2 Chronicles 11
Scripture:
1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mustered the house of Judah and Benjamin–a hundred and eighty thousand fighting men–to make 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 the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin,
4 ‘This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers. 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.
Observation:
Rehoboam is off to a rocky start as king. He is clearly upset about what happened to Adoniram in chapter 10. His response is a typical male response, something like, “that’s it–lets fight.” Rehoboam gathered 180,000 men to go and fight. We, personally, may not be prone to fighting when we get upset, however, we are susceptible to an emotional response that may not honor God. I appreciate this story as Shemaiah, the man of God, delivers a message from the Lord which the people hear and obey. We all need people around us who hear from the Lord and are willing to share what God has put on their heart in those moments of decision. Who do you have in your life that will help you avoid emotional responses and keep you on the journey of becoming a Spirit-Empowered Man?
Application:
- Personal Application: When someone hurts us or when we get upset we all have a natural tendency to respond quickly and harshly. However, our immediate emotional response may not exactly what God has in mind for us in that moment. Find a good friend who will have the courage to tell you when you are approaching the line. This type friend will allow us to continue honoring God through every decision and action.
- Family Devotional: Read this portion of scripture to your family. Remind them of the importance of consulting the Lord before we respond to people who have hurt us. Make a decision as a family to look after each other and hold each other accountable to honor God in every decision and action. Pray for your family.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for good friends who are Spirit-Empowered and will encourage you to always do what is right.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that God will provide them with Spirit-Empowered friends. Ask the Lord to give them wisdom to avoid emotional responses in order to honor God in every action.
Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, September 6 – Sunday, September 13:
- Sunday, September 6: 2 Chronicles 9
- Monday, September 7: 2 Chronicles 10
- Tuesday, September 8: 2 Chronicles 11
- Wednesday, September 9: 2 Chronicles 12
- Thursday, September 10: 2 Chronicles 13
- Friday, September 11: 2 Chronicles 14
- Saturday, September 12: 2 Chronicles 15
- Sunday, September 13: 2 Chronicles 16
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise marked, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblicia, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Fire Bible® elements including all Articles, the Bible Reading Plan, selected black and white maps and charts as noted, Book Introductions and outlines, color maps and the Color Map Index, footnotes, Study Notes, Subject Index, Themefinder™Index are the property of Life Publishers International, Springfield, MO U.S.A. All rights reserved.