We see the folly of following the unsound advice of others. Rehoboam follows his mates rather than the wise counsel of older, wiser men. Take a look.
2 Chronicles 10: The Revolt Against Rehoboam
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.
3 And they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and said to Rehoboam,
4 "Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we will serve you."
5 He said to them, "Come to me again in three days." So the people went away.
6 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, "How do you advise me to answer this people?"
7 And they said to him, "If you will be good to this people and please them and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."
8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
9 And he said to them, "What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, 'Lighten the yoke that your father put on us'?"
10 And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, "Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you lighten it for us'; thus shall you say to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's thighs.
11 And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'"
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, "Come to me again the third day."
13 And the king answered them harshly; and forsaking the counsel of the old men,
14 King Rehoboam spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."
15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the LORD might fulfil his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, "What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David." So all Israel went to their tents.
17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labour, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.
19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
2 Chronicles 11: Rehoboam Secures His Kingdom
1 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen warriors, to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God:
3 "Say to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,
4 'Thus says the LORD, You shall not go up or fight against your relatives. Return every man to his home, for this thing is from me.'" So they listened to the word of the LORD and returned and did not go against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defence in Judah.
6 He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin.
11 He made the fortresses strong, and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.
12 And he put shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.
Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem
13 And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived.
14 For the Levites left their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the LORD,
15 and he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the calves that he had made.
16 And those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.
Rehoboam's Family
18 Rehoboam took as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse,
19 and she bore him sons, Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.
20 After her he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters).
22 And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.
23 And he dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities, and he gave them abundant provisions and procured wives for them.
Things to think about…
2Chr 10 has to be one of the most tragic chapters in the scriptures. Rehoboam’s pride in not taking the council of the older, wiser men split the kingdom. This led to the separation of the Israelite nation into the 10 northern tribes and two southern tribes of Benjamin and Judah for the next 400 years. They were never to recover. It is only now under intense conflict that the nation is forcing international recognition of Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel. The splitting up of the nation began right back with Rehoboam’s rebellion. Have you ever rejected wise council? What were the consequences? Are you still reaping the fruit from those decisions? Have you shared your experience with others (especially those younger than yourself) so they may learn from you?
What do you make of 2Chr 10:15? How was this turn of events from the Lord? Surely the Lord wanted a united nation? What word was being fulfilled here? We know that ultimately this would be used to discipline Israel. Look how quickly Jeroboam takes the 10 northern tribes away from true worship by getting rid of the priesthood, 2Chr 11:13-17. Ultimately the split would force the need to recognise another spiritual leader like David. We know this leader came in the form of Yeshua the greater Son of David. He will again unify the nation after the period of conflict we know as the Great Tribulation.
In 2Chr 11:1 we see this man Shemaiah prophesying not to go up against the other tribes of Israel. This man was a promoter of peace. Jesus said “blessed are the peacemakers” Mt 5:9. Whenever we have an opportunity to take the heat out of a situation let’s do so rather than go to war. This man stopped a great slaughter among the Lord’s people. It is a pity this was not the case for America before the American Civil War. The fight between north and south cost 750, 000 American lives.
All those Levites and Priests who wanted to serve the Lord moved from Jeroboam in the north, back to Jerusalem, 2Chr 11:13-17 because of persecution. They only served the Lord for 3 years. This seems to be only because of cultural obedience to David and to a lesser extent Solomon. Old grace does not last long when it is not backed up by sustaining grace. Fighting complacency and thanking the Lord for His sustaining grace every day is the cure.
Not all Solomon’s wisdom was lost on Rehoboam. 2Chr 11:23 says that he ‘dealt wisely’ in his distribution of cities for his sons. Do you think this wisdom was of the Lord or was it something that came from the example of his father Solomon alone? Do you have some of your father’s characteristics? These can either help or hinder you with respect to the kingdom of God. Accountability helps us to discern the difference. True wisdom must be found in fearing the Lord and His Word.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer Points
1. Continue to pray for the families affected by this tragic Boeing crash in India. 241 people lost their lives, plus others in the ground.
2. Israel and the situation with Iran.
3. The continued Russia/Ukraine conflict.
4. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
5. Reform and Revival over our city.
6. Finances to cover our needs
7. Pray for PlayPatch, Kids church, Creche and Kids Hope at Karalee State school.
8. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Podcast area almost completed – Thanks Aart and Jacquiline
2. Kids church divider completed – thanks Aart
3. The Lord’s grace over our lives and country
4. Café, music, kids church, admin, sound and technical team every week
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Ministries this week. Life groups, Kids@Church, Kids Hope - Karalee.
2. PlayPatch 1-5yos, Fridays 9:30am at church.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for June...
Q. 33. Who can change a sinner's heart? A. The Holy Spirit alone.
