We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

2 Chronicles 11-13

2 Chronicles 11

Shemaiah’s Prophecy

¹ When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam. ² But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ³ “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, ⁴ ‘The Lord says: You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers! Every man return to his house, for this thing is of me.’ ”

So they listened to the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah

⁵ Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities for defense in Judah. ⁶ He built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth Zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin. ¹¹ He fortified the strongholds and put commanders in them, with stores of food, oil and wine. ¹² He put shields and spears in every city and made them exceedingly strong. Judah and Benjamin belonged to him.

Priests and Levites Forsaken by Jeroboam

¹³ The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him out of all their territory. ¹⁴ For the Levites left their pasture lands and their possession and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest’s office to the Lord. ¹⁵ He appointed his own priests for the high places, for the goat idols, and for the calf idols which he had made.

¹⁶ After them, out of all the tribes of Israel, those who set their hearts to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers. ¹⁷ So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, for they walked three years in the way of David and Solomon.

Rehoboam’s Family

¹⁸ Rehoboam took a wife for himself, Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse. ¹⁹ She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After her, he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom, and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and his concubines, for he took eighteen wives and 60 concubines and became the father of 28 sons and 60 daughters.

²² Rehoboam appointed Abijah the son of Maacah to be chief, the leader among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. ²³ He dealt wisely and dispersed of all his sons throughout all the lands of Judah and Benjamin, to every fortified city. He gave them food in abundance and he sought many wives for them.

2 Chronicles 12

Egypt Invades Judah

¹ When Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had become powerful, he abandoned the law of the Lord and all Israel with him. ² In the fifth year of king Rehoboam, because they had trespassed against the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, ³ with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. The people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians. ⁴ He took the fortified cities which belonged to Judah and came to Jerusalem.

⁵ Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak and said to them, “The Lord says, ‘You have forsaken me, therefore I have also left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ”

⁶ Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves, and they said, “The Lord is righteous.”

⁷ When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem at the hand of Shishak. ⁸ Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may know the difference between serving me and serving kingdoms of other countries.”

Egypt Plunders Jerusalem

⁹ So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house. He took all of it away. He also took away the shields of gold which Solomon had made. ¹⁰ King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. ¹¹ As often as the king entered into the house of the Lord, the guard came and bore them, then brought them back into the guard room. ¹² When he humbled himself, the anger of the Lord turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether. Moreover, there were good things found in Judah.

The Death of Rehoboam

¹³ So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned, for Rehoboam was 41 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. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. ¹⁴ He did that which was evil, because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.

¹⁵ Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, in the genealogies? There were wars continually between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. ¹⁶ Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.

2 Chronicles 13

Abijah Succeeds Rehoboam in Judah

¹ In the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. ² He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Abijah went to battle with an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men, and Jeroboam set the battle in array against him with 800,000 chosen men, who were mighty men of valor.

Civil War against Jeroboam

⁴ Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel: ⁵ Do you not know that the Lord, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons through a covenant of salt? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up, and rebelled against his lord. ⁷ Worthless men gathered around him, wicked men who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender hearted and could not withstand them.

⁸ Now you intend to stand against the kingdom of God, which is in the hand of one of the sons of David. You are a great multitude and have with you, the golden calves which Jeroboam made as gods for you. ⁹ Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves according to the ways of the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams may be a priest of those who are no gods.

¹⁰ But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests serving the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work, ¹¹ and they present burnt offerings to the Lord every morning and every evening, burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also set the show bread in order on the pure table and the lamp stand of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening, for we keep the instruction of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. ¹² The Lord is with us at our head, and his priests with the trumpets of alarm to sound an alarm against you. Israelites, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you will not prosper.”

¹³ But Jeroboam caused an ambush to come about behind them, so they were before Judah, and the ambush was behind them. ¹⁴ When Judah looked back, the battle was in front of them and behind them, and they cried to the Lord, and the priests sounded the trumpets.

¹⁵ Then the men of Judah gave a shout. As the men of Judah shouted, the Lord struck Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. ¹⁶ The Israelites fled before Judah, and the Lord delivered them into their hand. ¹⁷ Abijah and his people killed them with a great slaughter, so 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell down slain. ¹⁸ Thus the Israelites were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. ¹⁹ Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages, Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages.

The Death of Jeroboam

²⁰ Jeroboam did not recover strength again in the days of Abijah. The Lord struck him, and he died.

²¹ But Abijah grew mighty and took for himself fourteen wives and became the father of 22 sons and sixteen daughters. ²² The rest of the acts of Abijah, his ways and his sayings are written in the commentary of the prophet Iddo.

Romans 8:18-39

Future Glory

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed to us. ¹⁹ For creation waits with eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of decay into the liberty of the glory of the children of God.

²² For we know that the whole of creation groans and labors in pain together until now. ²³ Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we ourselves groan within, waiting for adoption, the redemption of our body. ²⁴ For we were saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for that which he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for that which we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we do not know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

God Works in All Things

²⁸ We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified.

³¹ What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? ³³ Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

More than Conquerors

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

³⁶ Just as it is written,

“For your sake we are killed all day long.
We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” ^a

³⁷ No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

^{a Psalm 44:22}

Psalm 18:37-50

³⁷ I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them.
I will not turn away until they are consumed.
³⁸ I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise.
They shall fall under my feet.

³⁹ For you have armed me with strength to the battle.
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
⁴⁰ You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
that I might cut off those who hate me.
⁴¹ They cried, but there was no one to save,
They cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
⁴² Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind.
I cast them out as the mire of the streets.

⁴³ You have delivered me from the striving of the people.
You have made me the head of the nations.
A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
⁴⁴ As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me.
The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
⁴⁵ The foreigners shall fade away,
and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock.
Exalted be the God of my salvation,
⁴⁷ the God who executes vengeance for me,
and subdues peoples under me.
⁴⁸ He rescues me from my enemies.
Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.
You deliver me from the violent man.
⁴⁹ Therefore I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the nations,
and will sing praises to your name.
⁵⁰ He gives great deliverance to his king,
and shows loving kindness to his anointed,
to David and to his offspring, forevermore.

Proverbs 19:27-29

²⁷ If you stop listening to instruction, my son,
you will stray from the words of knowledge.
²⁸ A corrupt witness mocks justice,
and the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity.
²⁹ Penalties are prepared for scoffers,
and beatings for the backs of fools.

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