2 Chronicles 11 reminds me that God will intervene to protect, but He will not interfere with our free will. The chapter begins, “When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the house of Judah and Benjamin a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men to make war against Israel and to regain the kingdom“. But God spoke through a “man of God” named Shemaiah to prevent a civil war. “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all the Israelites in Judah… Do not go up to fight against your brothers. Go home, every one of you, for this is My doing“. And we read, “So they obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against Jeroboam“. “Rehab” obeyed God and interestingly, his kingdom flourished. He lived in Jerusalem ruling over the southern half of the divided nation. He built fortified cities for defense, “and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his“. Notice that there was an attitude change that preceded any action. He had been given good advice before, but now there was a recognition that this was from God. Obedience to God first requires humility. God will not force us to believe.
We read something else happened when Rehab honored God. “The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. The Levites… came to Judah and Jerusalem“. The reason for this migration was, Jeroboam and his sons had turned away from God and “appointed his own priests” to worship “idols he had made“. Pride produces a desire to do our own thing and selfishness separates. God’s Holy Spirit produces unity. “Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord… followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord… They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, walking in the ways of David and Solomon during this time“. Why did his obedience last only three years? The next sentence reminds us that rebelling against God always comes at a cost. God is merciful, but sin leaves scars.
“Rehoboam married Mahalath… and… Abihail … Then he married Maacah … In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters“. Like his father and grandfather, Rehab had a lust for many women. We say, “The apple does not fall far from the tree” as generational sins do tend to be repeated. I know that awareness is the first step toward breaking the hold that sin has on our life. We learn patterns of behavior in our childhood. I believe the Bible is clear that there are always consequences to our sin. “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). But the same chapter also makes it clear, “For each one shall bear his own load“. Confirming that we each have the ability to sin all on our own, “For there are none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). This is exactly why we need a Savior! Jesus died to pay the penalty of your sin and Jesus alone can say, “Your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5).1John 1:9 says very clearly, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Do you believe God will keep His promise?