King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Chapters: II Chronicles 10-12
Lesson: II Chronicles: Rehoboam Becomes King
Hello My Friend,
As I am reading these chapters the past couple of days it reminds me of what is going on here in America. While we have no king, we do have a president many despise and disrespect so badly, that they rather seen anarchy in the streets rather than a God-fearing, peaceful, and respected country. As we return to the reading of II Chronicles, it also gives the account of Jeroboam and the people revolting against Rehoboam. It is almost identical in the wording. Rehoboam, was called to Shechem to officially make him their king.
[II Chronicles 10:1-5 And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem were all Israel come to make him king. 2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of Solomon the king, heard it, that Jeroboam returned out of Egypt. 3 And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, 4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee. 5 And he said unto them, Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed.]
Again, these people had no say in the matter, kings and queens are not elected, the eldest living son or daughter inherits the position. These people did not want a ruler who was merciful, just, and followed the Law, they wanted a puppet who would give them everything without contributing themselves. Nevertheless, Rehoboam, asked for three days to make a decision. He consulted with two groups, the elders who counseled his father and the younger he grew up with. And as we learned yesterday, Rehoboam went with the counsel of his friends.
[II Chronicles 10:12-15 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come again to me on the third day. 13 And the king answered them roughly; and king Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men, 14 And answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 15 So the king hearkened not unto the people: for the cause was of God, that the LORD might perform his word, which he spake by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.]
Nothing happens to a nation that God does not know about, in fact, what we see as chaos, He sees a just judgment. If the people are going to act like heathens, then so be it, they will dig their own graves. God, permits the things that are going on because it falls right into place with His Word. Of course, the people were not okay with even more taxes and regulations so they revolted.
[II Chronicles 10:16-19 And when all Israel saw that the king would not hearken unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents. 17 But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 18 Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram that was over the tribute; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. But king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 19 And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.]
Think about it, this is not a nation that had no knowledge of God and the Law, these people were well aware and yet there is no indication that any of they sought counsel from God. When a nations leaders are God-fearing and productive the people are and that will in turn produce a strong nation not in their own strength, but God’s. However, if it turns on God, it can expect chaos. Now, Rehoboam did try to keep the nation intact by going after them, but learned that it was God who allowed the revolt so they retreated and began building up the kingdom.
[II Chronicles 11:1-5 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he gathered of the house of Judah and Benjamin an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3 Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 4 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against Jeroboam. 5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defence in Judah.]
I can see this happening in America. A divided country, with the minority of Conservative Christians forming their own government while the majority keeps on destroying the rest of this country. It is definitely no longer one nation under God, and it certainly cannot keep going in the direction that it is going because God is already giving the warning signs and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop it, unless we strengthen our cities for defense by keeping Christ as our Captain, [II Timothy 2:1-3 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.]
We do not need a majority to see God revive a country, the truth is this, He does not want a majority as He shines best with a minority. Think about it, Jesus does not need a multitude of people to prove He is the true KING, all it takes is one person to get the revival going. Prime examples are Gideon, David, and Moses. The minority, as long as they remain faithful to God, will be much stronger than the majority. And this is exactly what happened the first few years in Judah when Rehoboam reigned.
[II Chronicles 11:11-15,17 And he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil and wine. 12 And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side. 13 And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts. 14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest’s office unto the LORD: 15 And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made. 17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.]
We may not personally like those who are in office, we may not agree with them on every level, but running a country is not about winning the popular vote. It is certainly not about giving the people everything they want without working or contributing for it in some way. Running a country is about making sure that it is safe, protected, and has the best interest of the people in mind. God, is the one who puts people in office and sometimes He will allow the corrupt in so that His minority will get their act together. Every one of God’s countries has its ups and downs, and that all has to do with their faithfulness to Him. Judah, was a strong nation until they got too confident in their strength.
[II Chronicles 12:1-2,5 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him. 2 And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD, 5 Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.]
We must never forget that Christ is our strength, He is the one who makes us who we are, and keeps us from sin, and the second we think we can do things without Him is the second that we will lose that strength. The world is oblivious to the fact that God sends judgment Himself to nations that sin against Him. We who are faithful unfortunately have to feel the affects of this, yet we can still rejoice knowing that we did everything we could to stand firm in our faith, [Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.]
The most amazing thing about God is that He is very long suffering toward His people. If we mess up, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins when we sincerely confess them, and help us out of it. However, with His help often come some chastening. And this is exactly what happened when Rehoboam and the rest of the people realized that God is the one who sent Shishak.
[II Chronicles 12:6-8 Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous. 7 And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.]
Do you see what God did here? While He did not allow the Egyptians to destroy the nation, He did allow them to become tributaries to them as a reminder of His mercy on them and that their safety is dependent upon their faith in His strength alone, and not their own. I am not going to lie, I often tell myself that the struggles I face right now are reminders of God’s mercies and just how weak I am without His constant guidance. In reality, I know that not everything I go through has to do with my past, but as long as it keeps me humble, then I am okay with that. God, knows the difference, and will call us on that if we are not sincere in what appears to be humility. Rehoboam proved that he was not quite sincere in his faith, and it all had to do with his mother’s influence.
[II Chronicles 12:12-14 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well. 13 So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. 14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.]
Another repercussion of sin, this was Solomon’s transgression in marrying so many women of different faiths. As much as Rehoboam appeared to be faithful to God, his heart was not in it, and that mostly had to do with his mother who worshiped her own gods. And God does know the difference, [II Corinthians 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.]
I cannot tell you how many times I have heard, “Prepare your heart”, in some capacity. Reading the Bible, praying, any work that we do for God, In fact, anything we attempt, we need to prepare our heart to seek God in order to do it. This is not as easy as it sounds, in preparing our heart for the LORD, we must ask Him to do that, then we need to do what He asks. If He asks us to put something away, turn something off, stop thinking about that, then we need to comply, otherwise, He will not bless our efforts.
[James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank you for your mercy and grace to save a sinner like me. I never fit in with the world, and I sure do not now since I come to know You as my Saviour and dedicated my life to you. I know the world will never accept me, and I am good with that, but that does not keep it from tempting me with things that expose me to its evils. Lord, You are my strength, and as long as I stick close to You I know I can withstand its evils. Lead me and guide me, prepare my heart to seek You. Keep me humble, fill me with Your love, mercy, and grace. Give me Your strength to endure the afflictions I face, and to not fall for the temptations of the world. Give me boldness to proclaim my faith, and stand firm upon it. If I do fall, pick me up quickly and lead me in the way that is everlasting. I love You, Lord and ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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