Month: July 2023

Jehoshaphat Becomes King

17 His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king and solidified his rule over Israel.^{[a] 2} He placed troops in all Judah’s fortified cities and posted garrisons^[b] throughout the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had seized.

³ The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed in his ancestor^[c] David’s footsteps at the beginning of his reign.^[d] He did not seek the Baals, ⁴ but instead sought the God of his ancestors^[e] and obeyed^[f] his commands, unlike the Israelites.^{[g] 5} The Lord made his kingdom secure;^[h] all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he became very wealthy and greatly respected.^{[i] 6} He was committed to following the Lord;^[j] he even removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah.

⁷ In the third year of his reign he sent his officials Ben Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah. ⁸ They were accompanied by the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah, and by the priests Elishama and Jehoram. ⁹ They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the scroll of the law of the Lord. They traveled to all the cities of Judah and taught the people.

¹⁰ The Lord put fear into all the kingdoms surrounding Judah;^[k] they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat tribute, including a load of silver. The Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks.

¹² Jehoshaphat’s power kept increasing. He built fortresses and storage cities throughout Judah. ¹³ He had many supplies stored in the cities of Judah and an army of skilled warriors stationed in Jerusalem.^{[l] 14} These were their divisions by families:

There were 1,000 officers from Judah.^[m] Adnah the commander led 300,000 skilled warriors, ¹⁵ Jehochanan the commander led 280,000, ¹⁶ and Amasiah son of Zikri, who volunteered to serve the Lord, led 200,000 skilled warriors.

¹⁷ From Benjamin, Eliada, a skilled warrior, led 200,000 men who were equipped with bows and shields, ¹⁸ and Jehozabad led 180,000 trained warriors.

¹⁹ These were the ones who served the king, besides those whom the king placed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.

Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab

18 Jehoshaphat was very wealthy and greatly respected. He made an alliance by marriage with Ahab, ² and after several years^[n] went down to visit^[o] Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep and cattle to honor Jehoshaphat and those who came with him.^[p] He persuaded him to join in an attack^[q] against Ramoth Gilead. ³ King Ahab of Israel said to King Jehoshaphat of Judah, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” He replied, “I will support you; my army is at your disposal and will support you in battle.”^{[r] 4} Then Jehoshaphat said further to the king of Israel,^[s] “First,^[t] please seek an oracle from the Lord.”^{[u] 5} So the king of Israel assembled 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?”^[v] They said, “Attack! God^[w] will hand it over to the king.” ⁶ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” ⁷ The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will,^[x] but I despise^[y] him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but always^[z] disaster—Micaiah son of Imlah.” Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things!” ⁸ The king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”

⁹ Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their royal robes, at the threshing floor at^[aa] the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰ Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’” ¹¹ All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” ¹² Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed.^[ab] Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success!”^{[ac] 13} But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what my God tells me to say!”

¹⁴ Micaiah^[ad] came before the king and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; they will be handed over to you.”^{[ae] 15} The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in^[af] the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” ¹⁶ Micaiah^[ag] replied, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” ¹⁷ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” ¹⁸ Micaiah^[ah] said, “That being the case, listen to the Lord’s message. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. ¹⁹ The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive King Ahab of Israel, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there?’ One said this and another that. ²⁰ Then a spirit^[ai] stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ ²¹ He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord^[aj] said, ‘Deceive and overpower him.^[ak] Go out and do as you have proposed.’ ²² So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” ²³ Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s Spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” ²⁴ Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” ²⁵ Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. ²⁶ Say, ‘This is what the king says: “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water^[al] until I return safely.”’” ²⁷ Micaiah said, “If you really do return safely, then the Lord has not spoken through me!” Then he added, “Take note,^[am] all you people.”

²⁸ The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. ²⁹ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter^[an] the battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and they entered the battle. ³⁰ Now the king of Syria had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high ranking officers;^[ao] fight only the king of Israel!” ³¹ When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. The Lord helped him; God lured them away from him. ³² When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. ³³ Now an archer shot an arrow at random,^[ap] and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king^[aq] ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line,^[ar] for I am wounded.” ³⁴ While the battle raged throughout the day, the king of Israel stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening as the sun was setting.

