2 Chronicles 12:1

2 Chronicles 12:1 says, And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.  After Rehoboam was established as king, he forsook the law of God, and all Israel did so as well.  Though the kingdom was divided, I believe all of Israel, and not just Judah, the part Rehoboam ruled over, rejected God's law.  Ruling from Jerusalem with the temple there as well, Rehoboam should have followed God's law, but he didn't.  We may live in what is called a Christian nation and have a church on every corner, but that doesn't mean that we are going to obey God.  Verse two adds, And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord,  In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, Shishak the king of Egypt came up against him.  God had removed His protective hand from them and the time of peace was over.  If we as Christians turn away from doing God's will, our time of spiritual peace will be over, though we will still be a part of God's kingdom.  Verse three continues, With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.  Shishak came with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and a force that was too large to number.  As we draw ever closer to the return of Christ, which we do every day no matter how long it may be before He returns, the forces of Satan are going to attack us even more.  We cannot afford to be divided as Christians.  Verse four states, And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.  Rehoboam had set up fenced cities for defense, but they did him no good.  We should not rely things of this world to keep us safe as followers of Christ but must rely on God alone.  Verse five adds, Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.  Shemiah the prophet came to Rehoboam with a message from God, and it wasn't good news.  He said since Rehoboam had forsaken God, God had removed His protection from him and Judah and left them in the hand of Shishak.  We as individual Christians and as a Christian nation need to pray that we don't get so far away from God that He removes His protective hand from us.  Verse six continues, Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous.  The princes of Israel and Rehoboam humbled themselves before God.  If we have strayed away from God, we need to humble ourselves and return to Him.  Verse seven says, And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.  God sent another message by Shemiah.  Since the people of Judah had humbled themselves before God, He was going to keep Shishak from destroying them.  If we are in danger of spiritual defeat today, we need to humble ourselves before God and ask for His forgiveness if we have allowed sin back into our life.  Verse eight adds, Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.  Though they weren't going to be destroyed, they were going to be under Shishak's rule.  Their disobedience was going to cost them, and our disobedience to God as Christians will always bring consequences.

2 Chronicles 11:13

2 Chronicles 11:13 says, And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.  The priests and Levites came to support Rehoboam, though he wasn't following God's leadership.  They were still loyal to God, so this improved Rehoboam's standing.  We cannot support those who are in power if they are not following God, especially if they are going against what His word teaches, but we can stand for God before them.  Verse fourteen adds, For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the Lord:  One reason they left where they were to come to Jerusalem was because Jeroboam and his sons had stopped them from executing the office of the priesthood.  No one can ever take away our status as a part of the priesthood of believers away from us.  Verse fifteen continues, And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.  Of course, Jeroboam then appointed his own priests of the high places and for the devils and for the golden calves that he made.  We shouldn't be surprised if people who stand against God attempt to make their own gods.  Verse sixteen states, And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers.  All the people in Israel who were still loyal to God came to Jerusalem seeking to worship Him.  We need to leave the world behind and come to where we can worship and serve God. Verse seventeen adds, So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.  For three years, in spite of following some bad advice, Rehoboam, and the kingdom of Judah, was made strong because the people followed the way of David and Solomon, or obeyed God's commandments.  As Christians, if we want to be spiritually strong, we need to obey God through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse eighteen continues, And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;  Rehoboam married more than one wife, and these two would have been his relatives, even if distant.  He may have felt this would strengthen his position, since they were from David's family.  I do know that we cannot strengthen our position with God by marrying into a family that is known to be great Christians, and we certainly cannot do so by disobey His laws.  Verse nineteen says, Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham.  He had children with these wives.  Verse twenty adds, And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.  Then, he married another relative and had even more children with her.  He was possibly just following the example that had been set by David and Solomon his father in marrying more than one wife.  We cannot follow the example of our parents if they are doing something that goes against God's word and expect Him to still bless us.  Veres twenty-one continues, And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.)  By now, Rehoboam had eighteen wives and sixty concubines.  He had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters, but we are told he loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom more than the others.  This was bound to have caused problems for him.  Of course, when we stray away from God's commandments as followers of Christ, we shouldn't be surprised if we have problems in life.  Verse twenty-two states, And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.  Rehoboam put the son of Maachah over the others with the plan to one day make him king.  We should never play favorites with our children.  Verse twenty-three adds, And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city: and he gave them victual in abundance. And he desired many wives.  Rehoboam also placed his children throughout the cities of Judah and Benjamin and gave them an abundance of food, and it is said he desired many wives.  We are not told of his seeking God's guidance in any of this, but it does say that he dealt wisely with the people.  We need Christians throughout the world to be witnessing for God today, and He will provide for our needs when we are obeying His commandments.

2 Chronicles 11:1

2 Chronicles 11:1 says, And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.  When Rehoboam got back to Jerusalem, he gathered a hundred and eighty thousand warriors from Judah and Benjamin, the two tribes still loyal to him, to fight against Israel and bring them under his rule again.  We should never go to war with other Christians for any purpose.  Verse two adds, But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,  While Rehoboam was preparing for war, God's word came to Shemiah, the man of God.  I think it is important to note that during all his actions, we see no mention of Rehoboam seeking God's will for what he should do, but now God was going to tell him anyway.  If believe that if we are one of God's people, even if we aren't seeking His guidance, He is still going to let us know what we should be doing.  Verse three continues, Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,  God told Shemiah he had a message for Rehoboam and for all the people of Judah and Benjamin.  God still applies to all Christians, and not just one or two, but if He has a work for us to do or if He wants to prevent us from doing something that is wrong He may send His message by a particular individual.  If He does, the message will always be consistent with His written word.  Verse four concludes, Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam.  God told them not to go to war against their brothers because He was behind their actions.  Since God was with the people of Israel, Rehoboam could only hope to not lose what he had left if he went to war with Israel.  If we fight against what God has ordained, we can only hope that we don't lose what we have left in this world.  Verse five states, And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.  Rehoboam listened to God's word, so at least he had that much wisdom.  He stayed in Jerusalem and built up cities for defense.  The next several verses just tell us the names of cities he built up.  Verse six adds, He built even Bethlehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, Verse seven continues, And Bethzur, and Shoco, and Adullam,  Verse eight says, and Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph,  Verse nine adds, And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah,  Verse ten continues, And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities.  These were all cities within Judah and Benjamin and were built up for defense instead of being built to attack the rest of the nation of Israel.  I think sometimes instead of looking to reconcile with other Christians we can fortify our defense of our opposition against them.  Had Rehoboam been obedient to God, he would have had no reason to have a divided kingdom and fear those who were a part of God's people.  Verse eleven states, And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine.  Rehoboam fortified these cities with troops and supplies.  I believe we too often look to the things of this world to protect us as followers of Christ instead of looking to God by faith.  Verse twelve adds, And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.  Rehoboam put weapons of war in these cities, since he still had Judah and Benjamin on his side.  I believe he would have been much better off by relenting and seeking God's guidance, and I know that we are much better off relying on God than on anything else in the world to keep us safe today.

