Rehoboam fortifies various towns in Judah. Interestingly these were on south, west and eastern borders, but not the north, perhaps reflecting a hope of unity with the northern kingdom. Also, this is not recorded in Kings. The writer is stressing the need to strengthen the whole nation.
Verses 13-17 are also unique to Chronicles, stressing the dedication of the Levites to the work of the temple. The idol worship of Jeroboam is also mentioned.
So the building of the kingdom had the temple at its centre and from that a building and strengthening of the rest of the nation. In the day of Chronicles there may have been some who asked why they needed to bother with the temple. It is vital that we focus on building the temple in our own lives.
Rehoboam's family details is perhaps presented as a reward for his faithfulness. However, having many wives and concubines never worked out well in the Old Testament. It was not part of God's original plan in Genesis, and the ideal of one wife had been returned to by New Testament times.
Rehoboam used his family to establish his reign throughout the nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment