Category Archives: Bible Study

Rehoboam, David, and Politics

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The study of Rehoboam has gone places I could not have seen when I started. Rehoboam and His Mom pushed this study back to David and his relations with the countries around Israel. I think it would be fair to say that David’s foreign policies were complicated. In 1 Samuel 22 David, the outlaw hides his parents with the king of Moab. Yet in 2 Samuel 8 Moab is defeated and David took care of business. In 8:12 a list of peoples he subdued is listed and the Ammonites are among them. In 2 Samuel 10: 2 David was going to “show kindness” to the Ammonites because Nahash their king had always been kind to him. The new King insults the delegation so Joab and the army is sent to settle the matter. This is the time period when David has Uriah the Hittite killed (by the Ammonites) and takes Bathsheba as a wife. It is ironic that Solomon is married to Naamah an Ammonite. David took care of problems not grudges. Jewish tradition holds Naamah was Nahash’s granddaughter. There is also a tradition that says Moabite and Ammonite women were not the problem in Deuteronomy 23:3 only the men that is why Ruth and Naamah could be included in David’s family tree. The story goes that it came as a revelation from Samuel the prophet (Jewish Encyclopedia). (See Rehoboam and Ammonites)

David had problems. Surrounding countries were attacking Israel, the Ziphites and others would have handed him over to King Saul, and he had to go hide with the enemy that did not trust him. His handling of Amnon and Tamar, Absalom, and Adonijah could also be labeled as bad but in one thing he stands out – he is known as a man after God’s heart.

So how would David be treated today?     Palace Picketed or Helped

Rehoboam and His Mom

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In the post Rehoboam and Ammonites I drew what should have been logical conclusions about Naamah, Rehoboam’s mother. They were based on what I had read about the Ammonites and their interactions with Israel though out Scripture. There is an addition to that story (I am embarrassed to say I should have read more/deeper.) At least I get to correct this; so I had better start at the beginning.

2 Chronicles 9:30 – Solomon reigned forty years over all of Israel in Jerusalem. In 2 Chronicles 12:13 are time markers about Rehoboam’s reign that says he was forty-one years old when he started to rule. Do the math and it is easy to see that Rehoboam was born before Solomon became king. That means that David had approved/gotten Solomon an Ammonite wife. You always think that Pharaoh’s daughter (1 Kings 3) was his first wife but he married her after he became king.

David’s “Mighty Men” and his officials did have Ammonites and people from the surrounding countries. Was Naamah the daughter of a friend of his (Zelek the Ammonite – 2 Samuel 23:37)? We are not told much about her other than she was an Ammonite and her name means “pleasant.” She may have been Solomon’s very first wife and Rehoboam could have been his first-born son! That may have been why he was made king.

How does all of this mesh with the first post? I have no idea! God has “concealed the matter” and I just get to think about it. Naamah is now a bigger mystery than before.

Lessons learned: 1. Be careful where you step that shoe maybe in your mouth soon. 2. God will have mercy on whom He pleases. 3. He has hide this matter, He allowed this matter, there is a BIG lesson here (just wish I could see it).

Here I Am

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The iconic words “Here I am. Send Me!” I do believe that many Christians have said these words and truly meant them. Isaiah was not the only one to have said the phrase “Here I am.” As I studied those words, I saw something that was not really a surprise, but it does show just how loving our God is.

In the chart are all of the times that “here I am” is used in the NIV. The Hebrew word for “here I am” is hinneh and is used to call attention to something or to enliven a narrative. The Greek word is idou and means basically the same thing as the Hebrew word. (Note: Some of these references are different words/phrases but those also are for calling attention to something.) The words hinneh and idou are actually translated many different ways and they are used many times in Scripture. The verses in blue are people just getting someone’s attention. The rest, however, are God calling to someone first and the people are answering to God’s call or God is just trying to get our attention by saying “here I am.” You will notice God does/did a lot of calling to people.

Some of these calls were very specific for the moment and person but in Isaiah 58 and Revelation 3:20, the Father and Jesus called and are calling so we can find them. Sometimes we have to remember that God is not the one who is lost but the One who is leading.

Here I am

Jeroboam and His Altar

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Ten pieces of a new garment was to signal the start of a “new work” of God. Jeroboam however let “Egypt” in and let a powerful promise fall to the floor. 1 Kings 13 is a story of God’s love and a call to repent that was ignored by a “chosen vessel.” The promise to Abraham was still in effect; the prophecy to Judah and the selection of David had not been forgotten but Father God needed revival. Solomon had broken faith with Jehovah so He went to the other tribe of leaders – Ephraim (the second-born of Joseph and chosen of God – Genesis 48:20).

