Choose This Day Who You Serve

2 Chronicles 11:1-23

    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.

    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.

    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.

Rehoboam began well, listening when the LORD told him not to attack the renegade tribes of Israel under the apostate Jeroboam.  They all obeyed the word of the LORD when He spoke.  Jeroboam had rejected and banished the priests of God and instead set up pagan ones to worship demons and calf idols (as in the wilderness at Mount Sinai), trading the high places for worship of the living God.  These did not hear or obey the word of the LORD when He spoke as it was written.  The Levites moved to Judah, leaving all their possessions behind, and those of various tribes of Israel who did not reject their LORD left as well to set their hearts on Him by coming to Jerusalem to sacrifice and worship.  These strengthened Judah and Rehoboam’s rule for a few years at least.  Rehoboam fortified the cities as Nahum 2:1 reminds us to stand in defense of the LORD in following Him.  They stood in defense against idolatry and to continue in worship of God alone, a reminder for us to avoid the high places with which our corrupt culture of this present evil age (Galatians 1:4) wages war against God’s people to this day.  We should learn from these (1 Corinthians 10:11, Romans 15:4) examples to follow our Lord Jesus Christ with a whole and dedicated heart, mind, and will - with all our lives.  Choose this and every day who you will serve and worship with your life (Joshua 24:15, Mark 12:30).