2 Chronicles 11:13 - Meaning and Application

Here we see, first, how Rehoboam was strengthened when the priests, the Levites, and all the devout Israelites came to him, men who stayed true to God and to their religion.

Jeroboam cast them off. He set up a form of worship they could not honestly accept, which forced them away from his altar. At the same time, he would not let them go to Jerusalem to worship at the true altar there, so he shut them out from serving as priests (2 Chronicles 11:14). He was glad to replace them with low and shameful men whom he appointed as priests for the high places (2 Chronicles 11:15). Compare (1 Kings 12:31). It is no surprise that the man who cast off God also cast off God’s ministers, since they would not do whatever he told them, serve his gods, or bow to his golden image.

So the Levites left their towns and fields (2 Chronicles 11:14). By tribe, they had been given cities with surrounding pasturelands, where they were well provided for and could do much good. Now they were driven out of all their cities except those in Judah and Benjamin. Their support had seemed secure, yet they lost it. Still, they could take comfort in knowing that the Lord himself was their inheritance, and they would still find him when they were pushed out of house and land.

Why did they leave their possessions? For one thing, they saw they could do no good among their neighbors, whose old idolatry was stirred up again now that Jeroboam had set up his calves. They also knew they would be under constant pressure to go along with evil, and in danger of slowly drifting into it. If we truly pray not to be led into temptation, we should stay as far from it as we can. And if they stayed faithful, they had reason to expect persecution from Jeroboam and his sons. The priests appointed for idols would not allow the Lord’s priests to remain among them for long. No worldly advantage should keep us where we are in danger of losing faith and a clear conscience.

They came to Judah and Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 11:14) and presented themselves to Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:13, margin). Where else should God’s priests and Levites be, except where his altar was? They came there because that was their calling at the appointed times. It was a mercy that they had a safe place to flee to, and that when Jeroboam cast them out, others so near were ready to welcome them. They were not forced into the lands of the heathen. It also showed that they loved their work more than their income. They left their towns in the country, where they could have lived comfortably on their own, because they were shut out from serving God there. They trusted God’s care and the kindness of their fellow believers so they could enjoy his ordinances freely, as he had ordered.

It is better to have little in the path of duty than plenty in the path of sin. Better to live on charity, or even die in prison, with a good conscience, than to live in wealth and pleasure with a ruined one. Rehoboam and his people showed wisdom in welcoming them, even if it meant crowding themselves to make room. Faithful refugees bring a blessing to the people who receive them, just as they leave trouble behind with those who drive them out. Open the gates so the righteous nation, who keeps faith, may enter in, and it will be for your good (Isaiah 26:1-2).

When the priests and Levites came to Jerusalem, all the devout Israelites from every tribe followed them. These were the people who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel, who took their duty to God seriously and meant to keep it. They left their inherited lands and settled in Jerusalem so they could go freely to God’s altar and avoid the temptation to worship the calves (2 Chronicles 11:16). What is best for our souls is best for us. In all our choices, the good of religion must come before outward comfort. Where God’s faithful priests are, God’s faithful people should be too. If Jeroboam cast off God’s ministers, every true Israelite would feel bound to stand with them. Do not forsake the Levite, the rejected Levite, as long as you live. When the ark moves, follow it too (Joshua 3:3).

In this way they strengthened the kingdom of Judah (2 Chronicles 11:17). They did this not only by adding many people, who likely brought some of their goods with them, but also by their godliness and prayers, which brought a blessing on the kingdom that had become a refuge for them. See (Zechariah 12:5). It is in a nation’s interest to protect and encourage religion and religious people, because nothing adds more to its strength. They made Rehoboam and his people strong for three years, while they followed the good ways of David and Solomon. But when they turned away from those ways, and so cut themselves off from God’s favor and protection, even their best friends could no longer strengthen them. We keep our strength as long as we cling to God and obey him, and not after.

Then we see how Rehoboam weakened himself by giving himself over to pleasure. He wanted many wives, as his father had done (2 Chronicles 11:23). In this, however, he seems wiser than his father, because he does not appear to have married foreign wives. The wives named here were daughters of Israel, and even of David’s own family. One was descended from Eliab, David’s brother (2 Chronicles 11:18), another from Absalom, likely David’s son (2 Chronicles 11:20), and another from Jerimoth, David’s son.

He was also happier than his father in this, that he had many sons and daughters, while we read of only one son for his father. It is hard to believe David had no more than one, but if he had others, they were not worth mentioning. Several of Rehoboam’s sons are named here (2 Chronicles 11:19-20) as men of note. They were active men, so Rehoboam thought it wise to spread them through the towns of Judah and Benjamin (2 Chronicles 11:23). He may have done this so they would not compete with his son Abijah, whom he meant to be his heir. Or he may have done it because he trusted them to keep the peace and protect the kingdom. He placed them in fortified cities and made sure those cities were well supplied, so they could serve him well if an enemy attacked. Better late wisdom than no wisdom at all. People say that wisdom is never good until it is bought, and Rehoboam did pay dearly for it by losing a kingdom.