October 21st, 2012
II Chronicles 11-12 (1 Kgs 14:21-31; 2 Kgs 17:24-41; Mt 13:1-23; Mk 4:1-20; Eph 4:11-19)
Part-Time Worship
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. — James 4:8
Background Information:
- As 11:3 suggests, while the Chronicler may follow convention and refer to the northern kingdom as “Israel,” the true Israel is now Judah and Benjamin. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 159)
- (v. 11:5) The first thing we notice is how contracted the kingdom’s borders are when compared to the expansive days of David and Solomon. This is very much a defensive posture. Rehoboam is fortifying only the heartland against an enemy that might approach from the south, east, or west. Students of ancient roads and trading routes inform us that these cities all guard strategic passes leading up into the Judean hills. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 148)
- 2 Chr 11:5-23 has no parallel in Kings. Some features of this passage suggest that the Chronicler depended on official court records. Whatever the case, the Chronicler added this material to illustrate the grand benefits which submission to God’s prophets can bring. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 275)
- (v.11:18-23) The Chronicler closes out the chapter by pointing out a couple of areas where Rehoboam “acted wisely.” What is particularly interesting about these two examples is the fact that they concern areas where his grandfather David had not done so well. Although the Chronicler says nothing about it, he must have been aware of the many difficulties David had experienced because of rivalry among his sons, and how David had also failed to settle the question of the succession in a timely way (see 2 Sm 13-19; 1 Kgs 1, 2). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 152)
- (v. 11:20) At least a part of this apostasy was due to the influence of Rehoboam’s wife, Maacah, who propagated idolatry right into the time of Asa, her grandson (2 Chr 15:16). As a result, God allowed Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt to invade the land. (Broadman & Holman Pub, Shepherd’s Notes, 1, 2 Chr, 66)
- (v. 11:23) Rehoboam prepares his son Abijah to be the next king in the southern kingdom of Judah. But the king is also concerned that his sons might be murdered, so he spreads them out throughout the land to prevent them from being wiped out. Whereas Solomon’s rule represents a time of great peace, the king is now afraid of rebellion from within and attack from outside. Israel has very little stability in her rebellion (2 Chr 11:18-22). (Dr. Tremper Longman, Quicknotes, 1 Chr Thru Job, 76)
- (v. 12:2) Shishak (945-924 B.C.) Was the founder of the 22nd dynasty and achieved the reunification of a divided Egypt, a goal that had eluded his predecessors. As long as Israel remained militarily powerful under Solomon in its position along Egypt’s northern and eastern borders, Shishak could do little more than harbor rebels (1 Kgs 11:26-40) and foster rebellion among Solomon’s vassals (1 Kgs 11:14-22). After Solomon’s death and the disintegration of his empire, and with a client of Egypt on the throne of the Northern Kingdom, Shishak’s forces could sweep through and around Israel and Judah at will. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 99)
- (v. 12:2) So in the king’s “fifth year,” 925 B.C., “Shishak attacked.” Known in Egyptian history as Sheshonk I, he was the founder of the 22nd Dynasty and its most energetic Pharaoh. This particular campaign is documented by a list of conquered Palestinian cities that stands to this day carved on the wall of his temple of Amon at Karnak, Thebes. It indicates that an immediate cause lay in his desire for plunder, which was directed even more against his former protégé, Jeroboam, in the north (see 10:2) than against Judah (cf. W.F. Albright, “New Light From Egypt on the Chronicles and History of Israel and Judah,” 4-8). (Frank E. G belein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 479)
- (v. 12:5) Abandon is obviously an important word in the Chronicler’s religious vocabulary, one that he uses to show the way a person turns his back on something that he used to hold dear. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 153-54)
- (v. 12:9) How quickly Solomon’s earthly splendor faded! His great empire was gone, his kingdom divided in two, and his gold carried off to buy the goodwill of another king. Not even “the treasures of the temple of the LORD” were allowed to remain. God was content with them as long as they were emblems of his people’s devotion to him. Once they became symbols of pride, out they went! (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 156-57)
- (v. 12:9) Rehoboam’s reign marks the first time Jerusalem suffers military humiliation since it became the City of David; it had never experienced in Israelite hands “servitude to the kingdoms of other lands” (12:8, a passage unique to Chronicles). Penitence and fidelity in Rehoboam’s day had opened a way to escape disaster, just as a penitent community had enjoyed restoration to their land and temple in the days preceding the Chronicler’s own times. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 101)
- The problem for the modern reader is that this presentation of human experiences neither rings true, nor is it a view uniformly taken by the Bible. The author of Job and Ps 73, for example, knew that there was not always a direct connection between righteousness and blessing. And Jesus himself sided unambiguously with these (Jn 9:2f.).
