2 Chronicles 11:13-17--Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem

2 Chronicles 11:13-17
English Standard Version
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Priests and Levites Come to Jerusalem
13 And the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all places where they lived. 14 For the Levites left their common lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons cast them out from serving as priests of the LORD, 15 and he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the calves that he had made. 16 And those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers. 17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.

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The test today answers an important question for us.  We know that that there were 10 tribes that went north with Jeroboam, and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin stayed near Jerusalem in Judah with Rehoboam, but what about the Levites and the priests specifically?  They were dispersed in towns that had been assigned to them and many of those cities where in the northern and eastern areas of what was Israel that were no in rebellion against the LORD.  Would they stay in their town and the cities of refuge, or would they flee to the southern kingdom of Judah so that they could stay close to the LORD and His Temple?

The text tells us clearly that all the Levites and priests came to Jerusalem to present themselves before the king and the Levites left their lands in the areas controlled by the Ten Tribes.  They lived among the Levites that lived in the territories of Judah and Benjamin and Jeroboam ordered them not to serve as priests of the LORD in the northern kingdom (for he wanted his own priests loyal to him that would do what he said, and he would institute idolatry that the Levites and priests would not go along with).

There were faithful people from all of the Twelve Tribes that followed the Levites and priests to Jerusalem because they wanted to worship the LORD, the God of their fathers.  They knew they could not stay in the North or the East under the rule of King Jeroboam.  So, Rehoboam welcomed all God-fearing Israelites and made room for them within his territory and offered them protection.  We see that Rehoboam walked in the ways of David and Solomon (which is supposed to indicate that he was a good king, at least for three years).  When we read of his family next time, we'll see that the apple didn't fall too far from the tree with the number of wives that Rehoboam took for himself.