Thursday in Epiphany

26Verse 26. Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king, 27Verse 27. and this is the account of his rebellion against the king. Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his father David. 28Verse 28. Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph. 29Verse 29. During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field. 30Verse 30. And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces, 31Verse 31. and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes. 32Verse 32. But one tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 33Verse 33. For they have forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments, as Solomon’s father David did. 34Verse 34. Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David My servant, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and statutes. 35Verse 35. But I will take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you. 36Verse 36. I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name. 37Verse 37. But as for you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel. 38Verse 38. If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39Verse 39. Because of this, I will humble David’s descendants — but not forever.’” 40Verse 40. Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until the death of Solomon.

12Verse 12. Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord, 13Verse 13. I had no peace in my spirit, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. 14Verse 14. But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly as captives in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. 15Verse 15. For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16Verse 16. To the one we are an odor that brings death, to the other a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task? 17Verse 17. For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.