²⁵ As he also says in Hosea:

²⁷ And Isaiah cries out on behalf of Israel, “Though the number of the children^[e] of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved, ²⁸ for the Lord will execute his sentence on the earth completely and quickly.”^{[f] 29} Just^[g] as Isaiah predicted,

Israel’s Rejection Culpable

³⁰ What shall we say then?—that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness obtained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith, ³¹ but Israel even though pursuing^[j] a law of righteousness^[k] did not attain it.^{[l] 32} Why not? Because they pursued^[m] it not by faith but (as if it were possible) by works.^[n] They stumbled over the stumbling stone,^{[o] 33} just as it is written,

10 Brothers and sisters,^[r] my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites^[s] is for their salvation. ² For I can testify that they are zealous for God,^[t] but their zeal is not in line with the truth.^{[u] 3} For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. ⁴ For Christ is the end of the law, with the result that there is righteousness for everyone who believes.

⁵ For Moses writes about the righteousness that is by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.”^{[v] 6} But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart,^[w] ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”^[x] (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ or “Who will descend into the abyss?”^[y] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”^[z] (that is, the word of faith that we preach), ⁹ because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord^[aa] and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness^[ab] and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation.^{[ac] 11} For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”^{[ad] 12} For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. ¹³ For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.^[ae]

Psalm 20^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

14 (13:23)^[a] Abijah passed away^[b] and was buried in the City of David.^[c] His son Asa replaced him as king. During his reign^[d] the land had rest for ten years.

Asa’s Religious and Military Accomplishments

² (14:1) Asa did what the Lord his God desired and approved.^{[e] 3} He removed the pagan altars^[f] and the high places, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.^{[g] 4} He ordered Judah to seek the Lord God of their ancestors^[h] and to observe his law and commands.^{[i] 5} He removed the high places and the incense altars from all the towns of Judah. The kingdom had rest under his rule.^[j]

⁶ He built fortified cities throughout Judah, for the land was at rest and there was no war during those years; the Lord gave him peace. ⁷ He said to the people of Judah:^[k] “Let’s build these cities and fortify them with walls, towers, and barred gates.^[l] The land remains ours because we have followed^[m] the Lord our God; we have followed him, and he has made us secure on all sides.”^[n] So they built the cities^[o] and prospered.

⁸ Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah, equipped with large shields and spears. He also had 280,000 men from Benjamin who carried small shields and were adept archers; they were all skilled warriors. ⁹ Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of 1,000,000 men^[p] and 300 chariots . He arrived at Mareshah, ¹⁰ and Asa went out to oppose him. They deployed for battle in the Valley of Zephathah near Mareshah.

¹¹ Asa prayed^[q] to the Lord his God: “O Lord, there is no one but you who can help the weak when they are vastly outnumbered.^[r] Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you and have marched on your behalf against this huge army.^[s] O Lord, you are our God; don’t let men prevail against you!”^{[t] 12} The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled, ¹³ and Asa and his army chased them as far as Gerar. The Cushites were wiped out;^[u] they were shattered before the Lord and his army. The men of Judah^[v] carried off a huge amount of plunder. ¹⁴ They defeated all the towns surrounding Gerar, for the Lord caused them to panic.^[w] The men of Judah^[x] looted all the towns, for they contained a huge amount of goods.^{[y] 15} They also attacked the tents of the herdsmen in charge of the livestock.^[z] They carried off many sheep and camels and then returned to Jerusalem.

