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. This led to the separation of the Israelite nation into the 10 northern tribes and two southern tribes of Benjamin and Judah. They were never to recover. Even now the nation is still struggling to confirm 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.
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. Make sure you acknowledge the Lord’s sustaining grace every day.
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.
Vision Point for cell groups – Cell groups on break over the school holidays
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “The presence of the Lord” from Chronicles 6:40-7:3
1. Fire fell on the altar because the Lord heard the prayer of Solomon. What has been the most significant time in your life where your heart was engaged with the Lord in worship and you experienced His presence via His Spirit?
2. When we consider the Sun, moon and stars, the works of His hands this should evoke an understanding of the immensity of God. What about the Lord’s creation do you find compelling with respect to who God is and why He is to be worshipped.
3. Christ is the creator of heaven and earth and all things seen and unseen. Jesus the Creator came to earth to be born, live, suffer, die and rise again. Describe what being saved in Christ means for you.
4. Pray for prayer points and for each other.
Prayer Points
1. Peace to rest over Ukraine.
2. Pray for new people as they settle into life at CBC.
3. Upcoming Australian elections – pray for the Lord’s choice of MP’s.
4. Continue to pray for the flood clean-up as well as the money donated to help.
5. Folk sick with Covid – relief and healing.
6. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. The peace and safety of Australia.
2. Visitors to CBC over the weekend – new people added to the church.
3. God’s word affecting people for Christ
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
5. Flood cleanup is restoring communities around Ipswich and Brisbane.
Announcements
1. Members meeting 22nd May after the service.
2. Remember to check your duty rosters.
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 question for May...
Q. 3. Will Christ come again? A. Yes; at the last day Christ will come to judge the world.
