S3E273 – 2 Chronicles 11-15: Correction

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is history Tuesday, and we’ll read 2 Chronicles 11-15. I have an on this date in church history segment that I think you’ll find interesting, and related to that, I have a song for you at the end of the show today. I’m calling today’s episode  “Correction.” Design: Steve Webb Comments on 2 Chronicles 11 King Rehoboam was a mixed bag. There were times where he followed the Lord, and times where he turned his back on God. And in chapter 11, verses 16 and 17, we read some very important words. 16Those 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 ancestors. 17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time. Chapter 12 tells us that Rehoboam reigned for 17 years, but those three years were his best, because he and the people sought the Lord and followed the examples of David and Solomon. Beloved, when things are not going well with us, it’s a really good idea to take a spiritual inventory. How is our relationship with God? Are we seeking the Lord? Is there unconfessed sin in our life? Are we spending time with Him in prayer and in the Word? Of course, being right with God is no guarantee that life will be a bed of roses, because we live in a fallen world. But sometimes our loving Heavenly Father uses difficulties and hardships to get our attention if we are straying off the path.  Yes, we are secure in God’s grace because of the shed blood of Christ. He paid the price for all of our sins, if we have been born again. I’m not saying that we are in danger of losing our salvation if we have a time of rebellion. But God loves us too much to not correct us if we need it.  If you want to have God’s blessing, the place you want to be is in harmony with God, seeking to know Him better each and every day.  Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 11 NIV; Ch. 12-13 CEB; Ch. 14-15 NLT Music Nathan Drake of Reawaken Hymns graciously gave his permission to play this song on the show. Support him at Reawaken Hymns. Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00Take a spiritual inventory. INTRO S12E279 – 0:10This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside in Southern California’s Inland Empire where it’ll be in the upper 90s most of the week. Shoosh! Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year and today is History Tuesday. We’ll read 2 Chronicles 11 through 15. After that I’ve got comments, of course, and I’ve got an On This Date in Church History segment that I think you’ll find interesting, and related to that I’ve got a song for you at the end of today’s show. I’m calling the episode today, “Correction”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e279. I’d love to hear from you. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin. 2 CHRONICLES 11 (NIV) – 0:592 Chronicles, chapter 11. (1) When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered Judah and Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam. (2) But this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God: (3) “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, (4) ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your fellow Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against Jeroboam. (5) Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah: (6) Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, (7) Beth Zur, Soko, 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) when 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 ancestors. (17) They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following 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 Maakah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith. (21) Rehoboam loved Maakah 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 Maakah as crown 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. 2 CHRONICLES 12 (CEB) – 3:372 Chronicles, chapter 12. (1) But as soon as Rehoboam had secured his royal power, he, along with all Israel, abandoned the LORD’s Instruction. (2) Egypt’s King Shishak attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam because Israel had been unfaithful to the LORD. (3) Accompanying Shishak from Egypt were twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horses, and countless Libyan, Sukkite, and Cushite warriors. (4) He captured the fortified cities of Judah and came toward Jerusalem. (5) Then the prophet Shemaiah went to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and told them, This is what the LORD says: Since you have abandoned me, now I am abandoning you to Shishak’s power. (6) Then the leaders of Israel and the king submitted. “The LORD is right,” they said. (7) When the LORD saw that they had submitted, the LORD’s word came to Shemaiah: Since they have submitted, I won’t destroy them. I will deliver them in a little while, and I won’t use Shishak to pour out my anger against Jerusalem. (8) Nevertheless, they will be subject to him so that they learn the difference between serving me and serving other nations. (9) Egypt’s King Shishak attacked Jerusalem and seized the treasures of the LORD’s temple and the royal palace. He took everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made. (10) King Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields and assigned them to the officers of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. (11)(Whenever the king entered the LORD’s temple, the guards would carry the shields and then return them to the guardroom.) (12) When Rehoboam submitted, the LORD was no longer angry with him, and total destruction was avoided. There were, after all, some good things still in Judah. (13) So King Rehoboam was securely established in Jerusalem. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king, and he ruled seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put his name. His mother’s name was Naamah from Ammon. (14) But Rehoboam did what was evil because he didn’t set his heart on seeking the LORD. (15) The deeds of Rehoboam, from beginning to end, aren’t they written in the records of the prophet Shemaiah and the seer Iddo, including the genealogical records? There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. (16) Rehoboam lay down with his ancestors and was buried in David’s City. His son Abijah succeeded him as king. 2 CHRONICLES 13 (CEB) – 6:072 Chronicles, chapter 13. (1) Abijah became king over Judah in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam. (2) He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah; she was Uriel’s daughter from Gibeah. When war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam, (3) Abijah went to fight with an army of four hundred thousand select troops against Jeroboam’s select forces numbering eight hundred thousand, who were arrayed in battle formation. (4) Abijah stood on the heights of Mount Zemaraim in Ephraim’s highlands and said: “Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! (5) Surely you know that the LORD, Israel’s God, made an unbreakable covenant with David and his descendants that they would rule Israel forever. (6) It was Jeroboam, Nebat’s son, the servant of Solomon, David’s son, who rebelled against his master. (7) When some useless, worthless people joined his cause, they overpowered Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, who was too young and timid to resist them. (8) And now do you intend to challenge the LORD’s royal rule, entrusted to David’s descendants? You may have a numerical advantage, as well as the gold calves Jeroboam made for you as gods. (9) But you’ve banished the LORD’s priests, Aaron’s sons, along with the Levites, so that you could appoint your own priests as other countries do. Now anyone who shows up with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these phony gods!...