Man's memory is selective, always forgetting the mistakes of predecessors, failing to learn from them, and keeping their eyes fixed on a small point: wanting to enjoy only a fleeting moment. Man's greatest problem is taking the things of this life as the goal of life, and the end will be very tragic.

Questions for reflection:

• Is your memory good? What things do you think remembering would lead to wise choices; what things would lead to wrong decisions?

• Seeing the tragic end of Jeroboam, why did Baasha, Zimri, Omri, and Ahab still make the same mistakes?

• If you were a king after Ahab, how would you manage Israel?

Man's Memory Is Selective

Man is very interesting. Looking back to the time of the Exodus, people complained about God right after eating the manna given by Jehovah. In my ministry, I have also seen people who have just experienced God. For example, a few days ago, I prayed for his neck, which had been hurting for a month, and he was healed. Then he said, Pastor, how come I have never experienced God? I looked at him and said, Didn't I just pray for you and you were healed a few days ago? Man's memory is very interesting. Man's memory is selective, and the choice lies within yourself. If you are a smart person, you will remember the things that lead you to make smart decisions. If you are a foolish person, you will often remember the things that make you make wrong decisions.

People Always Forget the End of Their Predecessors

This chapter is very interesting, as it keeps talking about usurpation and being killed. They do not remember how Jeroboam died. They only remember Jeroboam's glory during his twenty-two years as king. When it came to Baasha, everyone also saw bringing honor to their ancestors. Later, no one really knew or cared about how Baasha died, they just thought, I must also bring honor to my ancestors. As a result, Zimri had the opportunity to kill his king. After he killed him, he actually enjoyed those seven days of bringing honor to his ancestors until he immolated himself with fire. Then later came Omri, didn't he understand? In fact, he understood, but he just didn't remember.

Later, I discovered that man's memory is very interesting, it is a very spiritual thing. He just can't remember, his eyes only pay attention to those small places, looking at this small point, looking at that small point. In the end, he does not know how the king was killed. Actually, he deliberately chooses not to know. Such a person lives under a curse. At the end of this chapter, building Jericho was actually under a curse. People often do things that are cursed, and they don't even know it. I have also met a particularly strange kind of people, like the families of Omri, Zimri, Baasha, and Jeroboam, they all think they are making very smart decisions.

They think, Wouldn't anyone sitting in my position make the same decision? Just like Jeroboam considered, I can't let my people of Israel go to Judah to worship God. As a result, he immediately walked the path of Jeroboam. His thinking and memory are very, very strange. So I encourage everyone, when serving, don't be surprised when you encounter these things. A person living under a curse has a characteristic, which is that he doesn't remember many things, and he can't see them. He only sees such a small point, the moment of bringing honor to his ancestors.

The Biggest Problem People Face Is Setting Their Sights on Worldly Goals

Later, I came to realise that the biggest problem people face is setting their sights on worldly goals. Once they do that, it leads to dire consequences. It is the same with our generation now. Many people become wealthy and bring honour to their ancestors, so they indulge in feasting, drinking, and merrymaking, enjoying themselves to the fullest. But when disaster strikes, it is too late. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must reject the idea of “making worldly things the goal and purpose of life.” Once we yield to this idea, we will surely fall into blindness, unable to see anything else. One of our brothers told me that when he talked to his father, his father could only see “I want to buy a car” and could not listen to anything else. All he could see was a car. Then he would say, “You don’t understand me; only my good friend understands me.” Because his good friend agreed with him buying a car.

Focus on the End of Life, Emulate David, Value Eternal Life!

Once a person is trapped in “making worldly things the goal of life,” the end will surely be very miserable. Therefore, Proverbs says not to look at things so narrowly, only at the moment of bringing honour to ancestors, but to look at the end of one’s conduct. If the end of a person’s conduct is not good, then everything is in vain. For example, if a person lives well and brings honour to their ancestors, but in the end, they are sentenced to death with a reprieve, is that good? No, the end is not good. There are also people who, while alive, only indulge in eating, drinking, and merrymaking, flaunting these worldly things, but when they die, they die miserably, unwilling to die but forced to die, with their eyes wide open, gasping for breath. Do you think this person really lived a meaningful life? Not at all.

Therefore, I encourage everyone to begin to see through the life and death of this life. You see the end of Jeroboam’s family at a glance, but worldly people cannot see it. This Zimri, who reigned for seven days, was burned to death. If you ask him, “If you could do it all over again, would you make the same decision?” he would answer, “If I could do it all over again, I would still make the same decision.” How foolish is that! Being burned to death is no joke; it is a very painful way to die. Actually, the Bible emphasizes seeing the end of one’s conduct. When you see it, your mind will be clear, and you will let go of many things in the world.

I also encourage brothers and sisters to look at the end of people’s lives. Although we are still in the process of life today, I believe that if we emulate David, our end will surely be a good one. And when we finish the journey of life in this world, having seen through the life and death of this life, we will joyfully return to our Heavenly Father and enjoy the blessings of eternal life that God has given us!