15 God’s Spirit came upon Azariah son of Oded. ² He met^[aa] Asa and told him, “Listen to me, Asa and all Judah and Benjamin! The Lord is with you when you are loyal to him.^[ab] If you seek him, he will respond to you,^[ac] but if you reject him, he will reject you. ³ For a long time^[ad] Israel had not sought the one true God, or a priest to instruct them, or the law. ⁴ Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them.^{[ae] 5} In those days^[af] no one could travel safely,^[ag] for total chaos had overtaken all the people of the surrounding lands.^{[ah] 6} One nation was crushed by another, and one city by another, for God caused them to be in great turmoil.^{[ai] 7} But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged,^[aj] for your work will be rewarded.”^[ak]

⁸ When Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he was encouraged.^[al] He removed the detestable idols from the entire land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities he had seized in the Ephraimite hill country. He repaired the altar of the Lord in front of the porch of the Lord’s temple.^[am]

⁹ He assembled all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the settlers^[an] from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who had come to live with them. Many people from Israel had come there to live^[ao] when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. ¹⁰ They assembled in Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign. ¹¹ At that time^[ap] they sacrificed to the Lord some of the plunder they had brought back, including 700 head of cattle and 7,000 sheep.^{[aq] 12} They solemnly agreed^[ar] to seek the Lord God of their ancestors^[as] with their whole heart and being. ¹³ Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old,^[at] male or female. ¹⁴ They swore their allegiance to the Lord, shouting their approval loudly and sounding trumpets and horns.^{[au] 15} All Judah was happy about the oath, because they made the vow with their whole heart. They willingly sought the Lord and he responded to them.^[av] He made them secure on every side.^[aw]

¹⁶ King Asa also removed Maacah his grandmother^[ax] from her position as queen mother^[ay] because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her loathsome pole and crushed and burned it in the Kidron Valley. ¹⁷ The high places were not eliminated from Israel, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime.^{[az] 18} He brought the holy items that his father and he had made into God’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles.^[ba]

Asa’s Failures

¹⁹ There was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign. 16 ¹ In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign, King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah, and he established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah.^{[bb] 2} Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and sent it to King Ben Hadad of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: ³ “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made.^[bc] See, I have sent you silver and gold. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.”^{[bd] 4} Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel.^[be] They conquered^[bf] Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim,^[bg] and all the storage cities of Naphtali. ⁵ When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying^[bh] Ramah and abandoned the project.^{[bi] 6} King Asa ordered all the men of Judah to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah.^[bj] He used the materials to build up^[bk] Geba and Mizpah.

⁷ At that time Hanani the prophet^[bl] visited King Asa of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Syria and did not rely on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. ⁸ Did not the Cushites and Libyans have a huge army with chariots and a very large number of horsemen? But when you relied on the Lord, he handed them over to you! ⁹ Certainly^[bm] the Lord watches the whole earth carefully^[bn] and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him.^[bo] You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war.” ¹⁰ Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail.^[bp] Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time.

Asa’s Reign Ends

¹¹ The events of Asa’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Judah and Israel.^{[bq] 12} In the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa developed a foot disease and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease, he did not seek the Lord, but only the doctors. ¹³ Asa passed away^[br] in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ He was buried in the tomb he had carved out in the City of David.^[bs] They laid him to rest on a platform^[bt] covered with spices and assorted mixtures of ointments. They made a huge bonfire to honor him.^[bu]

Israel’s Rejection Considered

9 ^[a] I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me^[b] in the Holy Spirit— ² I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.^{[c] 3} For I could wish^[d] that I myself were accursed—cut off from Christ—for the sake of my people,^[e] my fellow countrymen,^{[f] 4} who are Israelites. To them belong^[g] the adoption as sons,^[h] the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship,^[i] and the promises. ⁵ To them belong the patriarchs,^[j] and from them,^[k] by human descent,^[l] came the Christ,^[m] who is God over all, blessed forever!^[n] Amen.

