Today started out with Rehoboam assembling the house of Judah and Benjamin, and securing his kingdom. He chose 180,000 warriors to fight against Israel, but the Lord came to a man of God and told them they could not fight against their relatives; so they all went to their homes.
Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built cities for defense in Judah. He made fortresses strong and put commanders in them, and stores of food, oil, and wine.
The priests and the Levites came to Jerusalem and presented themselves to him. They were cast out for serving as priests of the Lord. He appointed his own priests for the high places and for the idols he had made.
Then it went on to list out the members of Rehoboam’s family. He had many wives and children: eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.
He appointed Abijah his son as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. He dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons throughout all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities.
All of this was previously studied on Day 109, 1 Kings 11-12.
Then it went on to review when Egypt plundered Jerusalem. Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem and he took the fortified cities and all the treasures of the king’s house. The word of the Lord went to Rehoboam through a prophet and explained why he had abandoned them. Then they all humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is righteous,” so they would not be destroyed.
Then all things were good and the wrath of the Lord turned from them. King Rehoboam grew strong in Jerusalem and reigned. He was forty years old when he began to reign and reigned for seventeen years. But he did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.
There were continued wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
All of this was previously studied on Day 110, 1 Kings 13-14.
Lastly, it went on to discuss Abijah’s reign in Judah and finishing with Asa’s reign in Judah. Many of the kings were previously studied and summarized on Day 111, 1 Kings 15-17.
