Bible in one year 7/3/2022 2Chronicle Chapter 11-13 Rehoboam, Abijah and Jeroboam
By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce Christian Arts Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling
Theme : King of
Judah Rehoboam humbled before the Lord, so the Lord didn't destroy him totally.
Rehoboam's son, (King Solomon's grandson) Abijah relied on the Lord, raised
the battle cry, then gained the victory over Jeroboam (king of Israel) who
made golden calves to be gods, fled before Judah and the Lord struck him down
and he died.
Chapter 11 Rehoboam
follows the Lord as king of Judah
When Rehoboam arrived
in Jerusalem, he mustered the house of Judah and Benjamin – a hundred and
eighty thousand fighting men to make war against Israel and to regain the
kingdom for Rehobaom. But This word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of
God: “ Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon
king of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah and to all the Israelites in
Judah and Benjamin, ‘ This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against
your brothers. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.” (v.4). So
they obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against
Jeroboam (king of Israel).Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for
defense in Judah: Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, Gath,
Mareshah, Ziph, Zorah, Aijalong and Hebron. These were fortified cities in
Judah and Benjamin. (v.5).
The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord. And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made.(v.13-15). 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 fathers. They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, walking in the way of David and Solomon during this time.(vv.16-17).
Rehoboam
married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail,
the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliah. She bore him sons:Jeush, Shemariah and
Zaham. Then he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai,
Ziza and Shelomith. Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than any of
his other wives and concubines. Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah to be
the chief prince among his brothers, in order to make him king.(v.22).
Chapter 12 Rehoboam
abandons the Lord, but humble himself before the Lord, the Lord’s anger turned
from him, and didn’t destroy him totally.
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. Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. (vv.1-2). With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites that came with him from Egypt, he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.(vv.3-4).
Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “ This is what the Lord says, ‘ You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandoned you to Shishak.’” (v.5). The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just”. (v.6). When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “ Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.(vv. 7-8).
When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything. Including the gold shields Solomon had made.(v.9). So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. Whenever the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.(vv.10-11) Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah.(v.12). King Rehoboam established himself firmly in Jerusalem and continued as king. He was forty one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of al the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother’s name was Naanah; she was an Ammonite. He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord. (vv.13-14).
Chapter 13 Abijah (Abijam 913-911; 1Kings
15:1-8)
In the eighteenth year of the reign of
Jeroboam, Abijah became king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem, and he
reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother’s name was Maacah, a daughter of
Uriel of Gibeah. (vv.1-2). There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam (king of
Israel). Abijah into battle with a force of four hundred thousand able fighting
men, and Jeroboam drew up a battle line against him with eight hundred thousand
able troops. (v.3). Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim, in the hill country of
Ephraim, and said,
“Jeroboam and all Israel, listen to me! Don’t you know
that the Lord, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and
his descendants forever by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, an
official of Solomon son son of David, rebelled against his master. Some
worthless scoundrels gathered around him and opposed Rehoboam son of Solomon
when he was young and indecisive and not strong enough to resist them. (vv.4-7).
And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which
is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have
with you golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods. But didn’t you drive
out the priests of the Lord, the son of Aaron, and the Levites, and make
priests of your own as the peoples of other lands do? Whoever comes to
consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest of what
are not gods.(vv.8-9)
As
for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. The priests who
serve the Lord are sons of Aaron, and the Levites assist them. Every morning and
evening they present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord. They set
out the bread on the ceremonially clean table and light the lamps on the gold
lampstand every evening. We are observing the requirements of the Lord our
God. But you have forsaken him. God is with us; He is our leader. His priests
with their trumpets will sound the battle cry against you. Men of Israel, do not
fight against the Lord, the God of your
fathers, for you will not succeed.”(vv.10-12).
Now Jeroboam had sent
troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush
was behind them. (v.13).
Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked
at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the Lord. The priests blew their
trumpets and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their
battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah, and God
delivered them into their hands. The Israelites fled before Judah, and God delivered them into their hands. (vv.14-16). The men of Judah were victorious
because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.(v.18).
Jeroboam did not regain
power during the time of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down and he
died.(v.20). But Abijah grew in strength. God apparently intervened in some
supernatural way to give Judah victory. The death of half a million soldiers
severely crippled the Northern Kingdom (vv.17,20).
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago,
IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986
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