How, then, can we take to ourselves this central thrust of the Chronicler? Where he does agree with the unanimous voice of the Bible is in insisting that the link between faithfulness and blessing does ultimately exist. Job, Ps 73, the NT (even, in the end, Ecclesiastes, as 12:14) all assert this. Christian readers know from the NT that the equations of righteousness and blessings, sin and punishment are only finally worked out beyond the present life in a great universal judgment. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 160)
The question to be answered is . . . What is the Chronicler attempting to communicate in 2 Chronicles 11 & 12?
Answer: I believe he is trying to get his original post-exilic audience (as well as us) to realize the instability and insecurity that comes with having a heart that has not fully accepted God as God.
The Word for the Day is . . . convinced
What is the Chronicler attempting to communicate in 2 Chronicles 11 & 12?:
I. Pride clouded Rehoboam’s ability to trust God so his heart and mind vacillated. (2 Chr 11:1, 4, 16; 12:1, 6, 11, 12, 14; Prv 3:5-6; Rom think more highly than he ought)
A king humiliated is a king who wants war, if he is in any way able to fight. It is not hard for us to understand the anger that moved Rehoboam to call out the troops. He wanted to regain his pride in battle, and remove the injury of having over half of his kingdom taken away. What is more difficult to grasp is his immediate willingness to call the whole thing off at the word of a prophet. The fact that he did shows that he had learned at least something from the whole affair at Shechem. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 144)
The former phrase reminded king and army what their anger and sense of injured pride was about to lead them into–civil war! These were not God’s enemies they were fighting. These were their brothers. How could they hope for the Lord’s help in such a cause? Demonstrating themselves truly wise, they went back home. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 144)
There are few things so dangerous as injured pride. When the blood runs high, fists are clenched, faces twist with rage, and spiteful words are spoken. You see it all the time, everywhere you go: as you’re driving, in the store, at the beach. It seems sometimes as if all the insulation has worn off the wiring of the world; we’re shorting and sparking all over the place. It happens in families, it happens at work, it can even happen in the church–among those who call one another brothers, sisters. The lust for revenge can dress itself in many righteous-looking rags: “Our cause is just!” “They’re just plain wrong!” “Look at what they did to me, to her, to him!” The lust for revenge comes in many costumes but remains the same beast. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 145)
Because Rehoboam swallowed his pride, listened to the prophet of God and called off the civil war, he was able, by God’s blessing, to build up the strength of his house and his kingdom. It is also likely that the Chronicler was making a subtle comparison between the two first kings of a now-divided Israel. We note that the description of Rehoboam’s success here matches–almost point for point–the account of Jeroboam in 1 Kings. If Jeroboam had some success in building cities (1 Kgs 12:25), Rehoboam surpassed him (2 Chr 11:5-12). If Jeroboam had a disastrous impact on his kingdom’s religious life, his sin, in turn, led directly to a strengthening of true worship in the kingdom of Judah (compare 1 Kgs 12:25-33 with 1 Chr 11:13-17). Finally, if Jeroboam suffered loss in the size of his family, Rehoboam’s family increased dramatically (compare 1 Kgs 14:10-14 with 2 Chr 11:18-21). Of course, this entire interpretation rests on the thought that the Chronicler could assume his readers were familiar with 1 Kings. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 146-47)
An erring believer is humbled. He repents. He seeks the Lord and begins to experience the Lord’s strength again in his life. Then he forgets where his blessings come from; he forgets that “unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain” (Ps 127:1). The Lord had helped Rehoboam establish himself in his kingdom, had helped him fortify his cities and, as if that were not enough, had built up the size and strength of his family too. Now pride filled Rehoboam’s heart again, and he began to glory in all his achievements as if he had been the one to do them all. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 153)
How should the Lord respond to this two-timing king, this two-time loser? “Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed” (v. 12). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 157)
