Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is history Tuesday, and we’ll read 2 Chronicles 11-15. I have an on this date in church history segment that I think you’ll find interesting, and related to that, I have a song for you at the end of the show today. I’m calling today’s episode  “Correction.”

Comments on 2 Chronicles 11

King Rehoboam was a mixed bag. There were times where he followed the Lord, and times where he turned his back on God. And in chapter 11, verses 16 and 17, we read some very important words.

16Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time.

Chapter 12 tells us that Rehoboam reigned for 17 years, but those three years were his best, because he and the people sought the Lord and followed the examples of David and Solomon.

Beloved, when things are not going well with us, it’s a really good idea to take a spiritual inventory. How is our relationship with God? Are we seeking the Lord? Is there unconfessed sin in our life? Are we spending time with Him in prayer and in the Word? Of course, being right with God is no guarantee that life will be a bed of roses, because we live in a fallen world. But sometimes our loving Heavenly Father uses difficulties and hardships to get our attention if we are straying off the path. 

Yes, we are secure in God’s grace because of the shed blood of Christ. He paid the price for all of our sins, if we have been born again. I’m not saying that we are in danger of losing our salvation if we have a time of rebellion. But God loves us too much to not correct us if we need it. 

If you want to have God’s blessing, the place you want to be is in harmony with God, seeking to know Him better each and every day. 

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 11 NIV; Ch. 12-13 CEB; Ch. 14-15 NLT

Music

Nathan Drake of Reawaken Hymns graciously gave his permission to play this song on the show. Support him at Reawaken Hymns.

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Transcript

Download .txt file.

STEVE WEBB – 0:00
Take a spiritual inventory.

INTRO S12E279 – 0:10
This is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside in Southern California’s Inland Empire where it’ll be in the upper 90s most of the week. Shoosh! Podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year and today is History Tuesday. We’ll read 2 Chronicles 11 through 15. After that I’ve got comments, of course, and I’ve got an On This Date in Church History segment that I think you’ll find interesting, and related to that I’ve got a song for you at the end of today’s show. I’m calling the episode today, “Correction”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e279. I’d love to hear from you. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin.

2 CHRONICLES 11 (NIV) – 0:59
2 Chronicles, chapter 11. (1) When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered Judah and Benjamin—a hundred and eighty thousand able young men—to go to war against Israel and to regain the kingdom for Rehoboam.

(2) But this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God: (3) “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, (4) ‘This is what the Lord says: 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.

(5) Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built up towns for defense in Judah: (6) Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, (7) Beth Zur, Soko, Adullam, (8) Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, (9) Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, (10) Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron. These were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. (11) He strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them, with supplies of food, olive oil and wine. (12) He put shields and spears in all the cities, and made them very strong. So Judah and Benjamin were his.

(13) The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him. (14) The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them as priests of the Lord (15) when he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat and calf idols he had made. (16) Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. (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.

(18) Rehoboam married Mahalath, who was the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Jesse’s son Eliab. (19) She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah and Zaham. (20) Then he married Maakah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza and Shelomith. (21) Rehoboam loved Maakah daughter of Absalom more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

(22) Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maakah as crown prince among his brothers, in order to make him king. (23) He acted wisely, dispersing some of his sons throughout the districts of Judah and Benjamin, and to all the fortified cities. He gave them abundant provisions and took many wives for them.

2 CHRONICLES 12 (CEB) – 3:37
2 Chronicles, chapter 12. (1) But as soon as Rehoboam had secured his royal power, he, along with all Israel, abandoned the LORD’s Instruction.

(2) Egypt’s King Shishak attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam because Israel had been unfaithful to the LORD. (3) Accompanying Shishak from Egypt were twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horses, and countless Libyan, Sukkite, and Cushite warriors. (4) He captured the fortified cities of Judah and came toward Jerusalem. (5) Then the prophet Shemaiah went to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and told them, This is what the LORD says: Since you have abandoned me, now I am abandoning you to Shishak’s power.

