Rehoboam Was a Disaster Waiting to Happen

Chapter 12 of II Chronicles can be viewed as a sort of mini commentary on the life of Rehoboam. What stays with me after reading this account again today is the obvious fact that this man was doomed to fail from the start. First notice his mother was not an Israelite. She was an Ammonitess (verse 13). These people did not practise the laws of God and, with literally hundreds of children, do you suppose Solomon took special time with each of them? Of course he didn't! How could he!? These children would have been heavily influenced by their mothers. So the first little red flag we see is Solomon gives the kingdom to the son of one of his heathen wifes.

Also remember how Rehoboam consulted with the younger men of Israel and disregarded the wise council of the old men (after he had first become king). When you first read this account you get the sense that this is a very young, very green kid taking over the trone of his famous father. But, in this chapter we get some helpful information.

Verse 13 -- "Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem..."

This was not a young kid -- he was a full adult with many years of life experience. He clearly had leanings toward the culture around him and was not at all grounded in his responsibility as the king of God's people. Ah ha. The curtain opens a bit more! Of course what is most telling is his ultimate end where he eventually does evil even after being warned by Shemaiah the prophet who told him that God was punishing him and all of Judah because they had forsaken Him. They repent for a brief time and for this God delivers them from total destruction by Egypt, yet Rehobaom goes right back down the road he was on (the road to spiritual ruin) and apparently dies outside of God's favor.

This life (of Rehoboam's) is another reminder of how standing still is very dangerous spiritually. I get the sense that Rehoboam was not exactly an evil man down to the core (certainly not to the degree of his arch nemesis Jeroboam), but he was not actively seeking to do good . . . and that's the real key. Just like God told Cain in Genesis Chapter 4("if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door" -- Gen 4:7) -- in other words just doing nothing is enough to become engulfed in sin. This is the problem with Rehoboam. He did nothing definitely good. He just existed and became to pawn of evil. It all comes jumping out to us in verse 14 . . .

Verse 14 -- "And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD."

Just let that sink in for a minute. Why did Rehoboam do evil? Because he was wicked at the core? No. Because he was plotting and scheming to turn Israel away from God? No. He didn't prepare his heart so he became infected with the disease that was already all around him -- sin. This is the nature of sin. It envelops anything in its path. You have to be ready for it 24/7 . . . always seeking God's guidance and strength. This is a powerful lesson for all of us!