2 Chronicles 10:9

2 Chronicles 10:9 says, And he said unto them, What advice give ye that we may return answer to this people, which have spoken to me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon us?  Having rejected the advice of the old men, as we saw in the last verse, Rehoboam the went to the young men for advice.  I find no evidence of his going to God for advice, and that should always be our first step.  In the church, those who have been Christians longest should be able to give us good advice about how to treat other people and we shouldn't dismiss their advice because they are old.  Verse ten adds. And the young men that were brought up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou answer the people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat lighter for us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.  The young men that Rehoboam grew up with advised him to be even more demanding of the people than his father Solomon had been.  I don't know if they didn't include themselves in the ones that this greater demand would be placed on, but I have to assume they didn't.  They would be more like Rehoboam in receiving the extra benefits.  I do know that we as followers of Christ should never expect greater financial burdens to be placed on others just so we can benefit from their sacrifices, even if we are in a position of leadership.  Verse eleven continues, For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.  They continued to tell him to treat the people even more harshly than Solomon had.  We aren't told much about Solomon, who was known for his wisdom, treating the people harshly, but evidently later in his reign he had needed more and more resources to maintain a lifestyle that had become filled with foreign wives and their gods.  It wasn't where they were from that was the really bad thing, though God had warned the people of Israel against marrying outside of the kingdom of Israel, though that was wrong, but it was the fact that he allowed the worship of false gods to come into his house.  Verse twelve states, So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day.  Jeroboam and the people returned to Rehoboam the third day as he had requested.  They were still obeying his command.  We should be obedient to those in power unless they start to come between God and us or start to pass laws that are disobedient to Him.  Verse thirteen adds, And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men,  Rehoboam didn't follow the advice of the old men but treated the people roughly as the young men had advised.  We cannot treat other people with disrespect and make unnecessary demand on them and expect them to blindly follow us, and whatever we do needs to be based on God's guidance, and I see no mention of Rehoboam ever seeking God's guidance.  Verse fourteen continues, And answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.  Rehoboam told them that he was going to treat them even more harshly than his father had.  This was not a good way to start his reign successfully.  We as Christians are promised that God will lighten our load instead of increasing it.  Verse fifteen continues, So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of God, that the Lord might perform his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.  Rehoboam didn't listen to the people, and we are told his was so God's word to Ahijah could be fulfilled, but once more, I don't think God caused this, but He allowed it and knew how Rehoboam was going to react.  We should never attempt to blame God for our bad decisions.  Verse sixteen says, And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents.  The people refused to obey Rehoboam and said they had nothing to do with David and went home.  Of course, as people of Israel, they were still part of God's promise to David, and as Christians, we are all a part of God's promise of salvation through Jesus Christ, and we should be united in love and respect for one another, just as the people should have been then.  Verse seventeen adds, But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.  The kingdom was becoming divided between the people of Israel and the people of Judah, even though they were all called to be God's people.  As followers of Christ, we are all a part of His people and cannot afford to be divided in doing His work here in the world today.  Verse eighteen continues, Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.  Rehoboam sent Hadoram who was over the tribute, or taxes, to collect it from the rest of Israel, and he was stoned to death.  We don't need to kill those who would impose unfair burdens on us, but if it has to do with our relationship with God, we can never give in to them.  Rehoboam fled back to Jerusalem, where those who supported him were, and I would assume this included the young men who had already given him bad advice.  He could have realized his error at this time and made peace with the people by doing what the old men had advised, but he chose not to.  If we are going in the wrong direction in our relationship with God, we cannot continue to go that way but must turn back to Him.  Verse nineteen concludes, And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.  The majority of the people of Israel rebelled against the house of David.  This led to centuries of conflict between God's people, but God's promise to David was still in effect.   He did establish his kingdom forever, not in an earthly kingdom, but in a spiritual on in which his descendant, Jesus Christ became the King of God's people forever.  As followers of Christ, we need to be united in serving Him.  

2 Chronicles 10:1

2 Chronicles 10:1 says, And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king.  Rehoboam went to Shechem, since that was where the people were gathered to make him king.  I don't know why they didn't do this in Jerusalem, but it was called the city of God, and Rehoboam was not going to prove to be much of a man of God.  I do know that we don't need to do things in the church that are not in accordance with God's will.  Verse two adds, And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt.  When Jeroboam heard that Solomon was dead, he returned from Egypt where he had fled for fear of Solomon.  He had been appointed by Solomon to build the fortress at Millo and other public works, and I don't find the reason that he fled to Egypt stated here, but he had formed conspiracies to make himself king of the ten northern tribes even during Solomon's reign, according to Matthew Henry.  If we have fled from God, and all people have, we have the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and we can return to God by putting our faith in Him.  Verse three adds, And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying,  Jeroboam was called on to be the spokesman for the people to bring their concerns to Rehoboam.  We have the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to bring our concerns to God, and we can rest assured that he will always do what is best for us as long as we are obedient to God.  Verse four concludes, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.  They wanted Rehoboam to lighten their yoke, which they said his father Solomon had made grievous.  Matthew Henry says that with all his wealth, he wasn't sure why Solomon had to tax the people so heavily, but that it might have been to do with his lifestyle and his many foreign wives.  I will say that preachers today never should expect their parishioners to sacrifice more than they are able to give to support his lifestyle.  Verse five states, And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.  Rehoboam told them to come back in three days.  Verse six adds, And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? He wanted to seek the counsel of the old men who had stood with Solomon.  It is always good to seek the counsel of those who are familiar with the situation before we make decisions.  He asked them what they thought his decision to the people should be.  They would have been best prepared to offer him advice.  The older people in the church are often in a position to offer advice, but even their advice should come from the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seven adds, And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever.  They advised Rehoboam to be kind to the people and they would be his servants forever.  God is always kind to us, and as Christians, we should willingly serve Him forever.  Verse eight says, But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.  Rehoboam had asked the advice of the older men, but he rejected it.  It doesn't do us any good to get good advice if we are going to reject it if we don't like it.