Rehoboam had let self-love crowd God from the throne in his heart twice, and twice God forgave him for it. But that’s what he promised Solomon he would do: “If my people…humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (7:14). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 157-58)
II. The consequences of Rehoboam’s sins encouraged humility and repentance leading him to trust in God (2 Chr 11:4; 12:2, 6-7, 12)
Rehoboam must be credited with taking the point. In repenting, therefore, he confesses that “The LORD is righteous”, or perhaps “in the right” (v. 6). Here the character of repentance may be seen to correspond to that of sin. As sin is personal defection from the Lord–with the absurd and heinous implication that God has not the right to be Lord over the individual’s life–so repentance involves the affirmation that he does after all have that right. He is God and thus no theoretical proposition; he is God and therefore entitled to be my Lord. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 159)
12:1-12. The invasion of the Southern Kingdom by the Egyptian army under Shishak offered a lesson that could be well heeded: unfaithfulness brings punishment if you are God’s people, “For whom the LORD loves He reproves” (Pv 3:12a). The second part of the lesson is a source of great comfort: God looks upon a repentant heart with grace: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise” (Ps 51:17b). (John Sailhamer, Everyman’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 85)
Sheshonq (called Shishak in our text) managed to gain control of both upper and lower Egypt, founding a new dynasty. He was unable to do much to Israel while Solomon was still alive, except to annoy him by giving political asylum to his rivals (1 Kgs 11:14-40). But the man had ambition, and one of the ways ancient rulers satisfied their ambition for wealth was to mount expeditions of pillage and conquest. Once Solomon was out of the way and his kingdom divided, it would not take a doctorate in ancient political science to figure out where Shishak might want to throw his weight around. Rehoboam was using his head in falling back to defensible borders. That he was also anticipating siege warfare seems clear from the supplies he laid in store (v. 11). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 148)
Rehoboam’s self-humbling had averted the operation of God’s destructive “wrath.” Like a brand plucked from the burning, he hade survived–“yet so as through fire” (1 Cor 3:15), suffering loss. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 267)
For God to abandon his people was tantamount to placing them under the covenant curses (see Dt 31:17; 2 Chr 15:2; 24:20; Isa 54:7; see also Jer 12:7; 25:38; Ezek 8:12; 9:9). Judah was now the object of divine wrath. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 282)
Although Shemaiah did not explicitly offer any hope of reprieve, the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves (12:6). Their response indicated that prophecies of judgment were not utter condemnations, but threats that could be averted by repentance and humility. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 282)
Humility is an attitude of submission and utter dependence on God. The king and leaders expressed their humility in a simple prayer, ‘The LORD is just” (12:6). These words acknowledged God’s justice in his judgment and cast the fate of the nation solely on the mercies of God. Other prayers during and after the exile follow a similar pattern (see Dn 9:4-19; Ezra 9:5-15). (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 282)
The principle that God “abandons” those who “abandon” him is candidly presented and basic to the Chronicler’s theology (cf. 1 Chr 28:9, 20; 2 Chr 15:2; 24:20). The response by Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah that “the LORD is just” (2 Chr 12:6) is essentially a confession of sin–an acknowledgment as an act of “humbling oneself” (2 Chr 12:6-7), a form of repentance that brings the sinner back to God. (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 461-62)
The word “humbled himself” (Niphal of knc, 12:12) means to forsake one’s pride and yield in self-denying loyalty to God. This action appeases God’s wrath and spares Rehoboam and Judah from total destruction. God delivers on his promise to respond with forgiveness and healing to those who humble themselves before him in prayer (7:14). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 463)
2 Chr 12:8. The point that God wanted them to grasp was “the difference” between what results from serving the Lord and from serving the world (Mt 11:28-30). (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 479)
2 Chr 12:10. Rehoboam’s “bronze shields,” with which he was forced to replace the gold, dramatically illustrate how faithlessness reduced his condition to a mere imitation of the glory that had once been his. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 479-80)
III. Rehoboam’s core problem amounted to a heart that was never fully convinced to seek the Lord (2 Chr 12:14)
The Chronicler meant to inspire and encourage his people here. “Just think of it: not only Levites but also ordinary Israelites were willing to pull up stakes and move rather than be separated from the worship of their God.” (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 151)
The general evaluation of his character was that he was someone who had not set his heart on seeking the Lord. From beginning to end he had been too full of himself, too fickle and unstable in his attitude toward God. Since we all have sinful self to contend with, we will do well to take warning from this and to pray with Luther, “Give us a firm resolve and ability not merely to begin being devout, but to continue boldly and to win.” (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 158)
Seeking is the attitude of the committed believer. It is by no means a vague, optimistic sentiment, but is linked with concrete actions and a positive venture. In the Chronicler’s terms to seek God is to resort to the temple as the God-ordained place of worship and prayer. To seek God is associated with making up one’s mind (“set their heart”). It is to come to decisions and to carry them out. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 261)
To be unfaithful was much worse than falling into day to day peccadilloes; it meant to violate the fundamental loyalty required in covenant with God. By adding this clause, the text eliminates any question as to why this misfortune had come on Judah. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 281)
The purpose of this subjection was to teach Rehoboam and Judah the difference between serving [God] and serving the kings of other lands (12:8). Here God spoke as Israel’s great Emperor whose benevolence had been ignored. Now perhaps the nation would see how much better it was to have God as their King rather than foreign human oppressors. However restrictive the Law of God may have seemed to Judah (see 12:1), they would soon understand that its burden was light compared to the yoke of foreign dominion. The Chronicler’s readers also faced the temptation to turn from God’s Law. Yet, the experience of exile had taught them the lesson Rehoboam was about to learn. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 282)
By taking “18 wives” Rehoboam willfully disregarded the law of God, both in respect to kingly abuse (Dt 17:17) and in respect to polygamous marriage (Lv 18:18), not to mention his disregard of the disastrous precedent set by his father, Solomon, from which he should have learned caution. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 477)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: What does this message have to do with Christ and me?:
A- We need to realize that following Christ is worthy of so much more than our part-time worship and obedience. (Ps 1, 103; Mt 10:37-38; 12:30; Mk 8:34-38; Heb 10: 28-29)
Sin is turning your back on the God who loves you. Sin is disloyalty to the one who deserves your total devotion. There are only two ways. There is no middle ground. “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters,” as Jesus put it (Mt 12:30). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 154)
Self-will is captivity and ruin: loving obedience to the will of God in Christ, with its self-control and self-denial, is health and peace. To be His slaves is to be kings. Surrender yourselves to Him, and prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 46)
1- His sacrifice for our salvation (Mt 10:37-38; Mk 8:34-38; Lk 14:26-27; 1 Cor 11:29; Heb 2:3; 6:4-6; 10:28-29)
2- The new life we have in Christ (Mt 10:39; Lk 12:22-31; Jn 1:1-12; 4:13-14; 5:39-40; 6:32-69; 8:12; 10:10; 14:6; 17:3; 2 Cor 5:17)
3- The eternal rewards of following Christ (Mt 6:19-34; 19:21, 29; 25:34; Mk 10:21, 28-30; Lk 6:22-23, 35; 12:33; Rom 8:17-25; 1 Pt 1:3-9)
You never bring gold for brass when you leave God. The prodigal never brings any treasure back with him. When men go away intellectually from the Bible they bring back brass for gold. When they leave the Bible morally they bring back brass for gold. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 47)
B- We struggle to follow Christ whole-heartedly because our hearts have not been sufficiently prepared or convinced to seek the Lord only. (Dt 30:6; Josh 22:5; 1 Sam 7:3; 12:24; 1 Kgs 18:16-21; 2 Kgs 17:24-41; Prv 3:5-6; 4:13, 23; Mt 5:8; 6:24; 13:1-23; Mk 4:1-20; Rom 7:14-25; Eph 4:7-16; 2 Tm 4:3; Jas 1:5-8; 4:8)
The heart in doubt is a divided part. (R.C. Sproul, Doubt and Assurance, 32)
