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II Chronicles 10-12
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The struggle of the BOAM boys (II Chronicles 10:1-19)
(The parallel passage to this chapter is I Kings 12:1-15)
II Chronicles 10 |
I Kings 12 |
| 1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam returned from Egypt. 3 Then they sent for him and called him. And Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 ¶ So he said to them, “Come back to me after three days.” And the people departed. 6 ¶ Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, saying, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 7 ¶ And they spoke to him, saying, “If you are kind to these people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.” 8 ¶ But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10 ¶ Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to the people who have spoken to you, saying, “Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! 11 And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’ ” 12 ¶ So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” 13 Then the king answered them roughly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the elders, 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” 15 So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfill His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 ¶ Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David!” ¶ So all Israel departed to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah. 18 ¶ Then King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of revenue; but the children of Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. |
1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt), 3 that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” 5 ¶ So he said to them, “Depart for three days, then come back to me.” And the people departed. 6 ¶ Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 7 ¶ And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” 8 ¶ But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 9 And he said to them, “What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” 10 ¶ Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, “Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us’—thus you shall say to them: ‘My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist! 11 And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’ ” 12 ¶ So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, “Come back to me the third day.” 13 Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!” 15 So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the LORD, that He might fulfill His word, which the LORD had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. |
In our II Chronicles account, we'll see a little more detail about the Southern Kingdom, but almost nothing about the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Jeroboam. That's because II Chronicles was written for the exiles as a recap of the activities of the Southern Kingdom and the lineage of King David. The activities of the Northern Kingdom only get treatment in Chronicles when it has a bearing on the Southern Kingdom.
Well...Rehoboam never had a chance...really. He was Solomon's son and rightful heir to the throne, but Solomon's streak of stubbornness caused God's decree to be passed upon his kingdom after his death back in I Kings 11:11 (see notes), "Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, 'Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.'" God told Solomon his kingdom would be split in two after his death because he entertained the pagan gods of his many wives and concubines. When Rehoboam gets the reins of the kingdom, prophetically the split of Solomon's kingdom is a done deal.
It's ironic that the man Solomon had placed in charge of his forced labor, Jeroboam, returns from exile in Egypt and becomes the king of choice for the rebel Northern Kingdom. I Kings 12:1-15 (see notes) is our parallel account to these events. The fact that Rehoboam rejects the counsel of the older, wiser men and opts rather for the counsel of the younger men really is incidental to the results; God had already said that the nation would split. Notice verse 15, "So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from God, that the LORD might fulfill His word, which He had spoken by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat." Rehoboam made a mistake, but God knew he would make that mistake - a mistake that simply facilitated the prophecy against his Dad which had to be fulfilled anyway. Now...two Israel's and two BOAMS - not related, of course.
Rehoboam's solution: go to war with the Northern Kingdom (II Chronicles 11:1-12)
1 Now when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 ¶ But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
3 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying,
4 “Thus says the LORD: ‘You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.”|’|” Therefore they obeyed the words of the LORD, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.
5 ¶ So Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense in Judah.
6 And he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth Zur, Sochoh, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and Benjamin, fortified cities.
11 And he fortified the strongholds, and put captains in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.
12 Also in every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side.
I mean it's got to be very disappointing to find a significant portion of your kingdom has slipped away. Rehoboam determines to go to war to get them back - gets together his army of 180,000. God says to him through the prophet Shemaiah, "Don't fight your relatives!" He abandons the war idea. He does, however, determine to fortify his main cities as strongholds against his potential enemies, an action detailed here in II Chronicles 11, but only mentioned in passing in I Kings 12 (see notes).
Incidentally, verse 12 mentions the participation with Judah of the Tribe of Benjamin. Since Judah was the lone tribe that became the Southern Kingdom, it is deducted that part of Benjamin (nearest Jerusalem) integrated into Judah while the remainder went with the Northern Kingdom. See notes on I Kings 12:16-24 for more details.
Incidentally, building projects completed were considered benchmarks for a king's success during his tenure. Those are mentioned here, undoubtedly, as an indicator that Rehoboam did have some accomplishments during his reign.
Some new priests are in town (II Chronicles 11:13-17)
(The parallel passage is I Kings 12:25-33)
II Chronicles 11 |
I Kings 12 |
| 13 ¶ And from all their territories the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him. 14 For the Levites left their common-lands and their possessions and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as priests to the LORD. 15 Then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the demons, and the calf idols which he had made. 16 And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the LORD God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers. 17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years. |
25 ¶ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 28 ¶ Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. 32 ¶ Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. 33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense. |
Jeroboam ran all the priests out of the Northern Kingdom (hereafter called Israel); they fled to the Southern Kingdom (hereafter called Judah). Jeroboam is no idiot. He conjectures in I Kings 12:27 (see notes), "If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah." So, I Kings 12 gives us the solution Jeroboam came up with - resurrect Aaron's golden calf idea; but, for convenience of worship, let's make it two golden calves this time! II Chronicles leaves out the episodes of the evil doings of Israel from this point forward and will follow only the events that take place in Judah, but Israel stuck with their calves and never served the One True God of David after this point.
