2nd Chronicles 11 FOR THREE YEARS The writer of the Chronicles was quite obviously concerned that the positive actions of the forbearers of the returned exiles be given as much credit as possible for doing what was right. Rehoboam acted on wrong advice at the time of his coronation by indicating to the people of Israel he was going to take full control over their lives and keep the power of the nation in his own hands. The result was division. His reaction was to gather his army and reunite the kingdom by force. Often there is the tendency to take some action without taking the time to think a matter through and consider what the outcome will be. To challenge our brethren, and perhaps defeat and subjugate them, only produces resentment and at a later time, retaliation.
Rehoboam wisely listened to the word of the Lord through Shemaiah, the prophet. This prophet was a man of courage who was willing to go against the plans of the king and popular thought of his counselors and men of war. By divine intervention which led to taking good advice, the children of Israel were saved from a lot of bloodshed. There will be times when our opinion differs from those of our brothers and sisters in Christ. To have a different opinion is not necessarily wrong, but to try to force that opinion on others claiming that it is a conviction, leads to division. Some people demand that everyone submits to their own personal opinion on a matter, and will take it right to the wall. That divisive attitude and long-lasting resentments will be held even after the initiator is gone, and a company of God's people never recover from the aftereffects of one's personal opinion.
Unity that lasts cannot be forced on God's people. Respect for a person, and particularly a leader, comes when the hearts of God's people are drawn towards him because of his meekness and obvious love for them. Meekness does not mean one is an easy pushover, but that one understands that power under control, motivated by Christian love and graceful words, can produce a more desired result than overwhelming force.
Loyalty and allegiance have to be won. When we have opportunity, "Do good unto all men, especially them who are of the household of faith." Those who serve the Lord by serving His people, need the character of servant-hood learned from our Lord, and from those who have been tried and proven by their lives of faith. It is doubtful that Rehoboam ever saw his role as king, as that of a servant of the people. But at least for three years he was a good administrator of that which remained in his hands of a divided kingdom.
He understood the necessity of guarding his southern border because the Egyptians would likely seek to take advantage of, and seek to conquer, that part of a divided nation. It was a wise move on his part to arm and maintain these fortified cities to the east, west and south as protection against invasion. In our commitment to the truth of God, both in assembly testimony and in Gospel testimony, we need to be consciously aware of those teachings and practices that are encroaching on the people of God, and have the potential of defeating us. It is God who preserves His people and He uses wise leaders to teach and strengthen His own people against the invasion of falsehood.
Perhaps Rehoboam left the northern border unprotected in hopes of bringing about the reunification of the whole kingdom. The actions of Jeroboam in making two golden calves and installing his own priesthood effectively hindered, and then completely stopped all hope of that from happening. Those who were committed to the Lord and His word, did not go along with the new, and wrong religious practices of the northern tribes. Rather than cooperating with that which is wrong and compromising, they moved to the south where the right practices continued in the temple at Jerusalem. It was more important to them to obey God in the spiritual part of their lives than to keep their homes and property. There is a price associated with doing that which is right when the majority chooses to go their own way. It may be the loss of jobs, loss of property, loss of finances and loss of prestige in order to do what is right. But when one person is willing to take such action, that example helps others to separate from evil and follow the word of God in faithful obedience. It is wrong to try to make the plain teaching of the word of God fit our own agenda for our own reasons.
There is no question that God hates division. He said so in His word. But unity at the expense of truth and obedience to the will of God is not something with which we can participate. Self-will, apostasy, false doctrine and willful rejection of our Lord, leads to division in the same sense as darkness and light are divided. When difficulties because of differing opinions arise in a church or a family, attempts at reconciliation are the firsts steps to take in resolving a matter. The priest, Levites and those "who set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel," did right when they moved to Jerusalem where they were able to sacrifice to the Lord God of their forefathers.
When we obey God rather than man, no matter how much charisma a person might have, we must preserve our integrity and spiritual discernment in spite of how persuasive that person may be. Biblical convictions may cost us friendships and favorable circumstances, but to be able "to live in all good conscience," is to maintain spiritual strength. Those who are prepared to obey God in spite of the cost, please God.
Rehoboam must have carefully planned to place family members in different locations throughout the southern kingdom. In that way he was able to control the political system and at the same time keep his family from plotting against each other. Through his twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters scattered to different places, he was able to avoid the kind of family dynamics that plagued David when he was king.
The mistakes we make early in life may not leave us entirely unscathed, and we may never be able to fully recover from their effects, but when we finally learn some lessons from others, and by experience, we may still have a productive life. However, a good start does not always mean a good finish. if we keep close to our Lord and remain committed to knowing and practicing His word, we can run a successful race.