2 Chron 12:6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is just."

 

This is quite a remarkable response from the people of Israel and King Rehoboam. To understand it we really need to look at the context. We are told: “After Rehoboam's position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the LORD.” (v.1). They gave up on God! Then we read: “Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD , Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam…he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.” (v.2,4). This was God's discipline, but He doesn't leave it there: “Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah …. and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says, `You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.” In other words the Lord doesn't leave any room for misunderstanding what has been happening: You are at fault, so I have disciplined you!

 

What is remarkable here, we can see now, is that the king and his people face up to their failure. They do not duck and dive and make excuses; they simply acknowledge that, “The Lord is just” or, if you like, the Lord is fair. They had it coming. They knew the Lord and they knew the covenant and they knew they had failed. A simple question: do we face up to our failings without excuses? A sign of spiritual maturity is the ability to face up to your failings quickly and acknowledge guilt so the Lord can deal with it.