Participants: Kelly Mowrer
Series Code: HWAL
Program Code: HWAL000570
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00:15 Hello, and welcome to His Words are Life.
00:17 I'm Kelly Mowrer, and today we're going to continue reading 00:20 in the book of 2nd Chronicles the story of Rehoboam 00:23 in his reign. Before we start let's pray together. 00:26 Dear God, thank you again for an opportunity to sit apart 00:31 from our busy lives right now, and to hear your words of life. 00:35 Please send your holy spirit right now to put in our hearts 00:40 the lessons you would have us to learn. We love you so much. 00:43 And thank you for loving us. Amen. 00:46 We're reading in 2nd Chronicles, chapter 11, picking up in verse 00:51 five. This is the King James Version. 00:53 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem, and built cities for defense 00:58 in Judah. He built even Bethlehem and Etam, and Tekoa, 01:04 and Bethzur, and Shoco, and Adullam, and Gath and Mareshah, 01:10 and Ziph, and Adoraim, and Lachish, and Azekah, and Zorah, 01:16 and Aijalon, and Hebron, which are in Judah and in Benjamin 01:20 fenced cities. And he fortified the strong holds, and put 01:24 captains in them, and store of victual, and of oil, and wine. 01:28 And in every several city he put shields and spears, 01:32 and made them exceeding strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his 01:36 side. And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel 01:39 resorted to him out of all their coasts. For the Levites 01:43 left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah 01:46 and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from 01:51 executing the priest's office unto the Lord: And he ordained 01:55 him priests for the high places and for the devils, and for the 01:58 calves which he had made. And after them out of all the tribes 02:02 of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of 02:05 Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God of 02:08 their fathers. So they strengthened the kingdom 02:11 of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, 02:15 three years: for three years they walked in the way of David 02:19 and Solomon. And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of 02:25 Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter 02:30 of Eliab the son of Jesse: which bare him children; Jeush, and 02:35 Shamariah, and Zaham. And after her he took Maachah the daughter 02:40 of Absalom; which bare him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, 02:44 and Shelomith. And Rehoboam loved Maachah the daughter of 02:49 Absalom above all his wives and his concubines: for he took 18 02:54 wives and threescore concubines; and begat twenty and eight sons, 02:59 and threescore daughters. And Rehoboam made Abijah the son 03:04 of Maachah the chief, to be a ruler among his brethren: 03:07 for he thought to make him king. And he dealt wisely, 03:12 and dispersed of all his children throughout all the 03:14 countries of Judah and Benjamin, unto every fenced city: 03:18 and he gave them victual in abundance. And he desired 03:22 many wives. - I continue reading now in 2nd Chronicles chapter 12 03:27 and this is the King James Version. 03:29 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established 03:34 the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook 03:37 the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. And it came to 03:42 pass, that in the 5th year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of 03:46 Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed 03:49 against the Lord, with twelve hundred chariots, and threescore 03:53 thousand horsemen: and the people were without number 03:56 that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkims, and the 04:00 Ethiopians. And he took the fenced cities which pertained to 04:04 Judah, and came to Jerusalem. Then came Shemaiah the prophet 04:08 to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered 04:11 together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, 04:15 thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore 04:21 have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Whereupon 04:25 the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; 04:28 and they said, The Lord is righteous. And when the Lord 04:33 saw that they humbled themselves the word of the Lord came to 04:37 Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore 04:40 I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance 04:44 and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand 04:48 of Shishak. Nevertheless they shall be his servants; 04:52 that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms 04:56 of the countries. So Shishak king of Egypt came up against 05:01 Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the 05:03 Lord, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all: 05:06 he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 05:10 Instead of which Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed 05:15 them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the 05:17 entrance of the king's house. And when the king entered into 05:21 the house of the Lord, the guard came and fetched them, 05:23 and brought them again into the guard chamber. 05:25 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned 05:29 from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: 05:32 and also in Judah things went well. So king Rehoboam 05:37 strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: 05:40 for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign 05:44 and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which 05:47 the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his 05:50 name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess. 05:55 And he did evil. because he prepared not his heart to seek 06:00 the Lord. Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, 06:04 are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, 06:07 and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars 06:12 between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually. And Rehoboam slept 06:18 with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: 06:20 And Abijah his son reigned in his stead. 06:24 Continuing in 2nd Chronicles, chapter 13, and this is 06:28 the King James Version. Now in the 18th year of king 06:33 Jeroboam began Abijah to reign over Judah. He reigned 3 years 06:38 in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah the daughter 06:43 of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah 06:48 and Jeroboam. And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of 06:52 valiant men of war, even 400,000 chosen men: Jeroboam also set 06:58 the battle in array against him with 800,000 chosen men, 07:02 being mighty men of valour. And Abijah stood up upon mount 07:07 Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou 07:11 Jeroboam, and all Israel; Ought ye not to know that the Lord God 07:15 of Israel gave the kingdom of Israel to David for ever, 07:19 even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? 