Bible

In the Bible room today, we continue reading the summary of 2 Chronicles with Part 2, chapters 10 through 18.

____________________________________

2 Chronicles – Part 2 of 4

Chapter 10. Rebellion

Rehoboam, the new king, is greeted by rebellion:

• Solomon had ruled all of Israel with heavy requirements;
• Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s officials, leads rebellion;
• He takes a contingent from Northern Israel to meet the king:
• They plead with Rehoboam that he lighten the work load;
• Many of the elders urge Rehoboam to agree to the demand;
• Rehoboam rejects that suggestion, requires continued slavery;
• So, the kingdom is divided: Israel versus Judah;
• Ten tribes in Israel, the Northern Kingdom under Jeroboam;
• Judah and Benjamin, the Southern Kingdom, in Judah.

Chapter 11. Divided

In Judah, Rehoboam makes plans for a possible civil war:

• He strengthens all the towns in Judah and Benjamin;
• The divided kingdom appears to be headed to civil war;
• He has 180,000 men of war to fight against Jeroboam;
• The Lord orders Rehoboam to not attack their Jewish brothers;
• All priests and Levites are expelled from Israel, side with Judah;
• Jeroboam is in full rebellion: appoints his own priests;
• He forges his own idols, golden calves;
• For three years all godly people still worship at Jerusalem;
• They worship the true God of David and Solomon;
• Rehoboam marries Maacah, daughter of Absalom;
• Their son, Abijah, is made chief prince and heir to the throne;
• Rehoboam takes many wives, has many children.

Chapter 12. Humbled

Rehoboam’s commitment to God is tepid, eventually he is humbled:

• After establishing control in Jerusalem, he abandons God;
• He leads his people away from the Lord: The Lord responds:
• An army from Egypt attacks Judah from the south;
• General Shishak overruns all the cities south of Jerusalem;
• At Jerusalem, he ransacks the temple and the royal palace;
• He takes all the valuables of Solomon;
• King Rehoboam is protected by his special guard;
• He has a change of heart, becomes humble before the Lord;
• The Lord allows him to remain king in Judah;
• Rehoboam recovers from the Egyptian attack;
• Civil war between Judah and Israel is almost constant;
• Rehoboam dies after his seventeen-year reign at Jerusalem;
• His son, Abijah, succeeds him as king in Judah.

Chapter 13. Confrontation

Abijah and Jeroboam have a life-changing confrontation:

• The ongoing war between Judah and Israel seems endless:
• Jeroboam challenges Abijah with Israel’s 800,000-man army;
• Abijah responds with Judah’s 400,000-man army;
• He delivers a sermon to his enemy about being God’s army;
• He condemns Jeroboam as being a godless rebel leader;
• While Abijah is speaking, Jeroboam deploys his army;
• He sends half his men to get behind Abijah and his army;
• Surrounded, outnumbered, Abijah calls on the Lord;
• Priests sound the horns; the army sounds the battle cry;
• The Lord routs Jeroboam’s army, over half are casualties;
• Abijah is victorious, captures several towns and villages;
• Jeroboam perishes by the hand of the Lord;
• Abijah dies after a successful reign of just three years;
• His son, Asa, succeeds him as king in Judah.

Chapter 14. Reformation

Asa oversees reformation during his long reign in Judah:

• He begins by establishing the rule of the Lord for all Judah;
• He has all the ungodly idols destroyed;
• He rebuilds cities and towns, adds walls, fortifications;
• Then came Zerah, the Cushite, with his army from the south;
• Asa had enlarged his army, but he is still greatly outnumbered;
• He needs the Lord to repel this attack;
• With the Lord, Judah defeats the Cushites, strips the army;
• Destroys, plunders, all the towns in the region around Gerar;
• They carry off sheep and herds back to Jerusalem.

Chapter 15. Peace

Asa has twenty years of peace and prosperity during his reforms:

• He removes most idols from Judah and the captured towns;
• He rebuilds the altar in front of the temple;
• Many people from northern areas return to Judah;
• A great crowd assembles in Jerusalem to hear Asa speak;
• They all covenant together to obey and serve God;
• All Godless dissenters, rebels, are put to death;
• That day the Lord brings peace to all of Judah;
• Asa is not perfect; he allows some pagan symbols to remain;
• But he is dedicated to serving the true God of Israel;
• There is peace in the land for 35 years of Asa’s reign.

Chapter 16. Challenged

In his thirty-sixth year as king in Judah, Asa is challenged:

• Baasha, King in Israel, attempts to blockade Judah;
• He is supported by Ben-Hadad, king of Aram;
• Blockaded, no one can enter, or leave, the region of Judah;
• Asa gathers the treasures from the temple and his palace;
• Sends this trove as payment to Ben-Hadad at Damascus;
• Asa suggests a treaty with Ben-Hadad and Judah;
• He wants Ben-Hadad to cease his support of Baasha’s blockade;
• Asa’s father and Ben-Hadad’s father also had a no-war treaty;
• Ben-Hadad agrees, turns his army against Baasha, attacks Israel;
• Asa’s army then attacks and plunders Baasha’s forces;
• Baasha withdraws his army and abandons his blockade;
• Through a seer, the word of the Lord comes to Asa;
• He is reminded of the Lord’s help in defeating the Cushites;
• Asa has done a foolish thing in seeking help from a foreigner;
• Because of this he will be at war for the rest of his reign;
• Asa dies at the end of his forty-first year as king in Judah.

Chapter 17. Teaching

A new king begins a teaching campaign throughout the realm:

• The son of Asa, Jehoshaphat, becomes king in Judah;
• He is a devoted follower of the God of David;
• He destroys all the pagan symbols, and idols;
• All Judah brings him gifts making him extremely wealthy;
• He appoints the prophets and the Levites as teachers;
• Dispatches them throughout Judah to teach the Law of God;
• They teach in every city in Judah and the region;
• The fear of the Lord spreads to all the kings around Judah;
• Jehoshaphat will not be challenged by any neighbors;
• The Philistines bring tribute of gifts and silver;
• Arabs bring gifts of thousands of sheep and goats;
• Jehoshaphat increases in wealth and power in the region;
• He fortifies cities, builds many forts and storehouses;
• He places trained forces from Judah and Benjamin at Jerusalem.

Chapter 18. Decision

King Jehoshaphat and King Ahab make a fateful decision:

• Jehoshaphat pays a visit to King Ahab in Samaria;
• The two are discussing the situation with Ramoth Gilead;
• Ahab asks Jehoshaphat for his support if he goes to war;
• The two kings agree to consult the prophets;
• Ahab has 400 prophets who agree he should attack;
• Jehoshaphat requests to hear from a prophet of the Lord;
• Ahab says there is one prophet named Micaiah whom he hates;
• He says Micaiah never has anything good to say for Ahab;
• At first, Micaiah tells Ahab he will win the impending war;
• Micaiah then changes his vision, says Ahab will die in the war;
• The king orders Micaiah put in jail, fed bread and water;
• The decision: Attack the Arameans at Ramoth Gilead;
• Jehoshaphat wears his royal robes, Ahab dresses in disguise;
• The enemy forces are ordered to kill King Ahab;
• Seeing the royal robes, they mistake Jehoshaphat for Ahab;
• The Lord directs the attackers away from Jehoshaphat;
• A random arrow strikes Ahab between the folds of his armor;
• Wounded, he props himself up in his chariot to watch the battle;
• As the sun sets, King Ahab dies.

END OF 2 CHRONICLES – PART 2 of 4