2 Chronicles 13:1

2 Chronicles 13:1 says, Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah.  Jeroboam had been ruling in Israel for eighteen years when Abijah became king of Judah, after Rehoboam his father died.  Kings and rulers will come and go in the world, but our King, Jesus Christ, rules forever.  Verse two adds, He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.  We are told who Abijah's mother was, but not much else about her, but in chapter 11, verse 20, she was said to be the daughter of Absalom, but also Samuel 14, verse 27 that she was likely Absalom's granddaughter, since even future generations were referred to as children of earlier ancestors.  During the three years of his reign, Judah was at war with Israel.  These were all supposed to be God's people, and they were at war with each other.  We as Christians cannot afford to be fighting one another as I have said many times.  Verse three continues, And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour.  Abijah set four hundred thousand men of valor against Jeroboam's eight hundred thousand men.  Abijah was greatly outnumbered, but if God was with him, it wouldn't have mattered.  Matthew Henry says that although Rehoboam had been prevented by God from going to war with the rest of Israel that Jeroboam was likely the aggressor in this case, so God allowed Abijah to defend the people of Judah.  We are not called to try to defeat other people, especially those who profess to be Christians, but we are called to defend the truth of God and those who really are His people.  Verse four states, And Abijah stood up upon mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel;  Abijah first tried to reason with Jeroboam and the people of Israel, and we as followers of Christ should always try to reason with people who stand against us.  Verse five adds, Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?  Abijah asked Jeroboam and the people of Israel if they didn't know that God had given all the kingdom of Israel to David and his descendants forever, and Jeroboam wasn't one of them.  He was saying that they should come back under his rule.  The fulfillment of the promise to David came with Jesus Christ, and He is the only one that it applies to.  Verse six continues, Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord.  Abijah told them that Jeroboam, the son of one of David's servants had rebelled against God and made himself king.  If we try to establish ourselves as anything that is contrary to God's word as Christians, we do so in rebellion to Him.  Verse seven says, And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.   Abijah added that Jeroboam had gathered vain men to himself and had strengthened themselves against Rehoboam when he was young and foolish.  If God has placed someone in a position of leadership in the church today, if they are young and make mistakes, we need to support them and help correct them and not rebel against them.  Verse eight adds, And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with your golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.  Abijah asked them if the thought that they and their idols could stand against someone God had put in power.  These were all part of God's chosen people, but most were going against God's word and worshipping idols.  We can never defy God's word and be successful spiritually, no matter how many other people who call themselves Christians might.  Verse nine continues, Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods.  Abijah then said that the people following Jeroboam had cast out the true priests and allowed anyone who wanted to offer a sacrifice to their gods, who were no gods, to consecrate themselves and declare themself a priest.  As a part of the priesthood of believers, we are free to come to God at any time, but at the time this was occurring, they were still to go through the priests appointed by God to come before Him.  Verse ten states, But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business:  Abijah said the people of Judah had not forsaken God's law and had the priests the sons of Aaron and the Levites to minister to God for them.  We have an even greater priest, Jesus Christ, to stand before God for us.  Verse eleven adds, And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him.  Abijah then said that the people of Judah worshipped in accordance with God's laws, but the people of Israel had forsaken Him.  No matter what goes on in the church today, we must make sure that everything is done in accordance with God's will and for His glory.  Verse twelve continues, And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper.  Abijah said the Lord was on their side and said the people of Israel should not fight against Him.  As long as God is on our side and we are following His leadership, we don't need to be concerned about the number or strength of those who oppose us.

2 Chronicles 12:9

2 Chronicles 12:9 says, So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.  Shishak took away many of the things Solomon had amassed during his reign.  We don't serve God for earthly riches, so everything we amass here in this world will one day be left behind.  Also, as followers of Christ, if we stray away from Him, the things He has blessed us with may be taken away while we live.  Verse ten adds, Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king's house.  Where Solomon had lived in peace, making shields of gold, Rehoboam lived with war making shields of brass.  He gave these shields of brass to the chief of the guard, and they were kept at the entrance of the king's house.  Rehoboam was concerned with protecting himself more than he was worried about the rest of the kingdom of Israel it would seem.  I do know that we as Christians cannot afford to put our own physical well-being ahead of following God's word.  Verse eleven continues, And when the king entered into the house of the Lord, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber.  When the king was in the house, the guard got the shields and brought them into the guard chamber.  Again, it seems that Rehoboam was concerned with protesting himself after he lost all the treasures that David by war and Solomon by trade had amassed.  If we have amassed things in this world as Christians by the grace of God, and we turn away from Him, we should be prepared to lose them.  We cannot expect God's blessings if we do not obey Him, and Rehoboam hadn't obeyed God. Verse twelve states, And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well. Rehoboam then humbled himself before God, and he wasn't destroyed.  Things also went well for Israel, but much of their riches were gone.  As followers of Christ, we will never be destroyed spiritually, but we may lose a lot of the blessings of God if we turn away from doing His will.  Verse thirteen adds, So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.  Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, the city of God, we are told and ruled from the time he was forty-one until he was fifty-eight.  He had a fairly long reign to have started so badly.  He gave up on many of the fortified cities it would seem and concentrated on keeping Jerusalem safe.  We aren't called to just protect one place but to spread the gospel to all the world.  Verse fourteen continues, And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.  Though Rehoboam may not have been worshipping idols, neither was he worshipping God with all his heart.  We don't need to rely on the fact that we aren't worshipping other gods but must instead worship God wholeheartedly.  Verse sixteen says, Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.  We are told that the acts of Rehoboam, from the beginning of his reign to the end, were recorded in the book of Shemiah the prophet and his genealogy was kept by Iddo the seer.  We don't have these books, which means they are unimportant to our understanding God.  Verse sixteen adds, And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.  Rehoboam died and was buried in Jerusalem, and his son Abijah became king.  Unless Jesus Christ returns first, one day we are going to die and someone else will take our place in doing God's work, but our King will never die and be replaced.

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.