07:22 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son 07:28 of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord. 07:32 And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial 07:36 and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam 07:38 the son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, 07:42 and could not withstand them. And now ye think to withstand 07:45 the kingdom of the Lord in the hands of the sons of David; 07:48 and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves 07:52 which Jeroboam made you for gods. Have ye not cast out the 07:57 priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, 08:00 and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of 08:03 other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself 08:07 with a young bullock and 7 rams, the same may be a priest of them 08:11 that are no gods. But as for us, The Lord is our God, and we have 08:17 not forsaken him; and the priests which minister unto the 08:21 Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their 08:24 business: and they burn unto the Lord every morning and every 08:28 evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbred 08:32 also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick 08:36 of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: 08:39 for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have 08:43 forsaken him. And, behold, God himself is with us 08:47 for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry 08:51 alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against 08:55 the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. 08:58 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about 09:03 behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was 09:08 behind them. And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle 09:12 was before and behind: and they cried unto the Lord, 09:17 and the priests sounded with the trumpets. Then the men of Judah 09:20 gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted it came to pass 09:23 that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 09:28 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered 09:32 them into their hand. And Abijah and his people slew them with a 09:38 great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel 500,000 09:43 chosen men. Thus the children of Israel were brought under 09:47 at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because 09:51 they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers. 09:54 And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam and took cities 09:58 from him, Bethel with the towns thereof, and Jeshanah with the 10:02 towns thereof, and Ephraim with the towns thereof. Neither did 10:06 Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: 10:08 and the Lord struck him, and he died. But Abijah waxed mighty, 10:14 and married 14 wives, and begat twenty and two sons, 10:18 and 16 daughters. And the rest of the acts of Abijah, and his 10:22 ways and his sayings are written in the story of the Prophet Iddo 10:27 Continuing with 2nd Chronicles, chapter 14, and this is the 10:32 King James Version. So Abijah slept with his fathers 10:37 and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son 10:41 reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet 10 years 10:46 And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the 10:52 Lord his God: for he took away the altars of the strange gods, 10:56 and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down 11:00 the groves: and commanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their 11:04 fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 11:06 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places 11:12 and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. 11:16 And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, 11:21 and he had no war in those years because the Lord had given him 11:24 rest. Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities 11:29 and make about them walls, and towers, gates and bars while the 11:33 land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God. 11:36 We have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. 11:40 So they built and prospered. And Asa had an army of men that bare 11:46 targets and spears, out of Judah 300,000; 11:49 and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, 11:52 two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty 11:57 men of valour. And there came out against them Zerah the 12:01 Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and 300 12:05 chariots and came unto Mareshah then Asa went out against him, 12:08 and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah 12:12 at Mareshah. And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, 12:17 Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many 12:21 or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; 12:25 for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against 12:31 this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail 12:38 against thee. So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa, 12:42 and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and 12:47 the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: 12:50 and the Ethiopians were overthrown that they could not 12:54 recover themselves: for they were destroyed before the Lord, 12:57 and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil. 13:01 And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear 13:04 of the Lord came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; 13:07 for there was exceeding much spoil in them. They smote also 13:11 the tents of the cattle, and carried away sheep and camels 13:14 in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem. - Continuing with 13:18 2nd Chronicles, 15 and this is the King James Version. 13:21 And the spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: 13:26 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, 13:29 Asa and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye 13:34 be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; 13:40 but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. 13:44 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, 13:50 and without a teaching priest, and without law. 13:52 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of 13:56 Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. 13:59 And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, 14:02 nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all 14:05 the inhabitants of the countries and nation was destroyed of 14:09 nation, and city of city; for God did vex them all 14:12 with adversity. Be ye strong therefore, and let not your 14:17 hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded. 14:21 Thank you for joining with me today to read the word of 14:25 the Lord, and may the words of warning and of promise in here: 14:29 may we take those to heart and realize that when we turn to God 14:33 that he is to be found. And may we seek him with all our hearts 14:36 serve him all our days. Until next time, Goodbye. |
Revised 2014-12-17