2 Chronicles 9:21

2 Chronicles 9:21 says, For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.  Solomon's ships continued to engage in trade with other countries, along with the servants of Huram.  They brought not only gold, silver, and ivory, but apes and peacocks as well.  Solomon was successful in business.  Whether we are successful in worldly terms or not, we as followers of Christ need to be successful in sharing the gospel with others. Verse twenty-two adds, And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.  Solomon was greater than any king of the earth in riches and wisdom, but he pales in comparison to our King as Christians, Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-three continues, And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.  All the other kings sought to be in the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which was really the wisdom that God had given him.  It would be nice if everyone came to Christians to hear the wisdom of God, but too often they do just the opposite.  They try to discredit us as people who have been deceived.  Verse twenty-four states, And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, harness, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.  These were freewill offerings according to Matthew Henry, given to seek the favor of Solomon.  I do know that if we are to be saved, we must offer ourselves to God as a freewill offering, but we shouldn't do it just to gain His favor.  We should do it because He loves us and has already granted us His favor, salvation through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son on the cross.  Verse twenty-five adds, And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.  Solomon also had four thousand horse and chariot stalls and twelve thousand horsemen to use them throughout the nation of Israel.  God has His army in place today, but our main purpose is to spread the gospel.  Verse twenty-six continues, And he reigned over all the kings from the river even unto the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt.  Solomon ruled over many other kings, and King Jesus rules over all other kings or leaders of any kind, whether they acknowledge it or not.  Verse twenty-seven says, And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the low plains in abundance.  In Jerusalem, silver was like stones and cedars like sycamore trees.  When we get to our heavenly home, we will walk on streets of gold, but our real riches come from the forgiveness of sins and restoration with God through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Nothing else will matter. Verse twenty-eight continues, And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.  This is just another statement of people bringing gifts to Solomon, this time horses from Egypt and elsewhere.  Verse twenty-nine states, Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?  We are told that the rest of the acts of Solomon were written in two books that we do not have.  If they were important, I believe that God would have preserved them for us, but we know what we need to know about Solomon and his reign from the Bible.  Verse thirty adds, And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.  Solomon reigned for forty years, during which time Israel was mostly at peace and even looked up to by the rest of the world.  Jesus Christ, our King, will reign forever and He will always lead those who put their faith in Him to peace with the Heavenly Father.  Verse thirty-one continues, And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.  Then, Solomon died and left all the riches behind.  Whatever we own and no matter how powerful we may be, one day we will die and leave it all behind, unless Jesus Christ returns first, and even then, we will leave it all behind.

2 Chronicles 9:13

2 Chronicles 9:13 says, Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold;  Solomon was bringing in a lot of gold to the kingdom of Israel.  I don't believe that he was just using it for his own personal gain, but for the benefit of all of Israel.  I do know that I believe that if God is blessing us as individuals or as a nation, that we should use the things He blesses us with for the good of the more than just ourselves.  Verse fourteen adds, Beside that which chapmen and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.  People from other countries were bringing gold and silver to Solomon.  Solomon had not defeated them in war, but he ruled with wisdom in a time of peace, and this was all because of the blessing God shed on him.  We need o do our best to live at peace int he world, but I am afraid that we will always at war with Satan and his forces.  We will likely never have the eartly riches that Solomon had either, but we do have God's promise that He will always meet our needs.  Verse fifteen continues, And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of beaten gold went to one target.  Verse sixteen concludes, And three hundred shields made he of beaten gold: three hundred shekels of gold went to one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.  Solomon made defensive weapons out of gold, but they were stored and not used.  God's gives us all the defensive weapons we need spiritually, and they are even more valuable than weapons made of gold.  They are forged by God's word.  Verse seventeen states, Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.  Solomon made a great throne of ivory overlaid with gold.  As great as Solomon's throne was, it was temporary.  We will never have a throne as followers of Christ, but we worship the One Who sets on the throne forever.  Verse eighteen adds, And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on each side of the sitting place, and two lions standing by the stays:  This was an elaborate throne, and Solomon had to go up six steps just to sit on it.  There was also a footstool of gold, maybe so people could sit at Solomon's feet.  It seems to me that Solomon went overboard in making his throne.  We do not need to sit ourselves above other people, no matter how rich and powerful we may be, nor do I believe that we need to spend lots of money just to make things look impressive.  Verse nineteen continues, And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom.  There were six lions on each side of the throne, plus the two by the stays.  The stays served a purpose, but the lions really didn't.  As Christians, I don't believe we should spend a lot of resources on things that really serve no purpose other than adornment. Verse twenty concludes, And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon.  Silver was too cheap for the drinking vessels of Solomon, so they were made of pure gold.  This was about as necessary as gold toilet seats today, and I don't believe God is pleased if we live in opulence while others are starving.