2 Chronicles 11

2 Chronicles 11:1

EARLY DAYS OF REHOBOAM’S REIGNWhen Rehoboam goes back to Jerusalem, he finds that his kingdom has really been cut down by quite a bit. Then he does another foolish thing. First Rehoboam lost part of his kingdom by his own folly. Now he is doing another foolish thing by attempting internal warfare. He wants a civil war in Israel.

2 Chronicles 11:2

God intervenes and prevents a civil war.

2 Chronicles 11:11

Now Rehoboam turns his attention to the building of fortifications to protect himself from the northern kingdom. That which had been part of the kingdom of David and Solomon is now lost to him and becomes his enemy because of his very foolish decision to listen to the young men rather than to the wise counselors of Solomon.

2 Chronicles 11:13

You remember that the Levites had been given certain cities throughout Israel but that they had no territory as a tribe such as the other tribes had been given. Now the Levites leave all their cities in the northern kingdom, and all the priests and Levites move south to Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 11:14

All the priests and Levites who lived up in the northern kingdom moved south so that they could continue to serve at the temple. Then Jeroboam institutes demon worship. The record in Kings gives us more detail: “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. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan” (1Ki_12:27-29). The people worshiped the golden calves.

Back of all this idolatry is Satan. This is Satan worship. I had the privilege of visiting the places of the seven churches of Asia. You will recall that the Lord said to the church at Pergamos, “I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is …” (Rev_2:13). That was a city given over to idolatry. Behind idolatry is Satan. Demonism manifests itself in many different ways.

2 Chronicles 11:16

There were some folk in the ten northern tribes who were still faithful to God, and they would come down to Jerusalem to worship. Now we are told something of Rehoboam’s personal life:

2 Chronicles 11:21

Because the record of his many wives appears in the Bible, a great many folk assume that God approves of polygamy. No. God records this to let us know that He does not approve of it. This man Rehoboam did wrong by not listening to the counselors of Solomon but listening to the young men instead. He was wrong in trying to start a civil war. He was wrong in having many wives. This is recorded because it is history; it is what he did. It is one of the many things for which God judged him.