“‘This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers. 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.”
~ 2 Chronicles 11:4
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you like battling? Do you start battles that you know that you will win? You probably are saying ‘grandpaa we don’t battle’. Have you ever told your dad and/or ma that you do not want to do something – such as telling your dad and/or ma that you are not going to eat something that your dad and/or ma has asked you to eat, such as telling your dad and/or ma that you are not going to put on a shirt or a top that your dad and/or ma has asked you to put on to wear or such as telling your dad and/or ma that you are not going to stop playing games on the computer after your dad and/or ma has asked you to stop playing games on the computer? What is something that you use to fight with to win a battle with your dad and/or ma? Do you use stubbornness – or anger – or pouting – or crying – or disobedience? When your grandpaa was your age, your grandpaa would sometimes get into a battle with his ma. Your dad’s grandma would pull and twist one of your grandpaa’s ears until it really hurt. Your grandpaa learned as he got older that getting into a battle with his ma was not a good idea. Your grandpaa does not remember ever getting in a battle with your dad’s grandpa. Your grandpaa’s dad sometimes would get a migraine headache. When your grandpaa’s dad had a bad migraine headache that had him end up having to lie down in bed, the kids in your grandpaa’s family had to be quiet. Your grandpaa knew that his ma would pull or twist one of his ears if he did not stay quiet. Your grandpaa learned to ask his dad what his dad would like your grandpaa to do knowing that his dad would suggest that your grandpaa could clean the manure out the gutter or out of the south or west barn or that your grandpaa could haul some straw from the haystack to the barn for bedding for the cows or that your grandpaa could mow the front or back lawn or . . . your grandpaa knew that he better do what your dad’s grandpa had suggested to your grandpaa that he do or . . . your grandpaa was scared of what might happen if he did not do the job that his dad had suggested that your grandpaa do. Your grandpaa really wanted to make his dad happy and pleased with him. Your grandpaa knew that if he did in the morning what his dad suggested that he do that his dad would then let your grandpaa do what your grandpaa wanted to do in the afternoon such as playing ball with neighbor kids or exploring the grove or going fishing in the river or in the lake or . . .
When Solomon died, two guys – Rehoboam and Jeroboam, battled each other to become the king over the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids. Rehoboam was one of Solomon’s kids while Jeroboam had worked for Solomon. Because neither guy was willing to let the other guy win their battle between each other, neither guy got to be the king over all the Israelite people group’s tribal clans’ guys, gals and kids. Ten Israelite people group’s tribal clans who had been allotted land in the northern part of the land that God gave to His specially chosen guys, gals and kids to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . and two Israelite people group’s tribal clans that were allotted land on the east side of the Jordon River wanted Jeroboam to be their king. The two remaining Israelite people group’s tribal clans wanted Rehoboam as their king. These two Israelite people group’s tribal clans – Judah and Benjamin, had been allotted land in the southern part of the land that God . . . after Rehoboam became king over the Judah and Benjamin tribal clans’ guys and gals, Rehoboam recruited an army of 180,000 guys from these two tribal clans. Rehoboam wanted to do battle against Jeroboam. Rehoboam wanted to destroy Jeroboam so that he could be the king over all the Israelite people group’s tribal clans. Jeroboam was an awful guy but . . . after all the bad things that Solomon did during his forty years of being king over all the Israelite people group’s tribal clans and over a lot more land area than just Israel’s land area, God wanted a change. 2 Chronicles 11 is God making it very clear that He wanted Canaan – which had become known as Israel, divided into two countries – Israel and Judah.
Rehoboam – because he had a large army of guys ready to fight for him, probably could have easily defeated Jeroboam in a battle. God stopped Rehoboam from doing battle with Jeroboam. God used Shemaiah – one of His prophets, to give Rehoboam a message. Verse 4 is the message that God told Shemaiah to pass on to Rehoboam: “‘This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers. 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.” Rehoboam listened to God. Rehoboam did what God told him to do. Rehoboam internalized what God said in His message that what happened when Israel’s land area became divided into two countries had happened because God wanted it to happen. Because Rehoboam listened to God’s message, God blessed Rehoboam in his first years of being the king over the guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area. God blessed Rehoboam with money and power. God blessed Rehoboam through the support of the guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area. God blessed Rehoboam with a large family. What do you think would have happened if Rehoboam had disregarded the message that God sent to him and he went ahead and did what God had told him not to do? Your grandpaa can only guess what might have taken place if Rehoboam had not listened to God. Your grandpaa believes that God would not have blessed Rehoboam like He did if Rehoboam had not listened to Him. When you think that you need to get your way or when you think that your way is the right way or when you disagree with or when you do battle with your dad and/or ma, what are you communicating to God? Do you want to have or do you want to lose God’s blessings?
2 Chronicles 11 (228)