Don’t Raise What God Erased!

Don’t raise what God erased!

1 King 16:34 “In his days, Hiel the Bethelite built Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of the life of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Joshua son of Nun.”

Someone said: “Proud aspiring men ruin one another, and involve others in the ruin!!” At times kids fall prey to the obnoxious aspirations of the parents! That’s what I am going to talk about today - the casualties involved in the insane decisions of a few! Don’t try to rebuild what God has brought down! I am speaking to someone out there! If God has said ‘no’ to a business proposal because of its shady deals and wrong associations, don’t venture to rebuild it again. If God had put barriers to your desires don’t transgress! If you disobey, you would be destroyed beyond repairs! Be careful!

Let me expound the above scripture and then come back to practical applications in our life. Omri looked at a beautiful hill with picturesque surroundings and the sheer opulence of that place was so dazzling that he immediately bought it and called it Samaria after the owner of that hill. The super success in the life of some people tempts us to follow suit and ape them, be careful! Omri, the founder of Samaria, had "wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him" (1 Kings 16:25); but the sins of his son Ahab were even greater. It was here on this hill that the most loathsome altars were built by his son Ahab for the pagan gods, read verse 32 ‘And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.’ As I read chapter sixteen of the first book of Kings, I found it was the most ‘dark period’ with God’s people deep into idol worship because of wrong leadership. Are you listening? Observe verse 34 “In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho..” It was during the time of leadership of Ahab that Hiel, one of the subjects of Ahab, dared to rebuild Jericho! You are who you hang around with! You cannot swim without getting wet! When you hang around day in and day out with the wrong people, it would sure rub off on you too!

Hiel watched Ahab and his dad Omri live a stylish, sumptuous and exciting life and the overflow of funds was used not to bless God Jehovah but these guys were building idol groves and leading the people of God to sin. Encouraged by this, Hiel dared to rebuild Jericho and disobeyed God’s Word and forgot the curse pronounced through his servant Joshua: Joshua 6:26 -- "Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it."

Alas! Hiel lost his eldest and youngest sons in the process of rebuilding Jericho! Look around and you would know how far from Christ we have strayed; we live in an eerie period of spiritual decline. Pride of accomplishment has become far more paramount than humbly obey His Word! Whatever you are hotly and passionately pursuing today and trying to rebuild, be it: relationship, job, career or business, I close with the same warning that I opened with; our best laid out plans can backfire if we have simply not waited for God’s approval. Let the Bible be your instruction manual!