Today in God's Word—February 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
February 21, 2 Chronicles 11
”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. -2 Chronicles 11:4
As you know, Israel's history is as spotted as Jacob's flocks when he worked for Laban. There are bright spots of God's blessings. In these bright spots, Israel won great victories and conquered their enemies. They succeeded when they trusted and obeyed what God told them. God’s power fought for them when they respected God’s word.
But there were dark spots in Israel's history as well. Those dark spots came at times when the nation suffered the curses of punishment. God warned them that curses and suffering would come if they rebelled against the Lord. Israel's most crushing defeats and humiliating losses came when they did not listen to God. The mighty conquerors became the conquered. Instead of striking fear in the hearts of their enemies, Israel trembled with fear when God allowed their enemies to prevail over them.
So the word of God was a powerful force in Israel's battles. Chapter 11 tells of a time when the word of God prevented a battle that would have greatly reduced the strength of the two nations. It was a rare occasion in the history of the divided kingdom when the people and their kings heeded God's word.
Jeroboam was upset that he had lost almost his entire kingdom. He set out to get the rebelling tribes back by force. He amassed a mighty army of 180,000 chosen warriors to go fight against Israel. But God intervened. He sent a special message through the prophet Shemaiah addressed to the king and all the people. God forbade them to go fight against their relatives, and sent them home. He told them the same thing we learned in the previous chapter, that the Lord was the one who brought about the division that cost Rehoboam his united kingdom. In a rare
bright spot of trust and obedience, the people listened and went home. By obeying God in this case, they avoided a costly conflict and the crippling casualties it would have caused.
The sin of polygamy tainted Rehoboam's home life, just as it had caused conflict and tension in his forefathers' homes and families. While Rehoboam apparently did not have wives as numerous as his father's harem, he still had plenty. A total of 78 women gave birth to 88 of Rehoboam’s children. When his sons grew up, he deputized them and set them up as his representatives in districts all across Judah. He provided all the resources they needed to operate the outposts, and even procured a multitude of wives for his governing sons.
This chapter also explains why there were Israelites from the other tribes among the people of Judah. Jeroboam knew that God had spoken to him, and given him most of the kingdom. But he still went into wholesale rebellion against God, and led the people into gross idolatry. He ran the real priests and the Levites out of Israel and replaced them with his own priests. He made idols of goats and calves and set them up as Israel's gods. The people who still feared the LORD left Jeroboam's Israel and fled to Judah, following the priests to live in the southern kingdom. That information reminds us that there were still people who had a heart for God, a remnant of the faithful in the troubled country. And it shows how quickly and totally a king and his people can turn away from God.
Don't those same principles apply to us today? When we trust and obey God, we enjoy blessings and victories, too. When we disregard God's word, we fail and suffer bitter defeats. If we would listen to God and do what he tells us to do, we could avoid some costly conflicts altogether. History teaches those who will learn from its examples. You and I would be blessed to hear and heed these lessons. Don't you agree?
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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