⁶ It is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel,^{[o] 7} nor are all the children Abraham’s true descendants; rather “through Isaac will your descendants be counted.”^{[p] 8} This means^[q] it is not the children of the flesh^[r] who are the children of God; rather, the children of promise are counted as descendants. ⁹ For this is what the promise declared:^[s] “About a year from now^[t] I will return and Sarah will have a son.”^{[u] 10} Not only that, but when Rebekah had conceived children by one man,^[v] our ancestor Isaac— ¹¹ even before they were born or had done anything good or bad (so that God’s purpose in election^[w] would stand, not by works but by^[x] his calling)^[y]— ^12 [z] it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger,”^{[aa] 13} just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”^[ab]

¹⁴ What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not! ¹⁵ For he says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”^{[ac] 16} So then,^[ad] it does not depend on human desire or exertion,^[ae] but on God who shows mercy. ¹⁷ For the scripture says to Pharaoh:^[af] “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may demonstrate my power in you, and that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”^{[ag] 18} So then,^[ah] God^[ai] has mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy, and he hardens whom he chooses to harden.^[aj]

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who has ever resisted his will?” ²⁰ But who indeed are you—a mere human being^[ak]—to talk back to God?^[al] Does what is molded say to the molder, “Why have you made me like this?”^{[am] 21} Has the potter no right to make from the same lump of clay^[an] one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use?^{[ao] 22} But what if God, willing to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the objects^[ap] of wrath^[aq] prepared for destruction?^{[ar] 23} And what if he is willing to make known the wealth of his glory on the objects^[as] of mercy that he has prepared beforehand for glory— ²⁴ even us, whom he has called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Psalm 19^[a]

For the music director, a psalm of David.

Shemaiah’s Prophecy

11 When Rehoboam arrived at Jerusalem, he mobilized the men of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 select troops—to fight against Israel and to restore the kingdom to himself.

² But the Lord said to Shemaiah, the man of God, ³ “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin: ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not fight against your relatives. Go back home, for what has happened is my doing!’” So they obeyed the message of the Lord and did not fight against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam Fortifies Judah

⁵ Rehoboam remained in Jerusalem and fortified various towns for the defense of Judah. ⁶ He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron. These became the fortified towns of Judah and Benjamin. ¹¹ Rehoboam strengthened their defenses and stationed commanders in them, and he stored supplies of food, olive oil, and wine. ¹² He also put shields and spears in these towns as a further safety measure. So only Judah and Benjamin remained under his control.

¹³ But all the priests and Levites living among the northern tribes of Israel sided with Rehoboam. ¹⁴ The Levites even abandoned their pasturelands and property and moved to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons would not allow them to serve the Lord as priests. ¹⁵ Jeroboam appointed his own priests to serve at the pagan shrines, where they worshiped the goat and calf idols he had made. ¹⁶ From all the tribes of Israel, those who sincerely wanted to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁷ This strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they supported Rehoboam son of Solomon, for during those years they faithfully followed in the footsteps of David and Solomon.

Rehoboam’s Family

¹⁸ Rehoboam married his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of David’s son Jerimoth and of Abihail, the daughter of Eliab son of Jesse. ¹⁹ Mahalath had three sons—Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham.

²⁰ Later Rehoboam married another cousin, Maacah, the granddaughter of Absalom. Maacah gave birth to Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maacah more than any of his other wives and concubines. In all, he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and they gave birth to twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters.

²² Rehoboam appointed Maacah’s son Abijah as leader among the princes, making it clear that he would be the next king. ²³ Rehoboam also wisely gave responsibilities to his other sons and stationed some of them in the fortified towns throughout the land of Judah and Benjamin. He provided them with generous provisions, and he found many wives for them.

Egypt Invades Judah

12 But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord, and all Israel followed him in this sin. ² Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign. ³ He came with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horses,^[a] and a countless army of foot soldiers, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians.^{[b] 4} Shishak conquered Judah’s fortified towns and then advanced to attack Jerusalem.

⁵ The prophet Shemaiah then met with Rehoboam and Judah’s leaders, who had all fled to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah told them, “This is what the Lord says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak.”

⁶ Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is right in doing this to us!”

⁷ When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem. ⁸ But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.”

