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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
2 Chron. 10
This is the Chronicler’s version of the events we read about yesterday in 1 Kings. I mentioned yesterday how Rehoboam’s response to the people was the exact opposite of how God responds to us. Today I noticed another detail that supports that thought. The people claimed that Solomon’s yoke on them was heavy. Rehoboam told them he would add to their yoke, making it even heavier. In stark contrast to that response, Jesus told us, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30). Our ways are not like God’s. And He calls us to be different, as He is different.
2 Chron. 11
The one way God had established for His people to come reconcile and fellowship with Him still remained after Israel split. His holy presence remained in the temple in Jerusalem and the faithful still sought Him there, as He commanded. Jeroboam, however, set up his own system of worship – a system with no meaning or significance. Therefore, the priests and Levites throughout Israel left whatever they had there and went to Judah and Jerusalem. Furthermore, “Those from every tribe of Israel who had determined in their hearts to seek the LORD their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their ancestors.” (2 Chron. 11:16).
As it was then, so it is now. God has established One Way for people to come reconcile and fellowship with Him. That Way is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow; it will never change. That way is Jesus. Thus, those from every nation of the world who determine in their hearts to seek the LORD, the One True God will follow the faithful to Jesus to sacrifice their lives to the one who sacrificed His life for them.
2 Chron. 12
“When Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power, he abandoned the law of the LORD” (2 Chron. 12:1a). Funny thing about power. It tends to give us a false sense of security and…well, power. We start thinking we are somebody and that we can handle things our own way. That was Rehoboam’s mistake, and the mistake of so many before and after him. It doesn’t even take the power of a king to lure us into this trap. We can easily go there with far less.
Since we know that power has so great a pull, what are we to do? We can’t always avoid positions of power, and I’m certain that isn’t the right solution anyway. However, we can learn from Rehoboam and others like him. The Chronicler helps us with this, as he gave us the reason Rehoboam fell prey to his power. “Rehoboam did what was evil, because he did not determine in his heart to seek the LORD.” (2 Chron. 12:14).
That phrase, “determine in his heart” speaks of a deep commitment. When we truly commit to something, we prioritize it, which makes us behave differently. We become intentional regarding the object of our commitment and we put consistent effort toward it. So it is when we determine in our hearts to seek the LORD. Intentional living with a consistently humbled heart is the only way to protect ourselves from the pull of power and whatever else seeks to draw us away from our God.