2 Chronicles 11

Let’s face it. Rehoboam got off to an awful start as king. He alienated just about everyone that could be alienated. Then, he tried to start a war in order to get back the land and tribes that he had lost. God warned him against doing that, and at least he was smart enough to listen to that advice.

But after he returned to Jerusalem, an interesting thing happened: "The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord when he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made. Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time." (vs 13-17)

One thing is for sure: the Levites and the people who came with them to Jerusalem endured a lot to get there. Their desire to be in the place where God was and to offer sacrifices to Him was more important than everything else. It was stronger than their distaste for Rehoboam and the way he had so badly handled the situation. It was more important to them than the possibility of angering their king, Jeroboam. Not to mention that the journey to Jerusalem would have been long and difficult, especially since the kingdom had been split into two separate and marked territories.

They had to want to get to Jerusalem more than anything else.

They knew a secret about God: that He is worth everything. Unfortunately, that truth is often just words for us. We may believe that God is worth everything, but I bet none of us are in a position to actually have to give up everything in order to be His disciple. We live in relative luxury, getting to "have our cake and eat it, too." We don’t have to choose between our property and God. Most of us don’t have to choose between our families and God.

But there may come a day when we do. And if that day comes, I hope we remember the Levites. I hope we have come to know God so well that we will know that there is nothing on this Earth that is more important than Him. He is worthy of everything. If we don’t have Him, we truly have nothing—even if we "have it all." He should always be our number one priority!