⁹ So King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. ¹⁰ King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. ¹¹ Whenever the king went to the Temple of the Lord, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom. ¹² Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger was turned away, and he did not destroy him completely. There were still some good things in the land of Judah.

Summary of Rehoboam’s Reign

¹³ King Rehoboam firmly established himself in Jerusalem and continued to rule. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, a woman from Ammon. ¹⁴ But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the Lord with all his heart.

¹⁵ The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Shemaiah the Prophet and The Record of Iddo the Seer, which are part of the genealogical record. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other. ¹⁶ When Rehoboam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Abijah became the next king.

Abijah’s War with Jeroboam

13 Abijah began to rule over Judah in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam’s reign in Israel. ² He reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother was Maacah,^[c] the daughter of Uriel from Gibeah.

Then war broke out between Abijah and Jeroboam. ³ Judah, led by King Abijah, fielded 400,000 select warriors, while Jeroboam mustered 800,000 select troops from Israel.

⁴ When the army of Judah arrived in the hill country of Ephraim, Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim and shouted to Jeroboam and all Israel: “Listen to me! ⁵ Don’t you realize that the Lord, the God of Israel, made a lasting covenant^[d] with David, giving him and his descendants the throne of Israel forever? ⁶ Yet Jeroboam son of Nebat, a mere servant of David’s son Solomon, rebelled against his master. ⁷ Then a whole gang of scoundrels joined him, defying Solomon’s son Rehoboam when he was young and inexperienced and could not stand up to them.

⁸ “Do you really think you can stand against the kingdom of the Lord that is led by the descendants of David? You may have a vast army, and you have those gold calves that Jeroboam made as your gods. ⁹ But you have chased away the priests of the Lord (the descendants of Aaron) and the Levites, and you have appointed your own priests, just like the pagan nations. You let anyone become a priest these days! Whoever comes to be dedicated with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of these so-called gods of yours!

¹⁰ “But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not abandoned him. Only the descendants of Aaron serve the Lord as priests, and the Levites alone may help them in their work. ¹¹ They present burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and evening. They place the Bread of the Presence on the holy table, and they light the gold lampstand every evening. We are following the instructions of the Lord our God, but you have abandoned him. ¹² So you see, God is with us. He is our leader. His priests blow their trumpets and lead us into battle against you. O people of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed!”

¹³ Meanwhile, Jeroboam had secretly sent part of his army around behind the men of Judah to ambush them. ¹⁴ When Judah realized that they were being attacked from the front and the rear, they cried out to the Lord for help. Then the priests blew the trumpets, ¹⁵ and the men of Judah began to shout. At the sound of their battle cry, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel and routed them before Abijah and the army of Judah.

¹⁶ The Israelite army fled from Judah, and God handed them over to Judah in defeat. ¹⁷ Abijah and his army inflicted heavy losses on them; 500,000 of Israel’s select troops were killed that day. ¹⁸ So Judah defeated Israel on that occasion because they trusted in the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁹ Abijah and his army pursued Jeroboam’s troops and captured some of his towns, including Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron, along with their surrounding villages.

²⁰ So Jeroboam of Israel never regained his power during Abijah’s lifetime, and finally the Lord struck him down and he died. ²¹ Meanwhile, Abijah of Judah grew more and more powerful. He married fourteen wives and had twenty-two sons and sixteen daughters.

²² The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including his words and deeds, are recorded in The Commentary of Iddo the Prophet.

²⁶ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. ²⁷ And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers^[a] in harmony with God’s own will. ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together^[b] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ²⁹ For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn^[c] among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”^[d]) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[e] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹¹ Solomon moved his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter, from the City of David to the new palace he had built for her. He said, “My wife must not live in King David’s palace, for the Ark of the Lord has been there, and it is holy ground.”

¹² Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple. ¹³ He offered the sacrifices for the Sabbaths, the new moon festivals, and the three annual festivals—the Passover celebration, the Festival of Harvest,^[a] and the Festival of Shelters—as Moses had commanded.