(6) Then the leaders of Israel and the king submitted. “The LORD is right,” they said.

(7) When the LORD saw that they had submitted, the LORD’s word came to Shemaiah: Since they have submitted, I won’t destroy them. I will deliver them in a little while, and I won’t use Shishak to pour out my anger against Jerusalem. (8) Nevertheless, they will be subject to him so that they learn the difference between serving me and serving other nations.

(9) Egypt’s King Shishak attacked Jerusalem and seized the treasures of the LORD’s temple and the royal palace. He took everything, even the gold shields Solomon had made. (10) King Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields and assigned them to the officers of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. (11)(Whenever the king entered the LORD’s temple, the guards would carry the shields and then return them to the guardroom.) (12) When Rehoboam submitted, the LORD was no longer angry with him, and total destruction was avoided. There were, after all, some good things still in Judah.

(13) So King Rehoboam was securely established in Jerusalem. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king, and he ruled seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put his name. His mother’s name was Naamah from Ammon. (14) But Rehoboam did what was evil because he didn’t set his heart on seeking the LORD. (15) The deeds of Rehoboam, from beginning to end, aren’t they written in the records of the prophet Shemaiah and the seer Iddo, including the genealogical records? There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. (16) Rehoboam lay down with his ancestors and was buried in David’s City. His son Abijah succeeded him as king.

2 CHRONICLES 13 (CEB) – 6:07
2 Chronicles, chapter 13. (1) Abijah became king over Judah in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam. (2) He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah; she was Uriel’s daughter from Gibeah. When war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam, (3) Abijah went to fight with an army of four hundred thousand select troops against Jeroboam’s select forces numbering eight hundred thousand, who were arrayed in battle formation.

(4) Abijah stood on the heights of Mount Zemaraim in Ephraim’s highlands and said:

“Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel! (5) Surely you know that the LORD, Israel’s God, made an unbreakable covenant with David and his descendants that they would rule Israel forever. (6) It was Jeroboam, Nebat’s son, the servant of Solomon, David’s son, who rebelled against his master. (7) When some useless, worthless people joined his cause, they overpowered Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, who was too young and timid to resist them. (8) And now do you intend to challenge the LORD’s royal rule, entrusted to David’s descendants? You may have a numerical advantage, as well as the gold calves Jeroboam made for you as gods. (9) But you’ve banished the LORD’s priests, Aaron’s sons, along with the Levites, so that you could appoint your own priests as other countries do. Now anyone who shows up with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these phony gods!

(10) “But us? The LORD is our God, and we haven’t abandoned him. Aaron’s descendants serve as the LORD’s priests, assisted in the work by the Levites. (11) Every morning and every evening they offer entirely burned offerings and fragrant incense to the LORD, and set out bread in stacks upon a clean table. At night they light the lamps on the gold lampstand. Yes, while you are abandoning the LORD our God, we are doing what he requires. (12) Listen! God is on our side, at our head, along with his priests, who are ready to sound the battle trumpets against you. So, Israelites, don’t fight against the LORD, the God of your ancestors, for you won’t succeed!”

(13) Meanwhile, Jeroboam had sent troops around behind them for an ambush so that the main force was in front of Judah while the ambush was behind. (14) When Judah looked around and suddenly realized that they were surrounded, they cried out to the LORD while the priests sounded the trumpets (15) and raised the battle cry. When they raised the battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. (16) So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God gave Judah the victory. (17) Abijah and his people struck them severely: five hundred thousand select warriors were killed. (18) Israel was subdued on that occasion, and Judah succeeded because they relied on the LORD, the God of their ancestors. (19) Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took these cities away from him: Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their villages. (20) Jeroboam failed to regain power during the time of Abijah. The LORD finally struck him down, and he died. (21) Abijah, however, grew strong. He married fourteen wives; he had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters. (22) The rest of Abijah’s deeds, what he did and what he said, are written in the account of the prophet Iddo.

