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2 Chronicles 10 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
It seems like this whole situation began to unravel in such a short period of time. If we go back in history, however, we see that is not the case. This struggle to follow God and obey Him had been going on for years. If we look back at the book of Kings, we read that it was because of Solomon’s leadership that the nations began to crumble. Ahijah the prophet would be the one to relay the message directly from God.
Ahijah took off the new robe he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, because the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, ‘I am going to take the kingdom away from Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes. 32 Solomon will keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be my own from the whole land of Israel. 33 I am going to do this because Solomon has rejected me and has worshiped foreign gods: Astarte, the goddess of Sidon; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of Ammon. Solomon has disobeyed me; he has done wrong and has not kept my laws and commands as his father David did.
1 Kings 11:30-33 GNB
Jeroboam was one of Solomon’s former officials. He would take the northern tribes of Israel when it was all said and done. In fact, we read here in 2 Chronicles that when Solomon learned of this prophecy he wanted to kill Jeroboam who ended up he fleeing to Egypt. In the meantime, Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, would end up becoming king after Solomon died. When Jeroboam (a “mighty man of valor”) returned from Egypt, he warned Rehoboam not to heavily tax the people like his father had. Here in 2 Chronicles 10, we read Rehoboam’s bold response.
The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the people, 14 as the younger men had advised. He said, “My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I’ll flog you with bullwhips!”
2 Chronicles 10:13-14 GNB
What started with Solomon ultimately affected the future of Israel’s leaders. The problems that now exist under Rehoboam did not happen overnight. In fact, the Lord began to slowly take the kingdom away long before. If we gain perspective into this choice by God, we realize just how gracious He really is. He could have stripped the throne away immediately, and it would have been completely justified.
Many times our struggles begin long before the actual downfall. This is why Scripture speaks so boldly of turning and repenting. This is also why Scripture encourages us to relentlessly proclaim the Message of Jesus Christ. Scatter the seed and let the Holy Spirit convict hearts. It’s very possible that one of those seeds could influence an entire generation.