2 Chronicles 11:1-23

Division within any group is a terrible and painful thing.  Rehoboam had imagined himself being a greater king than his father by imposing higher taxes and work quotas on the people.  Now he finds himself with a divided kingdom and having only two of the ten tribes over which he would reign.  His pride and self-promotion as well as his refusal to listen to the wise counselors of his father or seek the Lord’s direction led to these tragic events.  However, even in this time of division we learn that God had ordained this and had a purpose in it.  There are times when division becomes necessary in order to protect one group from the rampant spread of sin.  One thing that we can be assured of no matter what the circumstance; is that God is in control.

REHOBOAM IS RESTRAINED FROM GOING TO WAR: War is a terrible thing, but when Rehoboam saw that the nation of Israel was divided his first instinct was to go to war against Jeroboam and the ten tribes who followed him.  However, God speaks to Rehoboam through a prophet and tells him not to go to war with the other tribes.  God assures Rehoboam that this division was from Him.  Prior to mustering for battle Rehoboam should have sought the Lord for direction, but once again we see him jumping to his own conclusions without consulting the Lord.  God steps in and prevents this action, but it would have been better had he sought the Lord on his own.  We must always remember the importance of seeking the Lord in prayer as we face decisions in our lives.

REHOBOAM REBUILDS BEHLEHAM’S WALLS: Instead of going to war, Rehoboam sets off to build the cities and fortify the walls in the cities that are still under his control.  This is a wise course of action and the Lord seems to bless what he is doing.  I am sure that Rehoboam was disappointed in the way that things turned out for him, but it is clear that the Lord was in control and so he set out to do what he could with what he had.  We may have a tendency to pout when things do not go our way or even quit, but God calls us to be faithful with that which He has placed in our hands.  His desire for our lives is not that we must all do great and astounding things but that we be faithful to do the things that He places before us with excellence.


THE LEVITES RETURN TO JERUSALEM TO DO GOD’S WILL: It is clear that there was an underlying dissatisfaction in the other ten tribes.  They had dissatisfaction, not just with high taxes, but with the Lord.  As soon as they were separated, Jeroboam set up the high places and idols that he had followed in Egypt and took the Levites out of their service to the Lord.  The Levites came back to Jerusalem because they wanted no part of this idolatry.  They would rather lose their homes and lands than follow the idols of Jeroboam.  God used this to further fortify the two tribes that remained with Rehoboam.  The people usually have the leaders that they deserve, and it is evident that these people were ready to go astray.  No matter what all are doing around us we need to stand firm and turn from idolatry and sin no matter what the cost may be to us.

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