Dear Jedidah

DEAR JEDIDIAH: THE BELOVED OF THE LORD

2 Samuel 12:25 (KJV) And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

Here, we see the second offspring of the union between David and Bathsheba being introduced in a special light. The Lord has had mercy on King David and forgiven him for the grievous sin of adultery and murder. 

He has been washed after a sincere repentance, and therefore, what proceeds from him is a seed that is not corrupted. 

What's more? The Lord has taken a special likening to this child. 

Romans 9:13 (KJV) As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

The Lord, although he slew the first child, has decided to show this new seed mercy. His parents name him 'Solomon', a name the entire world still reckons as belonging to the wealthiest and wisest man who ever lived on earth. 

However, God, through the mouth of the prophet Nathan His servant, gives this son a new name, gives him a brand new identity, gives him a special tag and brands him as the Lord's beloved.

JEDIDIAH. Because of the Lord. 

Oh, how wonderful, how beautiful it is to be called of the Lord. And this is the heritage of everyone who has been redeemed—being called of the Lord.

The Lord specially chose you, just as he chose Solomon. You had no qualification to warrant such as great honour as to be named by the Lord of the Universe. Just like Solomon, you might have been the offspring that in the eyes of external observers was a bastard. Just like Solomon, you were once a nobody. 

But, God disregarded the ideas of men and chose you as His. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 45:4 (KJV) For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

Isaiah 43:1 (KJV) But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

Not only did God name Jedidiah. He also made him to carry that great mandate that had been a burning desire in the heart of King David. God bypassed all the other sons of David and chose this outcast, this little boy who's mother was half a queen, and chose him beforehand to be the instrument he would use to build the magnificent Temple of the Lord. 

1 Chronicles 28:6 (KJV) And he said unto me, Solomon thy son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

In like manner, as an addition to the new name the Lord has given you, He has called you for His own purpose, to build yourself up as a living temple so He can dwell in you. 

Jedidiah started quite well. The Bible records that the Lord appeared to him twice. 

In fact, he was extremely successful by the standards of the world. He had an unparalleled wisdom that made even the Queen of Sheba come all the way from the South just to hear him speak. His kingdom was thriving and peaceful all his days. He had surplus wealth so much that silver and gold was considered as nothing in his time. 

But, did he end well?

You probably already know how the story goes of his slow decline. 

1 Kings 11:1-4, 6, 9 (KJV) But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;

Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.

And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,

His love for the things of the world began to steal his heart away from God. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life swayed him away from God's true love.

It hurt God that the one he had invested so much in could abandon and desert him so easily. It was such a shame, but God, being the God of justice, cannot go against His word. 

Dear Jedidiah, 

Yes, this is a plea to you, O beloved of the Lord. 

Examine yourself.

What are you married to? 

What are you yoked with in an ungodly union that has taken your eyes of love away from God?

What are you treasuring above God? 

What has become an idol that you now worship in the replacement for God who made you?

 

The most dangerous part is that these things are very innocuous-looking and hard to detect. It could be anything. Maybe money, fame, social media praise, TV or even a person.

Remember that all these things will pass away and never return. Only the love of God is true and real.

Dear Jedidiah, have you abandoned the call of God over your life to chase after the ephemeral pleasures that this world has to offer?

Have you forgotten your identity in Christ? 

When was the last time the Lord appeared and spoke to you? Does it even bother you that you're becoming old and insensitive to spiritual things?

Here is the good news: If you realize that you have strayed or are gradually straying away from the ancient path, away from your first true love, it is not to late to repent and run back into His arms.

The Lord is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy. He will receive those who return to Him humbly. 

What saved King David was that he knew the secret of repentance. He also got swayed at a point by the beauty of a woman. But when God's judgement came, he quickly humbled himself instead of justifying his actions. 

Had it been that Solomon also turned back from his evil ways, he would perhaps also have ended well. 

Do not let your status as the beloved of the Lord be a past tense story. Don't be the one who was formerly on the top of God's list but now is despised by the Lord. Don't let Heaven weep over your life like the lamentation that was raised over Lucifer, son of the morning who rebelled and became Satan, that old serpent. 

Repent and return back to your first love, the Lord your redeemer, O Jedidiah.