Integrity, the saying goes, begin with “I.” It starts with the day-in, day-out ways in which you and I interact with customers and employees, with patients and clients, with bosses and boards of directors. In nothing the common root of the words integrity and integer (or whole number), author Warren Wiersbe observes, “A person with integrity is not divided (that’s duplicity) or merely pretending (that’s hypocrisy). He or she is ‘whole’; life is ‘put together.’ and things are working together harmoniously. People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Their lives are open books.” (Lee Strobel, God’s Outrageous Claims, 45)
If we were not familiar almost from birth with this inner war, it would strike us as extremely odd. The animals can apparently boast nothing analogous; the nature of a mouse or a lion is all of one piece. Man is the only house divided. The Christian explanation is telescoped in the story of Adam and Eve. It is a tale of a splendid beginning and a ruinous downfall. Man, as designed by God, did not carry a battlefield inside him. As long as he made God the center of his life he was in joyous harmony with himself, God, and his neighbors. The schism in human nature began when man ejected God from the central position and set himself up on a makeshift throne. Instantly, dozens of clamorous demands arose. The new center was inadequate to maintain harmony. Each facet of the personality warred with every other, and each individual man was in competition with his fellows. (Chad Walsh, Early Christians of the 21st Century, 70)
When Shishak takes the gold shields, which may have been more a tribute paid by Rehoboam to Shishak than an actual theft, Rehoboam makes bronze shields to replace them. Bronze is worthless, but it can be polished so that from a distance it gives the appearance of gold. The king goes through all the motions, making it look like nothing has happened, and yet it is worthless. Our cover-ups cannot replace the reality of our faith lives (12:9-11). (Dr. Tremper Longman, Quicknotes, 1 Chr Thru Job, 77)
There is thus an inescapable tension, a war, between the law and sin in every person. Paul again resorts to military imagery as he has throughout the discussion: “instruments” (Rom 6:13), “wages” (6:23), “opportunity” (7:8, 11), “hostile” (8:7). Although not all these words carry military connotations in English, their Greek originals do. Even in the best person there is an ugly residue of sin, and even in the worst person the ineffaceable image of God. Thus, not even the best person can achieve justification by works, and not even the worst person is beyond the reach of redemption and justification by faith. (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 193)
Paul (in Rom 7:14ff) is baring his very soul; and he is telling us of an experience which is of the very essence of the human situation. He knew what was right and wanted to do it; and yet, somehow, he never could. He knew what was wrong and the last thing he wanted was to do it; and yet, somehow, he did. He felt himself to be a split personality. It was as if the two men were inside the one skin, pulling in different directions. He was haunted by this feeling of frustration, his ability to see what was good and his inability to do it; his ability to recognize what was wrong and his inability to refrain from doing it. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 98)
We notice, then, that there is a duality in the man whom the Apostle (Paul in Romans) is describing. He is able to say, “There is that in me now”–and he wants to identify himself with this–“that sees and agrees with the spiritual character of the Law, and therefore dislikes and disapproves the things I do.” This duality is never found in an unregenerate person. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 7:1-8:4, 204)
C- Our only hope is to be found “in Christ” who perfectly trusts His Father and never vacillates. (Rom 10:4; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:8; Heb )
God justifies people when he declares them not guilty of sin. People glorify God when they stop making excuses for their behavior, accept responsibility for their sin, and declare that God has every right to punish them. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 156)
The works of the Christian in this aeon are no basis for his righteousness. But that only makes the gospel stand out the more in its overwhelming greatness. The gospel is not just a means for the establishment of the righteousness of the law; but the gospel of Christ is the very righteousness of God. To be “in Christ” is full and complete righteousness; that is to be justified apart from the law. That is to be “free from the law,” without reservation. (Anders Nygren, Commentary on Romans, 303)
Worship point: Your worship will always be impure, two-faced and always looking over your shoulder for someone or something better than God until or unless you see the reality of your fallen condition before God. When you understand what Jesus has done for you, then your worship will be in spirit and in truth.
If you don’t see the absolute holiness of God, the magnitude of your debt, the categorical necessity of God’s just punishment of your sin, and therefore the utter hopelessness of your condition, then the knowledge of your pardon and deliverance will not be amazing and electrifying! — Tim Keller
Spiritual Challenge: Do all you can to prepare your heart to receive the Word of God as a farmer prepares the soil to receive the seed. And then watch God grow real life in our heart, mind and soul.
Don’t lose in the dark what you knew to be true in the light.
Quotes to Note:
James warned double-minded people to purify their hearts (Jas 4:8). Failure to find the wholeness to which Jesus invited people results from trying to face in two directions at once, from trying to gain the benefits of conflicting loyalties. That is double-mindedness. It conjures up a picture of straddling the fence.
E. Stanley Jones says that people’s spiritual failures result from being inwardly divided. In The Christ of the Mount. . . he lists nine expressions of human dividedness that Jesus pointed out:
(1) You do your beautiful religious acts with divided motives–you give to God, but also “to be seen of men” (Mt 6:1-4).
(2) You pray in two directions–to be heard of God and to be overheard of people (6:5-15).
(3) You fast with divided purpose–you do it before God and yet you hope that people will give you credit for being abstemious (6:16-18).
(4) You try to lay up treasure in two directions–upon earth and in heaven (6:19-21).
(5) You see in two directions–your outlook is divided (6:22-23).
(6) You are trying to be loyal in two directions–trying to serve God and mammon(6:24).
(7) You are anxious in two directions–toward what you shall eat and drink and be clothed with, and also toward the kingdom of God (6:25-34).
(8) You are criticizing in two directions–toward your sister or brother with rather heavy emphasis and toward yourself rather lightly (7:1-5).
(9) You are giving yourself–giving yourself to God and also giving that holy thing called personality to the dogs of appetite and the swine of desire (7:6).
The key to spiritual leadership, then, is to encourage followers to grow in their relationship with their Lord. This cannot be done by talking about God. It cannot be accomplished by exhorting people to love God. It can only be achieved when leaders bring their people face to face with God and God convinces them that he is a God of love who can be trusted. (Henry & Richard Blackaby; Spiritual Leadership; Moving People on to God’s Agenda, 76)
The best Rehoboam was able to manage–all that Shishak left him with–was bronze to use in place of gold. And this in a city where, only a few years before, silver had been as common as stones. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 157)
For three years the faithful of Judah and Benjamin “made Rehoboam son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon” (2 Chr 11:17). Note that it was the people, not Rehoboam, who “walked…in the way of David” (Compare 2 Chr 29:2 and 34:2-3). Further, that there were only three years of security ominously portends an end to that security. (Steven S. Tuell, Interpretation: 1 & 2 Chr, 160)
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 — Jesus
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