|
Answers Question #19. What is the Law that Rehoboam began to break? Deuteronomy 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to
himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to
himself silver and gold. Read, write and study God's Law. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. |
|
Lesson 1, Part 3
Concerning Rehoboam, and how God inflicted punishment upon him for his
impiety, by Shishak, (King of Egypt.)
|
1 Kings 14:21-25 |
2 Chronicles 12:1-4 |
Josephus: Book 8, |
| (21) And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty
and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in
Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of
Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an
Ammonites.
(22) And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. (23) For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. (24) And there were also Sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. (25) And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem |
(1) And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had
strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with
him. (2) And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord, (3) With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians. (4) And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem. |
2. Now I cannot but think that the greatness of a kingdom, and its change into prosperity, often become the occasion of mischief and of transgression to men; for when Rehoboam saw that his kingdom was so much increased, he went out of the right way, unto unrighteous and irreligious practices, and he despised the worship of God, till the people themselves imitated his wicked actions; for so it usually happens, that the manners of subjects are corrupted at the same time with those of their governors; which subjects then lay aside their own sober way of living, as a reproof of their governors' intemperate courses, and follow their wickedness as if it were virtue; for it is not possible to show that men approve of the actions of their kings, unless they do the some actions with them. Agreeable whereto it now happened to the subjects of Rehoboam; for when he was grown impious, and a transgressor himself, they endeavored not to offend him by resolving still to be righteous; but God sent Shishak, king of Egypt, to punish them for their unjust behavior towards him; concerning whom Herodotus was mistaken, and applied his actions to Sesostris; for this Shishak, in the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam, make an expedition (into Judea) with many ten thousand men; for he had one thousand two hundred chariots in number that followed him, and threescore thousand horsemen, and four hundred thousand footmen. These he brought with him, and they were the greatest part of them Libyans and Ethiopians. Now, therefore, when he fell upon the country of the Hebrews, he took the strongest cities of Rehoboam's kingdom without fighting; and when he had put garrisons in them, he came last of all to Jerusalem. |
|
Deuteronomy 8:7-14 |
| (7) For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, (America) a
land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of
valleys and hills;
(8) A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; (9) A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. (10) When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. (11) Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: (12) Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; (13) And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; (14) Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt (Europe), from the house of bondage; (King George) |
|
Comment: What to do when you are prosperous? |
| It is easy to pray for food when you are hungry. It is easy to pray for
money when you are broke. It is easy to pray for health when you are sick.
In Deuteronomy 8:10 we are commanded to pray a prayer of thanks when we are
full, to pray a prayer of thanks when we are wealthy and to pray a prayer of
thanks when we are well. "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee." Deuteronomy 8:7-9 is a good description of America. |
|
Questions Question #21: America has grown prosperous. We have forgotten the source of
our prosperity. We have turned our backs on God's law. Which 'former' enemy
is now taking America's cities, industries, farms etc. without fighting? |
|