A NEW NORMAL
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Opening Prayer
Thank you, Father, that you not only know me, but you care about everything concerning me. Thank you for the kindness and goodness you have showered on me.
Read 2 CHRONICLES 11:5—23
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 11
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah:
6 Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa,
7 Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam,
8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph,
9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah,
10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin.
11 He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine.
12 He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
13 The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him.
14 The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property, and came to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the LORD.
15 And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made.
16 Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the LORD, the God of their fathers.
17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time.
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab.
19 She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham.
20 Then he married Maacah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith.
21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah to be the chief prince among his brothers, in order to make him king.
23 He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and took many wives for them.
Reflect
Change can be unsettling, and careful preparation is essential for a successful transition. May the Lord help us in all such situations.
The division of the kingdom was not simply on geographical or tribal lines. In addition to the Levites living in the north, those from the ten tribes who valued the temple and the worship of the God of Israel migrated south. This would not have been an easy decision because it would have involved great personal cost, leaving homes and livelihoods behind. Today, in an era of mass migration, we too quickly forget the reasons for, and the cost of, becoming a refugee. It is never easy and always comes with a heavy price. Though no doubt welcomed by Judah, the northerners would still have been seen as outsiders.
At the same time, the nation was preparing for a war that seemed inevitable. Towns had to be safeguarded and cities had to be fortified. In the event of a siege or a scorched-earth invasion, stores of food and other necessities had to be stockpiled. Rehoboam had inherited a large standing army, but defense forces for each town had to be created, with training and equipment provided. Three years passed, while the nation got itself into a state of readiness for invasion, not just from the north, but from any neighbors who saw them as weakened and now ripe for plucking.
Meanwhile, everyday life continued. The king had married, had children, and made succession plans. Sadly, he followed his father’s poor example and, wanting to impress, created a vast extended family. He distributed them throughout the land, possibly to minimize family tensions as much as to protect the nation. Meanwhile, in the north, Jeroboam sought to compensate for the lack of access to the temple by creating his own substitute religion, which would lead the nation astray for generations. He appointed his own priests, set up his own shrines, and, by so doing, effectively turned his back on God.
Apply
Remember those who have had to leave their homes and become homeless refugees.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to be sensitive to the plights of others, committed to pray for them, ready to offer comfort and aid where I am able.
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