The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 140

II. THE REFORMATION OF RELIGION, (Vers. 13-17.) 1. The pt·iests and Levites out of all lsrael, returned to the temple. The occasion of this falling away from Jeroboam was that he and his sons had practically renounced the religion of Jehovah, had set up "high places" of his own in Dan and Bethel, where Jehovah ,vas worshipped in the form of two ox-images, or golden calves, in imitation, most likely, of the images of Apis and Mnevis in Egypt, or of the "calf" made by .Aaron in the wilderness, the notion of which doubtless was also borrowed from Egypt ~1 Kinii;s xii. 28). 'l'hese calves and other images of animals the Chronicler calls she erim (Hebrew), "devils" (Authorized Version)," he-goats" or "satyrs" (Revised Version),afterwhich the Israelites had gone a-whoring in Egypt (Josh. xxiv. 14), and even in the wilderness (Lev, xvii. 7; Amos v. 25, 26). "In later times they appear to have connected with it [this worship] notions of goblins, in the form of goats, who haunted the wilderness and laid in wait for women" (Gerlach). Jeroboam, then, having set up this rival form of worship, had no further use for the regularly ordained priests and Levites, unless they would conform to the new cultus; and because they would not, he cast them out from their offices and would no more allow them "to sacrifice unto the Lord." It says a good deal for their conscientiousness and courage that, rather than renounce what they believed to be the true religion, or worship God otherwise than according to their consciences, they cheerfully abandoned "their suburbs and possession "-in modern phraseology, their residences and emoluments; Scottice, their manses and glebes, They were the first nonconformists in the northern kingdom. 2. The pious worshippers of Jehovah out of all, Israel returned to Jerusalem. 'l'hese are described: (1) By their characters. "Such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel." The essence of all religion is "to seek the Lord God of Israel," in whose favour is life, and whose "loving-kindness is better than life" (Ps. xxx. 5; lxiii. 3), the knowledge of whom is also life eternal (John xvii. 2). Nor can God be sought unless with the heart as distinguished from the mind, and with the whole as contrasted with a divided heart (eh. xv. 12; Ps. cxix. 2, 10; Jer. xxix. 13). .And even this is impossible wi~hout determination, energy, and per- severance on the part of him who desires to be religious (Ps. ix. 1 ; 2 Kings x. 31 ; Acts xi. 33). (2) By their worship. They" ea.me to Jerusalem to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers." True religion cannot subsist alongside of false worship. A serious mistake it is to suppose that any form of expression will suffice as an outlet for pious feeling. God must be approached and served in the way and through the forms he has himself prescribed. 3. Rehoboam and his princes returned to the service of Jehovah. (1) Their reformation was probably sincere so far as it went. But (2) it did not go far enough. They did not abandon entirely the idol-worship of Solomon, but conjoined with it the service of Jehovah. .And (3) it wa.~ of short duration, lasting only three years (ver. 17), i.e. so long as the fright of invasion was on them, but dis- appearing when all fear on that score was a.t a.n end (eh. xii. 1). Learn : 1. The worthlessness to a kingdom of fortresses without religion. 2. The worthlessness to a. person of religion without sincerity and truth. 3. The worthless- ness to a state of a king without a God. 4. The worthlessness to either state or individual of goodness that is not permanent.-W. Vers. 18-23.-A royal polygamist. I. REHOBOAM'B WIVES, 1. The number of them. In all eighteen wives and sixty concubines. Solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubi~es (1 Kiogs ~!: 3). David even.~ad more _wives and concubines than was good for him (2 Sam. m. 2-5 ; v. 13 ; xu. 8). Oriental monarchs generally had well-filled harems. Rameses II. had a. hundred and nineteen children (sixty sons and fifty-nine daughters), "which gives ground for supposing a great number of concubines, besides hi~ lawful wives" (Brugech, vol. i~. p. 115), Poly- gamy was also permitted to, and practised by, the monarchs of ~ssyna,. w~oRe p~laces accordingly were guarded by a whole army of eunuchs (Sayce, .Assyria, its Prmces, Priests, and People,' p. 129). 2. The chief of them. (1) ". ~ahalath,. the daugh_ter of David's son Jeri-moth" who was probably a son of one of Davids concubmes, a.a Jenmoth is we.ntinu 0 in the list of David's sons (1 Chron. iii. 1-8); ".Abihail, the daughter of Eliab, the son of Jesse" (1 Chron. ii. 13), is not a. second wife of Rehoboam'e (LXX} as tlie words "which bare" (ver. 19) and "after her" (ver. 20) show, but Maha.lath B Jnother, who was thus David's niece, as Mahe.lath's father was David's grandson. err. xu. 1-16.J THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. Hl