This Congregation meets at: 5:00 PM on the last Sunday of the MONTH. Sunday Bible Class at 10:00 am. Sunday Worship Service at 11:00 am. Sunday Night Worship service at 6:00 pm. Wednesday Night Bible Class at 7:00 pm. 5:00 PM on the last Sunday of the MONTH. Please be so kind to turn off your cell phone. Let’s be reverent. We are worshipping God.

48 lesson

Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.

1 Corinthians 10:11 [11] Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

James 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

Nehemiah: The Builder for God Mary, the Mother of Jesus Lydia Nehemiah: The Builder for God King Saul. Solomon Mary, the Mother of Jesus Daniel Sapphira the accomplice lier. Part 2 Part 1 Dorcas

Rehoboam

1 Kings 11:11-12 [11] Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. [12] Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

“Your Kingdom will be divided” The Lord is talking to King Solomon and He says: “Your Kingdom will be divided”

When God says from “the hand of your son”, He was talking about Rehoboam. Although Rehoboam was the son of a wise father, he himself had a small mind. From the fifty references to this man, who scorned wise counsel; we can learn many facts.

Who was Rehoboam? Rehoboam was the son of Solomon. Apparently his only son. His mother was an “Ammonite” woman with the name of Naama. 1 King 14:21… “21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. He was forty one years of age when he sat at the throne. Meaning of his name: “He enlarges the people” Key words in his life: Very Unwise!

The man who oppressed the people. 1 Kings 12:1-5 [1] And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. [2] So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt ), [3] that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, [4] "Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." [5] So he said to them, "Depart for three days, then come back to me." And the people departed. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam but this man did not follow the wisdom of his Father. Instead he followed his own instincts and his owns ways.

On the third day the people returned. They want help, taxes are too high, work too much! [6] Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, "How do you advise me to answer these people?" [7] And they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to these people today, and serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." [8] But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. [9] And he said to them, "What advice do you give? How should we answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" [10] Then the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you should speak to this people who have spoken to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter on us'-thus you shall say to them: 'My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist! [11] And now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!’” 1 Kings 12:6-11 Rehoboam refused to listen to the elders and instead followed the advice that came from the young man and yes, he talked to the people that way.

“12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had directed, saying, "Come back to me the third day." 13 Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; 14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!" 15 So the king did not listen to the people; for the turn of events was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His word, which the Lord had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: "What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!" So Israel departed to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the children of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah. 18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was in charge of the revenue; but all Israel stoned him with stones, and he died. Therefore King Rehoboam mounted his chariot in haste to flee to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. 1 King 12:12-19

In desperation because he was losing all of the tribes, and because he ended up with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (what we know as the Kingdom of the south), Rehoboam was trying to fight against Jeroboam and the 10 other tribes… 2 Chronicles 11:1-4… “1 Now when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled from the house of Judah and Benjamin one hundred and eighty thousand chosen men who were warriors, to fight against Israel, that he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3 "Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 4 'Thus says the Lord: "You shall not go up or fight against your brethren! Let every man return to his house, for this thing is from Me." ' " Therefore they obeyed the words of the Lord, and turned back from attacking Jeroboam.

Sin brings consequences. Rehoboam was trying hard to bring the kingdom back together in unity but the Lord said: “For this is from Me”. There was no way that Rehoboam could contradict the prophecy that came from God. Sin brings consequences. Solomon sinned and God told him that his kingdom would be divided!

The Division: A Punishment For Solomon's Apostasy Although the division of the Israelites was accomplished by means of the foolishness of Rehoboam, it was actually decreed by God beforehand for a purpose. 10 2 1 King 11:29-35

A Punishment For Solomon's Apostasy 1 Kings 11:29-35 [29] Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. [30] Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. [31] And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you [32] (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), [33] because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David. [34] However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. [35] But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and give it to you-ten tribes.

Could Rehoboam stop that from happening? I doubt it because it is the Word of God and he would fulfill it. My point this morning is that neither Solomon nor his son Rehoboam walked in the ways of God. God was not pleased with Rehoboam and the way that he ruled the people. Keep in mind that when we do not obey God, God will make a decision and that decision can hurt us forever!

Israel’s Kingdoms The United Kingdom of Israel lasted through the reigns of Saul, David and Solomon. After Solomon died, the kingdom split into two. The ten tribes that made up the first half were the tribes of: Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) and they made up the kingdom of "Israel" with their capital up in Samaria. The tribes of Benjamin and Judah formed the kingdom of "Judah" with their capital in Jerusalem.

The North The South Israel’s Kingdoms The northern kingdom of Israel lasted a little over 200 years before it was gradually conquered by the Assyrians and by 721 B.C. they had all practically been taken into exile to Assyria (2 Kings 17:1-23). The vast majority of them never returned, and have become known as the "Lost Ten Tribes of Israel." The North The South

The North The South Israel’s Kingdoms Then, about 135 years later, in 586 B.C., the southern kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonians, and the Jews were taken into captivity to Babylon. The North The South

The question this morning is: What happen with Rehoboam? The kingdom of Judah, under Rehoboam, sank more and more into moral and spiritual decay. 1 King 14:30… “30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

The question this morning is: What happen with Rehoboam? In the beginning he was a very good man, but then, he fell… 2 Chronicles 12:1… 1 Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel along with him.

The question this morning is: What happen with Rehoboam? The Lord would punish him for his disobedience… 2 Chronicles 12:5-6… 5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the Lord: 'You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.' " 6 So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, "The Lord is righteous."

The question this morning is: What happen with Rehoboam? Even though the man is counted as one of the ancestors of Christ, he did not influence the people in doing well for God, but influenced them to do badly. Matthew 1:7… “7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.

I think that there is a great lesson here. Can we learn something this morning from Rehoboam? I think that there is a great lesson here. We must glorify God first before ourselves. He was dominated by false principles… We also need to be careful about that. We must have good relationships with one another…Rehoboam openly refused to have good relations with the people of God…Philippians 2:5-11 He followed the wrong advice… We can also follow the wrong advice if we trust men rather than God. Are we listening to the counsel of God instead of the one that comes from men? Jer 17:9

I think that there is a great lesson here. Can we learn something this morning from Rehoboam? I think that there is a great lesson here. We must glorify God first before ourselves. He failed to give God first place… Are we taking the time to think about the fact that God is before us or anything else that we do in this life? God will bless us if we let his word dwell in us and if we do his will… Rehoboam was the complete opposite, and for this reason, the kingdom was divided…Matt 6:33 Can we divide the church if we don’t follow in his ways??? It is an absolute yes; it depends on us and the conditions in which we obey God and follow his laws…1 Cor 1:10; Eph 4:1-3

2 Chronicles 12:13-16 [13] Thus King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. [14] And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD. [15] The acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. [16] So Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. Then Abijah his son reigned in his place.