destruídas por suas táticas imorais.

Às vezes me pergunto por que esses líderes da indústria receberam tanta prosperidade. Por que Deus permite que eles possuam e desperdicem dinheiro que poderia ser usado, por exemplo, para construir igrejas e alimentar os famintos?

Jeremias fez uma pergunta semelhante no capítulo 12: “Tu és justo, Senhor, quando apresento uma causa diante de Ti. Contudo, eu gostaria de discutir contigo sobre a Tua justiça. Por que o caminho dos ímpios prospera? Por que todos os traidores vivem sem problemas? Tu os plantaste, e eles criaram raízes; crescem e dão fruto. Tu estás sempre perto dos seus lábios, mas longe dos seus corações” (v. 1, 2 NVI).

Não há nada de errado em questionar os caminhos de Deus. Deus acolhe nossos questionamentos como oportunidades dEle revelar o Seu amor e misericórdia: “Peçam, e lhes será dado; busquem e encontrarão; batam, e a porta lhes será aberta”(Mat. 7:7 NVI).

Oração: “Querido Deus, eu não entendo por que ímpios prosperam, enquanto justos passam por dificuldades. Eu não consigo entender por que uma pessoa má vive até os 90 anos de idade, enquanto uma pessoa justa morre jovem. Mas estou feliz porque estás disposto a me ouvir e a dialogar sobre minhas perguntas. Abre meus olhos enquanto procuro entender os Teus juízos e mantenha firme a minha fé em Ti. Amém”.

Andrew McChesney

Jornalista na Rússia.

Este texto me chamou muito à atenção, enquanto eu lia parecia que os meus olhos estavam sendo abertos esclarecendo o que sempre defendi, meu Pai nunca erra, peço a Ele que me dê as palavras no tempo Dele para que eu possa leva-lo de uma forma mais clara para as páginas da minha vida.

Rosa Soares

What Do We Allow to Drag Us Away from GOD?

Solomon Disobeys the Lord

1-2   The Lord did not want the Israelites to worship foreign gods, so he had warned them not to marry anyone who was not from Israel.

Solomon loved his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt. But he also loved some women from Moab, Ammon, and Edom, and others from Sidon and the land of the Hittites. 3-4Seven hundred of his wives were daughters of kings, but he also married 300 other women.

As Solomon got older, some of his wives led him to worship their gods. He wasn't like his father David, who had worshiped only the Lord God. 5Solomon also worshiped Astarte the goddess of Sidon, and Milcom the disgusting god of Ammon. 6Solomon's father had obeyed the Lord with all his heart, but Solomon disobeyed and did what the Lord hated.

7Solomon built shrines on a hill east of Jerusalem to worship Chemosh the disgusting god of Moab, and Molech the disgusting god of Ammon. 8In fact, he built a shrine for each of his foreign wives, so all of them could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their own gods.

9-10The Lord God of Israel had appeared to Solomon two times and warned him not to worship foreign gods. But Solomon disobeyed and did it anyway. This made the Lord very angry, 11and he said to Solomon:

You did what you wanted and not what I told you to do. Now I'm going to take your kingdom from you and give it to one of your officials. 12But because David was your father, you will remain king as long as you live. I will wait until your son becomes king, then I will take the kingdom from him. 13When I do, I will still let him rule one tribe, because I have not forgotten that David was my servant and Jerusalem is my chosen city.

Hadad Becomes an Enemy of Solomon

14Hadad was from the royal family of Edom, and here is how the Lord made him Solomon's enemy:

15-16Some time earlier, when David conquered the nation of Edom, Joab his army commander went there to bury those who had died in battle. Joab and his soldiers stayed in Edom six months, and during that time they killed every man and boy who lived there.

17-19Hadad was a boy at the time, but he escaped to Midian with some of his father's officials. At Paran some other men joined them, and they went to the king of Egypt. The king liked Hadad and gave him food, some land, and a house, and even let him marry the sister of Queen Tahpenes. 20Hadad and his wife had a son named Genubath, and the queen let the boy grow up in the palace with her own children.

21When Hadad heard that David and Joab were dead, he said to the king, “Your Majesty, please let me go back to my own country.”

22“Why?” asked the king. “Do you want something I haven't given you?”

“No, I just want to go home.”

Rezon Becomes an Enemy of Solomon

23Here is how God made Rezon son of Eliada an enemy of Solomon:

Rezon had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah. 24-25He formed his own small army and became its leader after David had defeated Hadadezer's troops. Then Rezon and his army went to Damascus, where he became the ruler of Syria and an enemy of Israel.

Both Hadad and Rezon were enemies of Israel while Solomon was king, and they caused him a lot of trouble.

The Lord Makes a Promise to Jeroboam

26Jeroboam was from the town of Zeredah in Ephraim. His father Nebat had died, but his mother Zeruah was still alive. Jeroboam was one of Solomon's officials, but even he rebelled against Solomon. 27Here is how it happened:

While Solomon's workers were filling in the land on the east side of Jerusalem and repairing the city walls, 28Solomon noticed that Jeroboam was a hard worker. So he put Jeroboam in charge of the work force from Manasseh and Ephraim.

29-30One day when Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, he met Ahijah, a prophet from Shiloh. No one else was anywhere around. Suddenly, Ahijah took off his new coat and ripped it into twelve pieces. 31Then he said:

Jeroboam, take ten pieces of this coat and listen to what the Lord God of Israel says to you. “Jeroboam, I am the Lord God, and I am about to take Solomon's kingdom from him and give you ten tribes to rule. 32But Solomon will still rule one tribe, since he is the son of David my servant, and Jerusalem is my chosen city.

33“Solomon and the Israelites are not like their ancestor David. They will not listen to me, obey me, or do what is right. They have turned from me to worship Astarte the goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of Ammon.

34“Solomon is David's son, and David was my chosen leader, who did what I commanded. So I will let Solomon be king until he dies. 35Then I will give you ten tribes to rule, 36but Solomon's son will still rule one tribe. This way, my servant David will always have a descendant ruling in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to be worshiped.

37“You will be king of Israel and will rule every nation you want. 38I'll help you if you obey me. And if you do what I say, as my servant David did, I will always let someone from your family rule in Israel, just as someone from David's family will always rule in Judah. The nation of Israel will be yours.

39“I will punish the descendants of David, but not forever.”

40When Solomon learned what the Lord had told Jeroboam, Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But he escaped to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon died.

Solomon Dies

(2 Chronicles 9.29-31)

41Everything else Solomon did while he was king is written in the book about him and his wisdom. 42After he had ruled 40 years from Jerusalem, 43he died and was buried there in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam then became king.

Devocional Comment:

What a contrast and a paradoxical situation between chapter 10 and 11.  From a time of glory and witness we are confronted with a time of apostasy and idolatry. It is very hard to understand how such a wise man, who talked with God and who had received all his intellectual and personal gifts from God would turn away from His statutes. The key to all this, is that he "loved many strange women." In the former chapter he is witnessing to a regal lady and the next he has been led astray by women!  It is well known that one woman can turn a man from following God, as well as one man can lead a woman to perdition.  And these were pagan women who took his heart away from God and led him to false gods. Solomon has seven hundred wives and princesses plus 300 concubines! He was aware of the command of God regarding intermarriage. It was so subtle that he did not realized that they were changing his heart.

We have seen many young people who disregard the counsel of their parents and pastors and associate with men and women who do not love the Lord. The majority of these relationships have been disastrous!  For a man like Solomon who had built a Temple for God he now follows Astoreth, the godess of love, and Milcom a chief god of the Ammonites.  God  who was so proud of Solomon and gave him so much wisdom became disappointed with him. It was because of David that the kingdom was not taken away from Solomon and he was able to lead the people for 40 years. 

We are able to see the consequences of Solomon's departure from God and His commandments! There was trouble in the land and this was stirred up by the Lord Himself. Hadad, from Edom, a young prince during the days of David ran away to Egypt and when he learned that David was dead he became a thorn in the flesh for Solomon. Another trouble maker for him was Rezon. Those who reject God's grace have to face the consequences, and when God takes away His protection it gives room for Satan to come in. Jeroboam was another problem for Solomon, without much hesitation Solomon trusted him for he was a man of valor and very capable, but he stood up against Solomon.  One day as Jeroboam left Jerusalem Ahijah the prophet met him on the road.  Jeroboam was wearing a new outer garment when Ahijah took it from Jeroboam and tore it into 12 pieces, representing the twelve tribes of Israel.  Ten tribes were to be given to Jeroboam and two to Solomon's son Rehoboam.  Here we see the result of sin and apostasy.  When Solomon died his kingdom was divided as the prophet had said.  Solomon's last days and his abandonment of God and His commandments resulted in a fragmented kingdom!

Leo Ranzolin

Retired GC Vice-President