Jeroboam put a stop to worship according to the Law of Moses. He ordained his own set of pagan priests to implement the worship of the golden calves.
With the priests leaving the tribes of the Northern Kingdom and coming to Jerusalem, we see in verse 17 that they contributed to Rehoboam's Southern Kingdom a measure of godliness toward Jehovah. However, as the verse indicates, that only lasted for the first three years...then religious corruption. By the fifth year of his reign, Rehoboam has turned against the One True God and we see him being punished by God accordingly in II Chronicles 12:2 (see below).
Rehoboam follows Dad's example: Marry often and father many (II Chronicles 11:18-23)
18 ¶ Then Rehoboam took for himself as wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and of Abihail the daughter of Eliah the son of Jesse.
19 And she bore him children: Jeush, Shamariah, and Zaham.
20 After her he took Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom; and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith.
21 Now Rehoboam loved Maachah the granddaughter of Absalom more than all his wives and his concubines; for he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and begot twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 And Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maachah as chief, to be leader among his brothers; for he intended to make him king.
23 He dealt wisely, and dispersed some of his sons throughout all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city; and he gave them provisions in abundance. He also sought many wives for them.
In marrying, Rehoboam was no contest for Dad - a distant second at best compared to Solomon's combined 1,000 wives and concubines - who knows how many children! So, here's the count: 18 wives, 60 concubines, 28 sons and 60 daughters. So, what exactly was a concubine anyway? (Click here to see information regarding concubines.) In short, a concubine was a second-class wife. She lacked some of the privileges and rights of a full-fledged wife. After Solomon's abuse, it hardly seems worth mentioning again Rehoboam's violation of Deuteronomy 17:17 (see notes), "Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself." The fact is, excessive wives was probably one of Rehoboam's lesser blatant offenses before God during his reign.
It was a tough 17 years (II Chronicles 12:1-16)
(The parallel passage is I Kings 14:21-31)
II Chronicles 12 |
I Kings 14 |
| 1 Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him. 2 And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD, 3 with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and people without number who came with him out of Egypt—the Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. 4 And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came to Jerusalem. 5 ¶ Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the LORD: ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ” 6 ¶ So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The LORD is righteous.” 7 ¶ Now 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. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8 Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations.” 9 ¶ 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 everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made. 10 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 11 And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guard would go and bring them out; then they would take them back into the guardroom. 12 When he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah. 13 ¶ Thus King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; 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. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD. 15 ¶ 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 all their days. 16 So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. Then Abijah his son reigned in his place. |
21 ¶ And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. 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. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 22 Now Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 And there were also perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 25 ¶ It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. 27 Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 28 And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom. 29 ¶ Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31 So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. Then Abijam his son reigned in his place. |
At some point in his fifth year of reign, Rehoboam turns against God. What's up with that? Shishak, the King of Egypt, heads up a coalition against Judah. God delivers Judah into their hands. After the initial defeat, Rehoboam repents and turns to the One True God for help. Enter: the prophet, Shemaiah; he tells Rehoboam that God will spare Jerusalem...minus the riches his Dad and Grandfather had amassed; Shishak took the riches. It was also Shemaiah back in I Kings 12:22-23 (see notes) that had told Rehoboam not to attack Jeroboam. This passage concludes by indicating that the BOAM boys (Jeroboam and Rehoboam) fought and fought and fought during their simultaneous reigns.
Let's pay close attention to the chastening hand of God in this passage as a result of Rehoboam's disobedience. Notice the wording of verse 1, "Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him." Now notice verse 2, "...Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD," After their defeat, Shemaiah proclaims in verse 5, "Thus says the LORD: 'You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.'" The results of the chastisement were reduced after Rehoboam "humbled himself" in verse 12, but it was too late for complete restoration to the circumstances that existed before Rehoboam turned his back on God.
A Summary of King #1 over Judah from 931 to 913 B.C.: Rehoboam |
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| References | The Good | The Bad |
I Kings 14:21-31 |
Nothing specified | II Chronicles 12:1 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. II Chronicles 12:14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD. |
There's a lesson here that is still applicable today regarding chastisement from God. When God intercedes in one's life through chastisement, repentance from disobedience often follows. However, a complete restoration to pre-disobedience status is not always achieved, as was the case with Rehoboam in this passage. For more information on this subject, click here to read the article entitled, "Trial versus Chastisement."