Rehoboam in Jerusalem
11 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the house of Judah and Benjamin—one hundred eighty thousand fit young soldiers—to fight against Israel to restore the reign to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah,the man of God: 3 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, 4 ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers. Each of you return home, for this incident has come from me.’”
So they listened to what the Lord said and turned back from going against Jeroboam.
Rehoboam refused to take defeat. He just lost one leader of the people who demanded people to work under king Rehoboam; he was killed by Israel after Rehoboam told them he would treat them more harshly than his father Solomon.
Rehoboam ran home and gathered soldiers to attack Israel. God step in and told Rehoboam and those he led to back off. They listened to the prophet of God and ceased to go any further to fight against their brothers.
Judah’s King Rehoboam
5 Rehoboam stayed in Jerusalem, and he fortified cities[a] in Judah. 6 He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin. 11 He strengthened their fortifications and put leaders in them with supplies of food, oil, and wine. 12 He also put large shields and spears in each and every city to make them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.
Jeroboam was the leader of the 10 tribes that walked away from Rehoboam. After the split of the kingdom known as the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel, Jerobohaom strengthens what he has left under his leadership to be secured from outside forces. He was separated from Egypt and the northern kingdoms of Israel. He put leaders in charge and made sure they had food, oil, wine, and military artillery.
13 The priests and Levites from all their regions throughout Israel took their stand with Rehoboam, 14 for the Levites left their pasturelands and their possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons refused to let them serve as priests of the Lord.
Some of the priests and Levites left Jeroboam and RETURNED TO the leadership under Rehoboam. They left because Jeroboam refused to follow the pattern God instructed for the priest and Levites. It did not matter to them that they had possession of land and other things under Jeroboam; they were determined to continue the path of the God they knew and if leaving earthly possessions meant they had to lose, they left.
15 Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places, the goat-demons, and the golden calves he had made.
Jeroboam made idols to represent the living God. Jeroboam did not say that the living God who brought them out of Egypt was not God, he said he would give them an image to look at when talking to him. Jeroboam perhaps thought we need God, but having an image, makes it easier to acknowledge his presence. Today many believers make leaders their point of contact when worshipping God. Some people need pastors, leaders, clothes, and paraphernalia to represent God, so that believing in God may seem more real.
16 Those from every tribe of Israel who had determined in their hearts to seek the Lord their God followed the Levites to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon for three years, because they walked in the ways of David and Solomon for three years.
Three years Jeroboam lost some of the different tribes of the ten tribes of Israel (northern kingdom) to follow Rehoboam. These tribes were determined to seek the living God the way he was to be sought. The more people who left Jeroboam and went back to be under the leadership of Judah, the southern kingdom, increased and strengthen the number of people under the leadership of Rehoboam.
18 Rehoboam married Mahalath, daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. 19 She bore sons to him: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 After her, he married Maacah daughter[b] of Absalom. She bore Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith to him. 21 Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his wives and concubines. He acquired eighteen wives and sixty concubines and was the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
22 Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief, leader among his brothers, intending to make him king. 23 Rehoboam also showed discernment by dispersing some of his sons to all the regions of Judah and Benjamin and to all the fortified cities. He gave them plenty of provisions and sought many wives for them.
Rehoboam had several wives but loved Maacah one of his several wives. Maacah gave birth to Abijah and Abijah became his successor. Abijah was not the oldest son that was to be appointed king after Rehoboam's death. Rehoboam chose Abijah to succeed him and if that was not the right person to take his place, it did not matter to him because he did many other things that did not follow the right path. Rehoboam tried pacifying his sons by making them leaders throughout Judah. He also gave them several wives. Many times we try to deter the obvious in what we are doing, by using bribes. Rehoboam's seemingly right way of leading to himself, only showed how corrupt he really was. God's order of leadership is simple. When we are allowed to lead, we should simply say and stay in the will of God to guide people in a way that gives them the right to make simple choices. Too many variables in choices make us wicked leaders.
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