¹⁴ In assigning the priests to their duties, Solomon followed the regulations of his father, David. He also assigned the Levites to lead the people in praise and to assist the priests in their daily duties. And he assigned the gatekeepers to their gates by their divisions, following the commands of David, the man of God. ¹⁵ Solomon did not deviate in any way from David’s commands concerning the priests and Levites and the treasuries.

¹⁶ So Solomon made sure that all the work related to building the Temple of the Lord was carried out, from the day its foundation was laid to the day of its completion.

¹⁷ Later Solomon went to Ezion-geber and Elath,^[b] ports along the shore of the Red Sea^[c] in the land of Edom. ¹⁸ Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own officers and manned by experienced crews of sailors. These ships sailed to Ophir with Solomon’s men and brought back to Solomon almost seventeen tons^[d] of gold.

Visit of the Queen of Sheba

9 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions. She arrived with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. ² Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for him to explain to her. ³ When the queen of Sheba realized how wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, ⁴ she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers and their robes, and the burnt offerings^[e] Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord.

⁵ She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements^[f] and wisdom is true! ⁶ I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of your great wisdom! It is far beyond what I was told. ⁷ How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! ⁸ Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

⁹ Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds^[g] of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never before had there been spices as fine as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ (In addition, the crews of Hiram and Solomon brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought red sandalwood^[h] and precious jewels. ¹¹ The king used the sandalwood to make steps^[i] for the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before had such beautiful things been seen in Judah.)

¹² King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for—gifts of greater value than the gifts she had given him. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.

Solomon’s Wealth and Splendor

¹³ Each year Solomon received about 25 tons^[j] of gold. ¹⁴ This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders. All the kings of Arabia and the governors of the provinces also brought gold and silver to Solomon.

¹⁵ King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 15 pounds.^{[k] 16} He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than 7 1⁄2 pounds.^[l] The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. ¹⁸ The throne had six steps, with a footstool of gold. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. ¹⁹ There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!

²⁰ All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!

²¹ The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish manned by the sailors sent by Hiram.^[m] Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.^[n]

²² So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. ²³ Kings from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. ²⁴ Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

²⁵ Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his horses and chariots, and he had 12,000 horses.^[o] He stationed some of them in the chariot cities, and some near him in Jerusalem. ²⁶ He ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River^[p] in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. ²⁷ The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah.^{[q] 28} Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt^[r] and many other countries.

Summary of Solomon’s Reign

²⁹ The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Prophecy of Ahijah from Shiloh, and also in The Visions of Iddo the Seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat. ³⁰ Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. ³¹ When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.

The Northern Tribes Revolt

10 Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king. ² When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard of this, he returned from Egypt, for he had fled to Egypt to escape from King Solomon. ³ The leaders of Israel summoned him, and Jeroboam and all Israel went to speak with Rehoboam. ⁴ “Your father was a hard master,” they said. “Lighten the harsh labor demands and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us. Then we will be your loyal subjects.”

⁵ Rehoboam replied, “Come back in three days for my answer.” So the people went away.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam discussed the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. “What is your advice?” he asked. “How should I answer these people?”

⁷ The older counselors replied, “If you are good to these people and do your best to please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your loyal subjects.”

⁸ But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers. ⁹ “What is your advice?” he asked them. “How should I answer these people who want me to lighten the burdens imposed by my father?”

¹⁰ The young men replied, “This is what you should tell those complainers who want a lighter burden: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist! ¹¹ Yes, my father laid heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!’”

¹² Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to hear Rehoboam’s decision, just as the king had ordered. ¹³ But Rehoboam spoke harshly to them, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors ¹⁴ and followed the counsel of his younger advisers. He told the people, “My father laid^[s] heavy burdens on you, but I’m going to make them even heavier! My father beat you with whips, but I will beat you with scorpions!”

¹⁵ So the king paid no attention to the people. This turn of events was the will of God, for it fulfilled the Lord’s message to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh.

¹⁶ When all Israel realized^[t] that the king had refused to listen to them, they responded,

So all the people of Israel returned home. ¹⁷ But Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the towns of Judah.

