Insight for Living

Bill Meyer: As flawed people with a fallen nature, many of us have mastered the art of the highlight reel. Posting curated pictures on social media that showcase our best angles, happiest moments, and brilliant thoughts. But what if someone could see the unfiltered reality behind the posts? What if they knew what you're really like when no one's watching?

Convicting, isn't it? Well today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll introduces us to a man who perfected his public image while concealing a devastating private truth. The cameras loved him, the crowds believed him, but God saw straight to his heart.

Pastor Chuck Swindoll: Several weeks ago, the magazine section of the Sunday paper had an article on the Universal Studios. Maybe you read all or part of it. It covered not only that studio, but several in Hollywood that are familiar scenes to us on the television sets and some of the movies are made there. What was of interest to me was that they showed two sides of the same scene.

One was the camera side, and everything from landscape to home to living room, even to the campfire, looked genuinely realistic. And then the other scene was behind the scene where there is no camera, where no one other than those on the set ever see. And behind the scenes, these beautiful, lovely buildings and living rooms and even the nice cozy campfire, behind the scene, it's all plastic, metal, wood.

It's a mask held together in the flimsy materials that are temporary, put together in a moment's notice as it were, and yet the camera makes it look like the place has been there for years. Even the phony ivy that grows up the side of the house, or the lighting and the dramatic arts that make the sound come to life, even that campfire is phony.

It takes all the fun out of the programs when you see something like that because you see that it's put together with nothing but a sham for the public and then torn down for another set to be built for the next day. As I read that over and as I prepared the message on Rehoboam from the Old Testament, I was reminded of a similarity in that life. Not only in the life of Rehoboam, but many a person today who has two sides.

Mark Twain has said, "We're all like the moon. We have a dark side we don't want anybody to see." Rehoboam was like that. He had a dark side that only God the Holy Spirit really saw and was pleased to portray for us in the ancient book of First Kings and the book of Second Chronicles. So I direct your attention to the unfamiliar dusty portion of the eleventh chapter of the book of First Kings.

We begin a study on the life of a man who was a phony. On the surface, he looked genuine, but we're going to see four specific areas of his life that were as phony as the props for a television performance. First Kings 11 is not the story of Rehoboam, it's the story of his father's fall. His father's name is familiar to all of us. His name was Solomon.

He was the richest king who ever lived. Time doesn't permit me to parade before you the lavishness of his kingdom, but it has been estimated that it was into the millions of dollars on a monthly basis. His import and export alone brought somewhere around ten million dollars a year. Now Solomon was a rich man, but he shipwrecked the faith.

Toward the end of his life, this passage tells us he began to live as an unbeliever. "Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women." Verse 3: "And he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned his heart away."

Archaeologists have uncovered excavation areas where in the valley of Hinnom, for example, there had been erected edifices to the temples and to the gods of these foreign women. Now we read in verse 4, "It came about when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods, and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord God, as the heart of David his father had been."

"For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not follow the Lord fully as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon."

Now I want you to notice two things. I want you to notice one category of wives and I want you to notice one category of false deity. First of all, will you notice in verse 1 the Ammonite wives? And will you notice down in verse 5, the detestable idol of the Ammonites, Milcom? And verse 7, the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon, Molech?

It's believed by many that Milcom and Molech were either the same idol viewed from a different perspective or they were twin idols of the same false religion. But notice both of them belonged to the Ammonite people. Here is Solomon, a man of God, but because of his intermarriages, he has what we would call backslidden.

He has begun not only to marry wives, but he has begun to worship those gods his wives brought to him and to his nation. As a result of this, the nation became splintered. For over a century, it had been strong, undivided. A graph of the nation would be a continued incline in strength. First there was Saul, and then there was David, and finally there was Solomon until the nation was under its own flag and was well-respected by people in its day.

But Israel under Solomon became heavily taxed. Because of his spiritual compromise, there were those who left him, who deserted. One man's name was Jeroboam. Now don't confuse him with the man we're studying, Rehoboam. But just remember Jeroboam for this. Jeroboam disagreed with the policy that Solomon had developed, so he went to Egypt to live there, for Solomon sought his life.

He looked upon Jeroboam as one who would overthrow his kingdom. Now turn the page and look at the last verse of this chapter. "Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place." The Bible tells us in the fourteenth chapter of this same book that he was 41 years old when he took the father's throne.

Rehoboam was a 41-year-old man at the time Solomon died. For 41 years, Rehoboam had been living in the palace of the king. We will see his genealogy in just a moment, but I want you to understand that his training has not been godly. He has been influenced by a godless mother. Her name will come across the passage in a moment.

He has learned what it is to live a sham for the public all the while nurturing behind the scenes, away from the camera, a phony, failing, dark, ungodly life. Now verse 1: "Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. It came about when Jeroboam," there's the fellow who went to Egypt, disagreeing with Solomon's policy.