2 CHRONICLES 14 (NLT) – 9:28
2 Chronicles, chapter 14. (1) When Abijah died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Asa became the next king. There was peace in the land for ten years. (2) Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. (3) He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. (4) He commanded the people of Judah to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his law and his commands. (5) Asa also removed the pagan shrines, as well as the incense altars from every one of Judah’s towns. So Asa’s kingdom enjoyed a period of peace. (6) During those peaceful years, he was able to build up the fortified towns throughout Judah. No one tried to make war against him at this time, for the Lord was giving him rest from his enemies.

(7) Asa told the people of Judah, “Let us build towns and fortify them with walls, towers, gates, and bars. The land is still ours because we sought the Lord our God, and he has given us peace on every side.” So they went ahead with these projects and brought them to completion.

(8) King Asa had an army of 300,000 warriors from the tribe of Judah, armed with large shields and spears. He also had an army of 280,000 warriors from the tribe of Benjamin, armed with small shields and bows. Both armies were composed of well-trained fighting men.

(9) Once an Ethiopian named Zerah attacked Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. They advanced to the town of Mareshah, (10) so Asa deployed his armies for battle in the valley north of Mareshah. (11) Then Asa cried out to the Lord his God, “O Lord, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”

(12) So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled. (13) Asa and his army pursued them as far as Gerar, and so many Ethiopians fell that they were unable to rally. They were destroyed by the Lord and his army, and the army of Judah carried off a vast amount of plunder.

(14) While they were at Gerar, they attacked all the towns in that area, and terror from the Lord came upon the people there. As a result, a vast amount of plunder was taken from these towns, too. (15) They also attacked the camps of herdsmen and captured many sheep, goats, and camels before finally returning to Jerusalem.

2 CHRONICLES 15 (NLT) – 12:06
2 Chronicles, chapter 15. (1) Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded, (2) and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. (3) For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without the Law to instruct them. (4) But whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him out, they found him.

(5) “During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. (6) Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem. (7) But as for you, be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”

(8) When Asa heard this message from Azariah the prophet, he took courage and removed all the detestable idols from the land of Judah and Benjamin and in the towns he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which stood in front of the entry room of the Lord’s Temple.

(9) Then Asa called together all the people of Judah and Benjamin, along with the people of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had settled among them. For many from Israel had moved to Judah during Asa’s reign when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. (10) The people gathered at Jerusalem in late spring, during the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign.

(11) On that day they sacrificed to the Lord 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep and goats from the plunder they had taken in the battle. (12) Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul. (13) They agreed that anyone who refused to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, would be put to death—whether young or old, man or woman. (14) They shouted out their oath of loyalty to the Lord with trumpets blaring and rams’ horns sounding. (15) All in Judah were happy about this covenant, for they had entered into it with all their heart. They earnestly sought after God, and they found him. And the Lord gave them rest from their enemies on every side.

(16) King Asa even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made an obscene Asherah pole. He cut down her obscene pole, broke it up, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. (17) Although the pagan shrines were not removed from Israel, Asa’s heart remained completely faithful throughout his life. (18) He brought into the Temple of God the silver and gold and the various items that he and his father had dedicated.

(19) So there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

COMMENTS – 14:53
Well, let’s talk for a second about 2 Chronicles, chapter 11. That King Rehoboam was kind of a mixed bag. There were times where he followed the Lord and times where he turned his back on God. And in chapter 11, verses 16 and 17, we read some very important words. Here they are:

“(16) Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. (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.”

And then when we jump over to chapter 12, we find out that Rehoboam reigned for 17 years. But those three years we just talked about, were his best, because he and the people sought the Lord and followed the examples of David and Solomon.

Beloved, when things are not going well for us, it’s a really good idea to take a spiritual inventory. How is our relationship with God? Are we seeking the Lord? Is there unconfessed sin in our life? Are we spending time with Him in prayer and in the word. Of course, being right with God is no guarantee that life will be a bed of roses because we live in a fallen world. But sometimes our loving Heavenly Father uses difficulties and hardships to get our attention. If we’re straying off of the path.

