The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Chronicles 11:2-4,
Rehoboam rebuffed the people that resulted in a rebellion against his throne - and that led to the northern ten tribes splitting from the southern two that remained with Rehoboam. The northern ten retained the name "Israel" and the southern two tribes as a separate nation was named after its larger tribe of the two - "Judah."
As Rehoboam prepared to go to war against the northern kingdom in response, the Lord sent a prophet to him, Shemaiah, with the above message - "this is my doing."
The split of the nation was the Lord's doing!
Why did the Lord split the nation of Israel, his covenant people? In 1 Kings 11:9-11 we read, "The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord's command. So the Lord said to Solomon, 'Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.'"
The subordinate was Jeroboam who became the king of the northern ten tribes. The Lord went on to say to Solomon, "Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
Solomon's idolatry toward the end of his life became the cause of the split in Israel. It came about just after his death.
From our perspective we can see just how the Lord does things that might not be all that recognizable to those involved. I suspect many at the time felt the ultimate cause for the division of Israel was Rehoboam's foolishness. It turns out that his foolishness was only a part of circumstances the Lord engineered to bring about what he decided to do.
What might the Lord be doing on the world stage today, the cause of which may not be readily apparent to us?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"But this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God: 'Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, "This is what the Lord says: Do not go up to fight against your fellow Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing."'"
Following the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel split: into the northern kingdom of ten tribes and the southern kingdom of two. The event that caused the split was the response of Rehoboam, Solomon's son, the heir to the throne, to the people looking for relief from the hard life Solomon had put the people through. Solomon pursued considerable building projects during his lifetime that taxed the nation severely. Rehoboam rebuffed the people that resulted in a rebellion against his throne - and that led to the northern ten tribes splitting from the southern two that remained with Rehoboam. The northern ten retained the name "Israel" and the southern two tribes as a separate nation was named after its larger tribe of the two - "Judah."
As Rehoboam prepared to go to war against the northern kingdom in response, the Lord sent a prophet to him, Shemaiah, with the above message - "this is my doing."
The split of the nation was the Lord's doing!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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