"When Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it," skip the parenthesis, verse 3, "that Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam." Now don't misunderstand here. Jeroboam who has departed comes back down to the city of Shechem, and he visits with the king-elect, this 41-year-old son of Solomon.

And he talks with him about the concerns he has had in days past over the lifestyle Solomon had developed. And Rehoboam puts on a good front. Verse 4: "Your father made our yoke hard, therefore lighten the hard surface of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." And then he said to them, "Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed.

Now notice, he goes through the motion of seeking counsel. "And King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, 'How do you counsel me to answer this people?' And then they spoke to him saying, 'If you will be a servant to this people today, you will serve them. If you grant them their petition, that is, relieve the taxes, if you will encourage them, that is, if you will speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.'"

He goes to the chamber that his father Solomon had developed and he sits down in front of those wrinkled, bearded men, men of age who had mellowed and been tempered through the years, who had seen the nation collapse. And he says, "Men, what should I do?" And they respond in the words we've just read.

Verse 8: "But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him. He consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him." He went to his peers next. So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?"

And the young men who grew up with him spoke to him saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you: 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us.' But you speak to them," verse 11: "Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions."

A scorpion was a lash that had a single handle but 9 to 12 leather straps in which were embedded pieces of bone or metal. The whip was the handle with one leather strap. The scorpion was a multi-strapped beating lash or rod. "You tell them you're going to discipline them with scorpions." Now verse 12: "Three days have passed. Jeroboam comes back for his answer."

"Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed." Verse 13: "The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him. And he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men," and we have just read of that. Take the time right now to leave First Kings and turn to Second Chronicles.

Look at chapter 10 of Second Chronicles which is a parallel passage. Here I think the true colors of Rehoboam are set forth. Second Chronicles 10 verse 15, will you notice the very first words of the 15th verse? Second Chronicles 10: "So the king," that's Rehoboam, "did not listen to the people." Those are the real colors of Rehoboam.

They came and they said, "Listen, we will serve you if your leadership will be tolerant, encouraging, understanding. We'll follow your leadership." He didn't listen to the people. Oh, he went through the motions of seeking the counsel of elders and then younger, but down inside his heart he had no plans to give ear to the needs of the people. Before the camera, he looks solid gold, but behind the scene, it was a phony counseling session.

Verse 16: "When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king: 'What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel. Now look after your own house, David.' So all Israel departed to their tents." Now at the period at the end of verse 16, a drastic civil war broke out.

Suddenly a nation that has been unified for over a century begins to experience the terrible plight of a civil war. Now this is where we become confused in the reading of the Bible in Kings and Chronicles. Listen carefully. At this juncture, Jeroboam with 10 of the 12 tribes moves north. He establishes his own kingdom and with the 10 tribes surrounding him, he establishes what is called the Kingdom of Israel or Ephraim.

In the book of Kings and Chronicles, the two books of each, you will run across the name Israel and Ephraim. When you do, remember that's the northern kingdom. Rehoboam stayed in the south and the two remaining tribes were Benjamin and Judah and he surrounded himself with them. His capital was in Jerusalem. Jeroboam's capital was in Samaria.

So there were two distinct nations. Right now they split. Rehoboam is in the south. Jeroboam is in the north. And the passage tells us in verse 19, "So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David," that's Judah, "to this day." At the time I'm writing this chronicle, at the time I'm putting it together, understand we are undergoing civil war.

Because Rehoboam in his phony counseling experience refused to listen to the people. But it doesn't stop there. He's still playing games with this phony front. Look at verse 1: "Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin." Remember, those are the two tribes. He put together an army, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors to fight against Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.

Now you understand what that means. He made plans to fight against Israel, that is, the northern kingdom. He in the south was planning an assault upon Samaria and the kingdom to the north. But verse 2, that's always an ominous word in the scriptures. "But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God, and he said this: 'Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the king of Judah, and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin saying, thus says the Lord: You shall not go up or fight against your relatives. Return every man to his house, for this thing is from me.'"

Now that's not hard to understand. God said, "Don't fight. Don't plan this assault. Don't train your soldiers. Go back home. This is precisely what I predicted would happen. The sword has come as I told David it would, it would never depart from his house. And I told Solomon it would split. This is exactly as I planned it. Go home. Don't fight."

Now on the surface, it looked like they obeyed. "So they listened to the words of the Lord and returned from going against Jeroboam." But notice Rehoboam behind the scenes, away from the camera, verse 5: "He lived in Jerusalem and he built cities for defense in Judah." Did he go home and relax and trust God? Not on your life.

He instantly made plans for war. And if I count correctly, there are 15 cities: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 cities which he fortified in Judah and Benjamin, verses 6 through 10. "So he strengthened the forces. He put officers in them and stores of food and oil and wine. And he put shields and spears in every city and strengthened them greatly, so he held Judah and Benjamin."