Yes, we are secure in God’s grace because of the shed blood of Christ. He paid the price for all of our sins if we’ve been born again. I’m not saying that we’re in danger of losing our salvation if we have a time of rebellion, but God loves us too much to not correct us if we need it.

If you want to have God’s blessing, the place you want to be is in harmony with Him, seeking to know him better each and every day.

I’d sure love to hear your thoughts go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e279 and leave a comment. Tomorrow is Psalms Wednesday and we’ll read chapter 119. Last week we read the shortest Psalm and the shortest chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119 is the longest.

Boost!

ON THIS DATE IN CHURCH HISTORY – 17:17
On this date in church history, June 7, 1913, Ohio-born Methodist evangelist, George Bennard introduced his new hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross,” during a revival meeting on this date in Pokagon, Michigan. I hope I said that right.

You’ve heard me talk about Del many times on the show. Well, his dad led the choir at the little Southern Baptist church where I gave my heart to Jesus. He was a good old country boy and “The Old Rugged Cross” was his favorite hymn. I always think of him whenever I hear this great, old song. So it’ll be at the end of today’s show.

And also on this date in church history, June 7, 1959. C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter, “If we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a wandering to find home, why should we not look forward to the arrival.” Good point! Of course, C.S. Lewis was the author of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “Mere Christianity,” “The Screwtape Letters” and many, many other books. Interestingly, he went to be with the Lord on the same day that JFK was assassinated, November 22, 1963. The cause of death was kidney failure, and he was 64 years old, a young man if I might say. Also on that very same day, Aldous Huxley died.

LIFESPRING FAMILY BIBLE NEWSLETTER – 18:39
Are you getting the Lifespring Media newsletter? I just sent Kirsty a couple of photos for the newsletter. If you’re not subscribed, go to news.lifespringmedia.com. I won’t sell your info or share it in any way, I promise. We try to put content in there that you don’t hear on the show plus the week’s upcoming reading schedule. If you want to read ahead and perhaps do your own study, and maybe send me a question ahead of time, you can. I’ll answer any questions I can on the show. That’s it, news.lifespringmedia.com.

PRAYER REQUEST – 19:16
Our newest granddaughter is due at any moment. Technically, she’s due tomorrow, Wednesday. But as I record this, Tim and Val are bowling in the hope that they’ll persuade little Penelope to make her entrance a little early. I don’t know if that’ll work, but do please pray for a safe and healthy delivery and that there will be no complications. Let’s pray.

CLOSING PRAYER – 19:36
Lord, we thank You for Your Word. And we ask that you open it up to us as we read. Teach us Lord. May its words become a part of us and Lord, we ask you to speak to us from it. We thank you for correcting us as a loving father. Help us to respond to your discipline and become the people you want us to be. Lord, we pray for Valerie and Penelope. The time is growing close for you to introduce little Penny to the world and we ask you to protect mommy and baby. May this be an easy birth, Lord. We’ve been praying for and asking you to be with both of them, and now that the time is almost here, we’re so thankful that they are in your hands. We pray that you’ll bless their little family, Tim and Val and Penny. And then as they get acquainted, you will make it a joyful time. I ask Lord that you bless the Lifespring family today. I thank you for each one who’s listening right now and I pray this in Jesus name, amen.

If you have a prayer request or a praise, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E279 – 20:42
Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e279. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. Thank you to Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. And thank you for sharing your time with me today. Support the show at lifespringmedia.com/support.

I told you I’d have “The Old Rugged Cross” for you at the end of the show today. And so I shall. This is Nathan Drake with Reawaken Hymns. You’ll find him on YouTube and at reawakenhynms.com. He’s graciously given his permission for me to play this for you as he’s done a couple of other times for Lifespring HymnStories. He’s a fairly young guy who’s doing his part to keep the old hymns alive so I really like him. Check out his website and YouTube channel. I’ll have links on the show notes page. And here it is, “The Old Rugged Cross”.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

NATHAN DRAKE SINGS “THE OLD RUGGED CROSS” – 21:36

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise