2 Chronicles 12

14 He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.

Well you were right.  It was a setup for something, Rehoboam gets firmly in power then turns from God completely then he gets the message he will be destroyed an he repents and humbles himself and God goes easier on him.

Why does Rehoboam struggle so much, well this simple verse says it all does evil because he is not seeking the Lord.  In the absence of being focused on seeking to God and following him our sinful nature will lead us astray.  It says his heart was not set on seeking--not his heart had not be set on the Lord.  For me the message is that its not a one time act.  It is not set it and forget it.  

Seeking to have God deep in my heart needs to be a way of life.

knut

2 Chronicles 11

4 ‘This is what the Lordsays: Do not go up to fight against your fellow Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’” So they obeyed the words of the Lord and turned back from marching against Jeroboam.

This chapter confused me.  It appears early on that Rehoboam makes some better decisions by listening to God and not fighting against Israel.  He is blessed  by this obedience.

17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time.

So the Levities were removed from priesthood but helped strengthen Rehoboam by moving back in to Judah and helping the econcomy.--seems wrong.  Rehoboam was making his own idols.  But they followed the ways of David and Solomon--seems good.

'ok I'm lost'--no good take today.

my work schedule may get rough beginning this weekend as we go live in Australia.  I will work Australia time and probably some of US time.  my posts may be even more erratic than the last few weeks but I will do my best.

knut

2 Chronicles 10

I did a little research into the unrest in Israel.  It sounds like it all goes back to unrest among the different tribes.  Isn't it funny how we can have the same unifying beliefs, we can look and act like each other...but if we belong to a different group it immediately puts us at odds with others.  I sounds a little like the Muslim tribes in the middle east countries.  They are factions within the same religion, but have deep rooted hatred for each other.

I'm also reminded this morning to be careful who I take advice from.  Rehoboam  probably did a smart thing by asking multiple sources, their opinions on the situation.  But, he chose poorly (as they say in the Indiana Jones vernacular)

This is the first time we see Solomon in any sort of negative light.  The people saying the yoke he put on them was heavy.  Up to this point, I was under the assumption that everything was hunky dory in his rule.

enough rambling
tp

2 Chronicles 9

I hope for her sake its the latter and that she really does love God and not some other god.  I also noted the 666 just because of relation to the devil that the number represents--there is a lot written on that as I tried to research specific to Solomon but found no actual connection that was verifiable.  I did check and found that line was repeated in Kings--you have a mind like a steel trap!

6 But I did not believe what they said until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half the greatness of your wisdom was told me; you have far exceeded the report I heard.

This one caught my eye because she is like me and her need to see to believe.  Solomon was not God so I don't think it was necessarily wrong for  her to need a little verification of what she was hearing although presumably she was getting info from trusted sources.

But for me and my faith it is probably a dangerous thing that I sometimes feel the need for physical proof to validate my faith in God.  I have plenty of examples of his greatness and what I am capable of understanding is so small compared to his greatness there really is no amount of seeing that could answer all my questions.  So I need to have faith and not always need to see with my own eyes expressions of his greatness.

knut

2 Chronicles 9

8 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the Lord your God. Because of the love of your God for Israel and his desire to uphold them forever, he has made you king over them, to maintain justice and righteousness.”

I'm intrigued by her response to what she found when visiting Solomon.  She simultaneously seems to be giving God the credit for all that splendor that she sees, and acknowledging that the God responsible, isn't her god.  That's crazy to me.  How can you understand God's power, and not follow him?  In this paragraph she keeps referring to "your" God.  Maybe that is just being polite, and she really does see God as the true God?  I'm not sure.

the second thing that caught my eye was the number of talents of gold that she brought to Solomon.   666, of course.  I think we may have read the same story in Kings.  It seems familiar.

2 Chronicles 7-8

I kept reading this morning.  Enjoying reading about the temple, and the unbelievable dedication celebration, and all of the animal sacrifices done at that event.  But, I really didn't take much new from it.  So, I kept reading into chapter 8.  Then I saw this little paragraph.

11 Solomon brought Pharaoh’s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, “My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the Lord has entered are holy.”

I didn't remember that Solomon married one of Pharaoh's daughters....I found this reference to her.

• 1 Kings 3:1 says,

"And Solomon became allied to Pharaoh king of Egypt by marriage, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about."

The fact that Pharaoh's daughter has been singled out in the accounts of Solomon is significant as similar treatment is not given to his "seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines" (1 Kings 11:3). Some scholars believe this unique example was because this marriage in particular "demonstrates the wealth and power of the Hebrew monarchy, for Pharaoh's daughters did not ordinarily marry outside of their own family, and perhaps indicates the weakness of the Egyptian kingdom at this time."^[1] Another scholar points out that marrying Pharaoh’s daughter is significant in light of the story of Exodus, "A descendant of former Egyptian slaves now became Pharaoh's son-in-law".^[2] Most scholars believe the alliance was a result of the reputation of Solomon's father, "Under David, Israel had become a factor to be reckoned with in Eastern politics, and the Pharaoh found it prudent to secure its friendship."^[3] The marriage alliance is seen by scholars as the reason for the reported increase in trade with Egypt at 1 Kings 10:28-29.^[1]

2 Chronicles 5-6

7 “My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 8 But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name.

This is further evidence that God is more interested in what's in our hearts, than even our actions.  I believe it speaks closer to who we really are.  You can keep yourself from doing something....but can you keep yourself from thinking it?  I think that works for the positive side of things as well as the negative.

I can't help but have an Indiana Jones type visual when I read all about the Ark, and the ceremony that goes along with it.  It must have been quite a deal to finally bring it into the temple.  And then when the cloud appeared......WHOA!

tp

Happy Birthday, btw!
I hope you had a great one!