In our lesson this evening we are going to look at the way God cares for his people and the way God teaches his people. What happens when God blesses his people? Our response to his security and blessings is a critical component of walking by faith. Chapter 11 of 2 Chronicles begins by looking at the reign of Rehoboam, king of the southern nation, called Judah. The kingdom has divided and Jeroboam (no relation to Rehoboam) is ruling over the northern nation, called Israel. The Chronicler has described the actions of Jeroboam and Israel as rebellion against God’s king and the promises to David (cf. 2 Chronicles 10:16, 19). Rehoboam believes he needs to go to war with Jeroboam and the northern nation to reunite Israel.
The Security of Obedience (2 Chronicles 11)
In verse 1 we see Rehoboam gathering his armies to prepare for battle to restore the kingdom. But God sends a prophet to Rehoboam, telling him to not go to war against his own people because this division is from him (2 Chronicles 11:4). Rehoboam listens and does not go to war against Jeroboam. There is prophetic foreshadowing that God is using here regarding how God is going to restore Israel. The restoration of Israel is not going to be through war. God does not need humans to fight to be able to accomplish his purpose. Rather, the Christ was going to restore Israel without fighting. You might remember Jesus making this very point to Pilate when Jesus was on trial. Jesus said in John 18:36 that his kingdom was not of this world. If his kingdom was of this world, then his servants would be fighting. The kingship of Jesus and restoration of all things would not be through physical warfare.
This listening to the word from the Lord is the foundation for chapter 11. God is going to make Rehoboam and his kingdom strong. In verses 5-10 we see a list of cities that he fortifies. In verse 11 we see the cities were also strengthened with food, drink, and supplies. In verse 12 we see these cities are also made strong militarily. In verses 13-14 we read that these cities are strengthened spiritually. The priests and the Levites, who were the spiritual teachers and worked for the Lord, leave their homes and lands and come to Judah and Jerusalem. What a cost these priests and Levites paid to seek the Lord and worship the Lord properly! Jeroboam’s failure in the northern nation is noted in verse 15. Jeroboam refused to let the true priests and Levites serve in the land. He appointed his own priests for their idolatrous and false worship. But listen to the words of verse 16. “And those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.” Notice the result in verse 17. They are strengthening the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam secure. Why? Because they walked in the ways of David and Solomon for three years.
God wants us to see the security and blessings that come from listening to him. The true people of God leave the false worship and the false ways of Jeroboam, giving up even their lands and possessions, to come to the true king. They set their hearts to seek the Lord. They supported the kingdom. They walked in the ways of David and Solomon. God strengthens and blesses the nation so that they are secure because of their obedience. Please do not miss the importance of what God is teaching his people. His rules, his ways, his direction, and his teachings are for your good in this life. Security in life comes from following what God has told us to do. Family relationships are secured when we obey what God told us to do as husbands and wives and as fathers and mothers. We can have security in life when we follow God’s directions as employees and employers. We can have security in life when we listen to God in how we act and speak toward each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Sometimes we can wonder why life is not going according to plan and we have all kinds of problems. Sometimes the insecurity of life comes from the fact that we did not choose to listen to what God has prescribed for his people. This is exactly the transition we see at the end of 2 Chronicles 11 and in 2 Chronicles 12. We see Rehoboam following in his father’s footsteps by having many wives. But notice the turn that happens to Rehoboam and his secure kingdom.
The Turn (2 Chronicles 12:1)
Listen to the words of 2 Chronicles 12:1. “When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him” (2 Chronicles 12:1 ESV). What happened? When things were going well, the king left the Lord. But notice what else happened. The security and prosperity that the people were experiencing also caused them to abandon the law of the Lord. Here is the shocking problem that I want us to think about. God’s blessings lead to people’s unfaithfulness. God is so good that people turn from him in their prosperity, rather than praising him and thanking him for these blessings. God makes us strong so then we move away from God. God knew that this would be a problem when he cares for us and blesses us. Listen to the warning God gave to the people of Israel as they were about to go into the promised land and enjoy God’s blessings.
Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God by failing to keep His commandments, His ordinances, and His statutes which I am commanding you today; otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, and you build good houses and live in them, and when your herds and your flocks increase, and your silver and gold increase, and everything that you have increases, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Deuteronomy 8:11-14 NASB)
Notice that God said that he would bless them, their prosperity would increase, and they would eat and satisfied. Then God warns them that this would tempt them to be proud and forget the Lord who cares for you. So God said here is what you need to never forget:
Beware lest you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.” You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18 ESV)
God tells them to not think that anything is because of you. God gave you the power to get wealth. James made the same point that every good gift and every perfect gift comes from the Father above (cf. James 1:17).
The Insecurity of Disobedience (2 Chronicles 12:2-6)
Since Rehoboam and the people abandoned the law of the Lord, in the fifth year God brought Shishak the king of Egypt against Jerusalem and captured many fortified cities (2 Chronicles 12:2-4). The reason is because they had been unfaithful to the Lord. Now I want us think about what happens in these circumstances. When the bad times come after the prosperity, we want to blame God for leaving us. But God has an answer to this because it appears that this is what Rehoboam may have been thinking. Look at verse 5. “You have abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak” (2 Chronicles 12:5). God has a very simple answer. You left me. You forgot me. You abandoned me. You stopped following me. This is an important point that I want to emphasize. There is no point in the scriptures where God says that he abandoned us while we were still with him. The problem is always with us. We are the ones who leave him. We are the ones who are unfaithful. God never walks away first. We walk away first. God gives us over to our desire to abandon him. He takes away our security and moves us to insecurity after we leave him.
Disobedience brings the insecurity. Shishak is taking everything away that God had given to him. Now I want you to notice that the leaders of Israel and the king understand what is happening. They understand the message given to them that they have abandoned the Lord. Look at verse 6. The leaders and the king humble themselves before the Lord. Please notice what they say. “The Lord is righteous.” They do not say the Lord is terrible. They do not say that the Lord is wrong. They understand that what the Lord has done is right. God is always right.
Repentance But Consequences (2 Chronicles 12:7-16)
Notice what happens with the leaders humbling themselves before the Lord because it is a very important message for us today. In verse 7 God acknowledges their humility and repentance. First, I want us to see that God would not destroy the nation completely for abandoning him. Instead, deliverance would come soon. Second, I want us to see that God did not wipe away all the consequences for abandoning the law of the Lord. In verse 8 God says that they are going to serve Shishak so that they will learn the difference between serving the Lord and serving the kings of other nations. If you think serving the Lord is such a terrible burden, see what it is like to serve sin. See what it is like to serve your passions, desires, and vices. See what life is like when you are enslaved to someone other than God. Then you will see the blessing of serving the Lord.
We must see that we can humble ourselves, repent, and turn back to the Lord but this does not mean that all the consequences for our decisions are erased. We still must bear the consequences for our sins. We must still carry the burden of abandoning the Lord. But please notice that God says he is doing this so that we will learn and remember. We need to remember what happens when we walk away from God. We need to remember the pain and the guilt. We need to remember the shame and suffering. Do not forget the trouble that comes from abandoning the law of the Lord. Do not forget the insecurity that comes from leaving him.
God gave Rehoboam a permanent reminder. In verse 9 we read that Shishak the king of Egypt took all the treasuries of the temple and the king’s palace. Notice the succinct and powerful words of verse 9. “He took away everything.” But God wants to highlight some symbolism for us. The gold shields Solomon made were captured. Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them. But whenever anyone would enter, he would have the guards remove the shields so that no one would see the fading glory and the tarnished kingdom. Abandoning the Lord had taken a kingdom of gold and turned into a kingdom of bronze. Rehoboam had done wrong but he is not going to let anyone see the consequences of his actions. The cover up is in place so that no one will know the disaster he caused from his sinning. We do this too. We put up a shiny veneer so that people will never know the disaster of our sinning. We will fake everyone out from a distance. When people get up close, we will move away so no one can know what has happened.
Messages
There are many warnings that this scripture gives to us as important checkpoints for our hearts. First, do not allow our security in life to abandon the law of the Lord. Second, when we become insecure in life, consider if we have abandoned the Lord. The Lord did not leave us first. Third, do not be satisfied with appearances when truly humbling our hearts is what is necessary for restoration. Finally, even when we humble ourselves and turn back to the Lord, the consequences for our decisions will remain as a reminder that serving God is better than serving anyone or anything else.