Jeroboam, instead of believing God, reacted in fear and took bad advice (12:26 – 28). One creative idea he had was to start his own festival for god and make religion easy for the people. So 1 Kings 13 finds him by his new altar on the 15th day of the 8th month making sacrifices to a golden goat and cow. This whole chapter is a layered look into the failures of Judah, Jeroboam, and the “old system.” But it is meant to show Jeroboam that he should change; which he did not (13:33). There are four main characters in this story that we need to look at: the man of God, Jeroboam, the old prophet, and the lion.

The Man of God – was not a prophet, priest, apostle, pastor, or teacher just a MAN. He got a Word from God, now we are not told how or from whom but he knew what he had to do and was serious about doing. I normally would have added my own adjective to this man but no where is he called anything else, including the final mention of this tale in 2 Kings 23:19, but a man of God. He spoke against the altar and predicted what would happen in 2 Kings, he prayed for Jeroboam’s hand, and even refused a meal and a gift. The mistake he made was to STOP (vs. 14). Who knows, possible he was the next prophet that would have been used to call Judah/Israel to repentance instead he symbolizes Judah and their stopping.

Jeroboam – the talented child of a single parent home who had all the potential but looked the wrong way. He was a challenge to the established system (Solomon) so it tried to kill him. To this point in the story he could be a shadow of Jesus but by 1 Kings 12:26 he becomes an “antichrist.” Remember Jehovah is trying to call him back to obedience but in 1 Kings 13:6 he uses the chilling phrase, “ the Lord YOUR God.” Egypt won. Verse 34 finishes the tale even though it took many years; he was destroyed from the face of the earth. NOTE. In 2 Kings 15:8 another Jeroboam is mentioned but he is not related to the first one. The Books of Kings tell the story of both Israel and Judah while Chronicles tells the story of David’s family and only mentions the kings of Israel when needed.

The Old Prophet – had not moved with God and was jealous. This character I like the least, feel sorry for the most, and never want to become. (He could be the lukewarm ones in the Book of Revelations 3: 16.) If he had gotten the word about the altar he did not act on it and he had not left his old way and moved to Judah like many other had done (2 Chronicles 11: 13 – 17).   He recognized the move of God and instead of helping the “man of God” finish his mission he condemned him to death. Jehovah even gave him a chance to repent; he could have gone with the man instead of grabbing a final moment of glory. His final wish to be buried with the man of God was so his bones would not be burned in 2 Kings 23.

The Lion – was the only one who did as God had instructed him. He killed the man of 1 Kings 13God did not eat him but stood guard over his body. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah comes to mind. Whatever symbolism you want to put with this lion he definitely stopped “a problem” from going back to Judah.

See Jeroboam -The Lord YOUR God

 

Jeroboam – the Lord YOUR God

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Proverbs 22:29 Do you see a man skilled in his work he will serve before kings. Solomon could have used Jeroboam as the inspiration for this proverb. He was a leader in his tribe (Ephraim) and led the work in building projects around Jerusalem. Because of Solomon’s change of heart toward God his children lost the rule of all of Israel. In 1 King’s 11:29 a prophet named Ahijah (#281 Strong’s Worshipper (brother) of Jah) delivers the news to Jeroboam that if he does what is right before God he can have an enduring dynasty. In verse 40 Solomon tries to kill him so he runs to Egypt. QUESTIONS:

  1. Who told Jeroboam or Ahijah? (They were by themselves.)
  2. Why always to Egypt?
  3. Did the treaty that Solomon have with Egypt end or is that just how Egypt works?

Shechem is where Rehoboam went to be made king and the first place Jeroboam fortifies. This place shows up a lot in Israel’s history. Jacob bought land there instead of going with his brother (Genesis 34). The “blessings and curses” were read there by Joshua (8:30) and Jesus talked to the woman at the well (John 4) at Shechem.

The trip to Egypt (bondage and false religion) was not good for Jeroboam. His first thoughts were against God who had proclaimed his kingship. The two golden calves he made are said to be a goat and calf idol in 2 Chronicles 11:15. These plus the shrines, forcing out Levites and ordaining anyone with the “right amount”, festivals, and altars were just too much and God called for an end of his reign. References to his poor choices are in 2 Chronicles 11:13 – 17 and in 2 Chronicles 13: 4 – 12.  The festival was made to take away from the Festival of Booths and was one month after it in the 8th month and 15th day. (See Cleaning Up to Celebrate)

The story in 1 Kings 13 was God’s attempt to bring Jeroboam back from his evil ways but he wanted none of that. He had been given the opportunity to have and do a great work. It had come by a personal word from God and was predicated on his following God the way David had done. From hero to zero the take away is stay away from Egypt and watch who you get advice from.

See Rehoboam and the Ammonites ,  See Jeroboam and His Altar