REHOBOAM’S OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD
2 Chronicles 11:1-23
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chapter 11
1. When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered Judah and Benjamin - a hundred and eighty thousand able young men - to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.
2. But this word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God:
3. "Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,
4. ’This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your fellow Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’" So they obeyed the words of the LORD and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.
5. Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah:
6. Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7. Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam,
8. Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9. Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10. Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11. He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine.
12. He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
13. The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him.
14. 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
15. when he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made.
16. 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.
17. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time.
18. Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
19. She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham.
20. Then he married Maakah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith.
21. Rehoboam loved Maakah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22. Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maakah as crown prince among his brothers, in order to make him king.
23. He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and took many wives for them.
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1. Jeroboam and the ten northern tribes revolted against Rehoboam. Rehoboam mustered 180,000 soldiers to put down the rebellion, but God stopped him from starting a civil war. Rehoboam obeyed God and turned back. He fortified Judah’s defenses. The priests and Levites in northern Israel sided with him. When Rehoboam obeyed God’s word, God blessed him by restoring his kingdom, strengthening it (13-17), and giving him many children (18-23). Although Rehoboam made a bad decision that led to the division of the kingdom, he learned from it to obey God. Our bitter experiences from our mistakes can be used by God to make us godly, as we learn spiritual lessons from them.
2. Jeroboam rejected God and drove out the priests of God and the Levites. He embraced idolatry and created a counterfeit priesthood to preserve his power. Jeroboam’s actions caused the Levites in the north to leave their homes and flee to Judah and Jerusalem to worship God freely. Many God-fearing people in the north who were shocked and offended by the idolatrous innovations also followed the Levites to Jerusalem to seek and worship God. These devout people strengthened Judah. We are to pray for God-fearing people to be raised for spiritual revival of our nation and the world.
Prayer: Lord, raise up many devoted people of God who can strengthen our community and church.
One Word: God-fearing people seek and worship God