2 Chronicles 11:1-23
Q.1. How did Rehoboam treat Shemaiah the prophet, the priests, and Levites? What plan did he action, in order to control his territories? – (2 Chr.11:1-13, 18-23)
Rehoboam had grown up under the opulence of his father Solomon. When ten tribes rebelled and broke away under his rival Jeroboam, this signalled war. Rehoboam responded by gathering a one hundred and eighty thousand strong army from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. However, God had other plans. He warned the king through the prophet Shemaiah – Thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not go up or fight against your relatives; return every man to his house, for this thing is from Me ‘(2 Chr.11:4). In an astonishing turn-about yet act of obedience – So they listened to the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam (2 Chr.11:4). A solitary man stood against one hundred and eighty thousand soldiers and prevailed. Rehoboam also regarded the priests and Levites who would maintain Jerusalem as the spiritual hub of the southern kingdom – Moreover, the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him from all their districts (2 Chr.11:13). He also fortified the cities throughout his territory and managed his terrain by promoting his sons to leadership roles – He acted wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the territories of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them food in abundance. And he sought many wives for them (2 Chr.11:23).
Q.2. What policies did Jeroboam institute in order to maintain control over the tribes of Israel? How did the Levites and people accept these changes? – (2Chr.11:14-17 c.f. 1 Kgs.12:25-33)
Jeroboam had been promised a dynasty to rival that of King David, by the prophet Ahijah (1 Kgs.11:37-38). However, the godless king refused to trust in God’s promise, and feared – If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to Rehoboam king of Judah (1Kgs.12:27). He then instituted his own religion, complete with two golden calves, and established his own priesthood (not Levites). He even duplicated the festivals (1 Kgs.12:28-33). This drew a line in the sand, and consequently the displaced Levites relocated to Judah and Jerusalem. Many of the faithful followed suit – Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers (2 Chr.11:16). The rest of the tribes were led into idolatry. The northern kingdom would never produce a godly king before its removal from the land.