2 Chronicles 11:2–4: “But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ‘Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me.'”‘ Therefore they obeyed the words of the LORD, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.”

September 28th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

King Rehoboam of Judah intended to use force to reunite Israel to Judah. But the Lord warned him that if he continued, the battle in front of him was not going to be against men but against God Himself, because the splitting of the kingdom was His will. Wisely, Rehoboam listened and a disaster was prevented. In a story of a ruler who was not seeking the Lord, we find a refreshing and interesting statement: “But the word of the LORD came.” This is another example of God being faithful to man in the face of man’s unfaithfulness to Him by sending a man of God to confront King David’s grandson.

As a young man, Harry A. Ironside spent an afternoon with a man named Andrew Fraser who was terminally ill:

I met a most interesting servant of Christ whose name was Andrew Fraser . . . He was suffering from tuberculosis, and had come all the way from Ireland, hoping to find relief from this dreadful disease; but he was so far gone that it was not many months before he went home to heaven . . . I spent one of the most precious hours of my life, listening to the kindly advice and opening up of the Word of God from the lips of this dear dying man, as he turned from scripture to scripture and brought out precious truths that I had never seen. I finally asked him, “Mr. Fraser, where did you learn all this? Can you suggest some book or books that I could read which would make these things plain to me?”

He replied, “My dear young brother, I learned these things on my knees on the mud floor of a little thatched cottage in the north of Ireland as I waited on God over His Word. You may read many books and often find nice and helpful things in them, but you will never learn the truth of God in the same way or in the same fullness as you can learn it on your knees over an open Bible.”¹

What a contrast there is between Rehoboam’s disregard in seeking the Lord and Fraser’s fervency in seeking Him. If God is willing at times to speak to us even when we aren’t listening, imagine the disasters of this world we could avoid if we would actively listen to God’s word and apply it to our lives. He desires to speak to us.

“LORD, we ask that You would teach us Your ways, walk with us, and speak to us, in Jesus’ name.”

¹H. A. Ironside, Luke: An Ironside Expository Commentary (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1920, 2007) p. 228.

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2 Chronicles 11 KJV

¹ And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men , which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. ² But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³ Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, ⁴ Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam. ⁵ And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah. ⁶ He built even Beth-lehem, and Etam, and Tekoa, ⁷ And Beth-zur, and Shoco, and Adullam, ⁸ And Gath, and Mareshah, and Ziph, ⁹ And Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, ¹⁰ And Zorah, and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin fenced cities. ¹¹ And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine. ¹² And in every several city he putshields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side. ¹³ And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.  ¹⁴ For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD: ¹⁵ And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made. ¹⁶ And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers. ¹⁷ So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon. ¹⁸ And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse; ¹⁹ Which bare him children; Jeush, and Shamariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.  ²¹ And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: (for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, and threescore daughters.) ²² And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king. ²³ And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his children throughout all the countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city: and he gave them victual in abundance. And he desired many wives.