We're not going to leave this country in the hand of God, it's going to be in my hand. He appeared to be cooperative on the surface, but that was a cover-up. Behind the scenes, he amassed great plans for defense. He put it into operation by turning these normally peaceful cities into the fortified cities of the land.

World War II I was too young to fight in service. I was raised down in Houston near Galveston, and I recall when they began to fortify the island of Galveston. Maybe you were in the states during the time of the Second World War and you remember fortifications that began to move in. It's an uncomfortable feeling. I don't know if you felt it, but I was as a lad uncomfortable, insecure, seeing these huge concrete bunkers being poured and built and established.

And before long, the beaches of Galveston were off limits. And by and by, sections of the island were removed from the public. And it became evident that if this war continues, there may very well be an assault right into the Gulf of Mexico. It was an uncomfortable feeling as we prepared our defenses. I think perhaps this might have been the feeling of the people of the Jews.

God said, "Go home." Rehoboam didn't go home. On the surface, it looked like he listened to God, but behind the scenes, he was taking things in his own hands. And that's the second thing we notice about Rehoboam. On the surface, it looked genuine, but behind the camera where no one else could see, that is, not in the sense that Rehoboam saw it, he was making his own plans.

Now beginning at verse 18 of this same chapter, we have sort of a domestic insight into this reckless man. You'll notice that we just read he put spears and shields and oil and abundance of food. It was sort of an reckless, extravagant display of power was Rehoboam's lifestyle. Now look at verse 18: "Rehoboam took as a wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse, and she bore sons to him." And I can't pronounce her names.

Verse 20: "And after he took Maacah the daughter of Absalom and she bore him," and there they are. Verse 21: "Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines. He had taken 18 wives and 60 concubines. He had fathered 28 sons and 60 daughters." Friend, you got your hands full when you've got a house like that.

Who does it sound like? Sure, he learned it from his dad. All the way through these biographical sketches in the Old Testament, you're going to see that over and over and over again. Like produces like. Unfaithfulness produces unfaithfulness. A wandering eye produces children with wandering eyes. I know that God is able to restore the years the locusts have eaten, but it's a shame the locusts have to eat any years. But they do.

And here is a man just like his dad who turns his life into an extravaganza display of sensuality. Not satisfied with one wife, he appoints a number of them as concubines and then he father sons and daughters he could never even begin to train. Verse 22: "He appointed Abijah the son of Maacah as head and leader among his brothers." He intended to make him king.

He has plans. He's setting out an arrangement here. He acted wisely, distributed some of his sons through all the territories of Judah and Benjamin, to all the fortified cities. He gave them food in abundance and he sought many wives for them. Good night, he's not satisfied to have a number for himself, he's out getting wives for his kids. Look at the recklessness, the extravagance of Rehoboam's display of strength and power.

Bill Meyer: We're beginning to witness the demise of Rehoboam over time, as this dramatic story unfolds. Keep listening because there's much more to learn from this man's life. This is Insight for Living with our Bible teacher, Chuck Swindoll. It's the 10th in a special biographical collection of studies. Chuck titled today's message, Rehoboam: The Reckless Phony.

There's 14 messages in this popular series in which Chuck describes the Bible's often overlooked characters. Their complex stories, both inspiring and cautionary, have an enormous impact even to this day. Who would imagine, for instance, that Rehoboam would start out strong but eventually allow circumstances to tarnish his legacy?

To fully engage with this series of biographical sketches, Insight for Living has a resource that lets you linger over each Bible character at your own pace. It's a spiral-bound Bible study workbook that includes a process that engages you and leaves room for making your notes and observations. Look for the Searching the Scriptures workbook for our study on Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives at insight.org/offer.

We're also excited to introduce something brand new. It's called Guided by Grace, a beautifully designed magazine created just for you. Each colorful issue celebrates characteristics that define authentic Christian living: joy, leadership, generosity, and authenticity. You'll find inspiring messages from Chuck, stories of God's transforming work around the world from Insight for Living pastors, plus devotionals to deepen your walk with the Lord.

It's all designed to encourage you right where you are in your spiritual journey. Best of all, it's completely free. No cost, no obligation. To receive this quarterly newsletter from Insight for Living called Guided by Grace, call us at 800-772-8888 or visit insight.org/guidedbygrace to request your free one-year subscription.

Let Guided by Grace become a trusted companion in your walk with God when you visit insight.org/guidedbygrace. I'm Bill Meyer. Join us when Chuck Swindoll exposes the destruction caused by hypocrisy, Tuesday on Insight for Living.

Guest (Male): The preceding message, Rehoboam: The Reckless Phony, was copyrighted in 1973, 1982, 1986, 1991, 2004, 2006, 2012, and 2024 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2024 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.