¹⁸ King Rehoboam sent Adoniram,^[u] who was in charge of forced labor, to restore order, but the people of Israel stoned him to death. When this news reached King Rehoboam, he quickly jumped into his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ And to this day the northern tribes of Israel have refused to be ruled by a descendant of David.

⁹ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) ¹⁰ And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life^[a] because you have been made right with God. ¹¹ The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

¹² Therefore, dear brothers and sisters,^[b] you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ¹³ For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,^[c] you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children^[d] of God.

¹⁵ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.^[e] Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”^{[f] 16} For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

The Future Glory

¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. ²⁰ Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, ²¹ the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. ²² For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,^[g] including the new bodies he has promised us. ²⁴ We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope^[h] for it. ²⁵ But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication

¹² Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire community of Israel, and he lifted his hands in prayer. ¹³ Now Solomon had made a bronze platform 7 1⁄2 feet long, 7 1⁄2 feet wide, and 4 1⁄2 feet high^[a] and had placed it at the center of the Temple’s outer courtyard. He stood on the platform, and then he knelt in front of the entire community of Israel and lifted his hands toward heaven. ¹⁴ He prayed,

The Dedication of the Temple

7 When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. ² The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. ³ When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying,

⁴ Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord. ⁵ King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple of God. ⁶ The priests took their assigned positions, and so did the Levites who were singing, “His faithful love endures forever!” They accompanied the singing with music from the instruments King David had made for praising the Lord. Across from the Levites, the priests blew the trumpets, while all Israel stood.

⁷ Solomon then consecrated the central area of the courtyard in front of the Lord’s Temple. He offered burnt offerings and the fat of peace offerings there, because the bronze altar he had built could not hold all the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrificial fat.

⁸ For the next seven days Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters.^[b] A large congregation had gathered from as far away as Lebo-hamath in the north and the Brook of Egypt in the south. ⁹ On the eighth day they had a closing ceremony, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the Festival of Shelters for seven days. ¹⁰ Then at the end of the celebration,^[c] Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and glad because the Lord had been so good to David and to Solomon and to his people Israel.

The Lord’s Response to Solomon

¹¹ So Solomon finished the Temple of the Lord, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do in the construction of the Temple and the palace. ¹² Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,

Solomon’s Many Achievements

8 It took Solomon twenty years to build the Lord’s Temple and his own royal palace. At the end of that time, ² Solomon turned his attention to rebuilding the towns that King Hiram^[d] had given him, and he settled Israelites in them.

³ Solomon also fought against the town of Hamath-zobah and conquered it. ⁴ He rebuilt Tadmor in the wilderness and built towns in the region of Hamath as supply centers. ⁵ He fortified the towns of Upper Beth-horon and Lower Beth-horon, rebuilding their walls and installing barred gates. ⁶ He also rebuilt Baalath and other supply centers and constructed towns where his chariots and horses^[e] could be stationed. He built everything he desired in Jerusalem and Lebanon and throughout his entire realm.

⁷ There were still some people living in the land who were not Israelites, including the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁸ These were descendants of the nations whom the people of Israel had not destroyed. So Solomon conscripted them for his labor force, and they serve as forced laborers to this day. ⁹ But Solomon did not conscript any of the Israelites for his labor force. Instead, he assigned them to serve as fighting men, officers in his army, commanders of his chariots, and charioteers. ¹⁰ King Solomon appointed 250 of them to supervise the people.

Struggling with Sin

¹⁴ So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. ¹⁶ But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

¹⁸ And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] I want to do what is right, but I can’t. ¹⁹ I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. ²⁰ But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. ²² I love God’s law with all my heart. ²³ But there is another power^[b] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. ²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Life in the Spirit

8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. ² And because you belong to him, the power^[c] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you^[d] from the power of sin that leads to death. ³ The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature.^[e] So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. ⁴ He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

⁵ Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ⁶ So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. ⁷ For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. ⁸ That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Psalm 18

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang: