A lot of Bible men and women spent time in Egypt before they served the Lord. Moses, Jeremiah, and even Jesus all came “out of Egypt” before doing things for God’s kingdom. We can add Jeroboam to that list. He came back from hiding in Egypt to serve as king of the Northern Kingdom. Sometimes serving God means waiting for the right time to do His will.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
You will likely be able to answer this question easily as you read more about the reign of Jeroboam in 1 Kings. You’ll see that Jeroboam made many poor choices and acted against God during his reign, but God used him and Rehoboam in order to unfold a bigger plan He had for His chosen people, the Israelites. God can use all kinds of people to do His will.
Look at the map of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Find answers to these questions:
Which kingdom seemed to have more land?
Which kingdom do you think had a better location? Why?
Where is Jerusalem located?
Which kingdom had the longer sea coast?
Dear Lord, help me to be ready to serve You at the right time. Amen.