2 Crônicas 11
Matthew Henry · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Crônicas 11
Henry: Where should God’s priests and Levites be, but where his altar was? Thither they came because it was their business to attend at the times appointed. 1.) It was a mercy to them that they had a place of refuge to flee to, and that when Jeroboam cast them off there were those so near that would entertain them, and bid them welcome, and they were not forced into the lands of the heathen. (2.) It was an evidence that they loved their work better than their maintenance, in that they left their suburbs and possessions in the country (where they might have lived at ease upon their own), because they were restrained from serving God there, and cast themselves upon God’s providence and the charity of their brethren in coming to a place where they might have the free enjoyment of God’s ordinances, according to his institution. Poverty in the way of duty is to be chosen rather than plenty in the way of sin. Better live upon alms, or die in a prison, with a good conscience, than roll in wealth and pleasure with a prostituted one. (3.) It was the wisdom and praise of Rehoboam and his people that they bade them welcome, though they crowded themselves perhaps to make room for them. Conscientious refugees will bring a blessing along with them to the countries that entertain them, as they leave a curse behind them with those that expel them. Open the gates, that the righteous nation, which keepeth truth, may enter in; it will be good policy. See Isa. 26:1, 2. Ron Daniel - 11:13-17 The Priesthood Divided Jeroboam was not a godly leader. He was worried that people would leave his team and join the other team. 1 Kings tells us, 1 Kings 12:26-27 Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." The Jews had a mandate from God to worship at the place He'd established His name. This was Jerusalem. Jeroboam was afraid that if he let the people go to Jerusalem, they would want to stay there. He had to find a way to prevent them from leaving his territory. 1 Kings 12:28-31 So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt." He set one in Bayth-ALE, and the other he put in Dan. Every time I read this, I can't help but think of those pastors who are so territorial and afraid of losing their people to another church, that they will do anything and everything to keep the people in their church from going anywhere else. I ran into a person at a function the other night who expressed regret to me that her pastor had forbidden her from attending our Thursday night studies. Others have told me that their pastors won't let the teens in the church attend any other church's youth group. All they're doing is building golden calves to keep the people penned in, and it's a sin. This became a sin to the people of Israel in the north: 1 Kings 12:30-31 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. As a result, we read here in 2 Chronicles that the priests and Levites who were faithful to the Lord moved down south to Judah and Jerusalem. The rest of the people who were faithful also followed their example, and moved south as well. By the way, this is the answer to those who claim that there are "lost tribes of Israel." When the Assyrians came in and attacked the Northern Kingdom, the people were killed, others were carried away and died in captivity. God said through Amos regarding the Assyrian Captivity, Amos 9:4 "And though they go into captivity before their enemies, from there I will command the sword that it slay them, and I will set My eyes against them for evil and not for good." Those who stayed in the north would eventually die. God's preservation of the twelve tribes of Israel would be through those who moved south during the days of Jeroboam's apostasy. 2 Chronicles 11:14 For the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the LORD. suburbs: Nu 35:2-5 Jos 21:20-42 1Ch 6:66-81 their possession: Lev 27:30-34 Nu 18:21-28 Jeroboam: 2Ch 13:9 1Ki 12:28-33 13:33 ANOTHER FALLOUT FROM JEROBOAM'S APOSTASY For - Term of explanation. This explains the preceding phrase "priests and the Levites....stood with" Rehoboam. So right at the inception of Jeroboam's reign over the 10 Northern Tribes, we see a major spiritual loss with the religious leaders exiting his realm and returning to Judah and Jerusalem. The Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem - The religious leaders "counted the cost" and considered it was worth it to lose their pasture and property. The faithful Levites left Israel (10 Northern Tribes) and moved to Judah, where they continued serving in the temple in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 11:16). The upshot is that Judah was spiritually strengthened because the Levites and others remained faithful to God. For - Another Term of explanation. This explains why they were willing to count the cost. Admittedly they seem not to have had much choice. Jeroboam and his sons had excluded (prohibited - NET, refused to let-HCSB, rejected-NIV, cast out-ESV) them from serving as priests to the LORD - Jeroboam essentially "fired" them from their God ordained roles of servitude to Yahweh! This amounts effectively to another "slap in the face" to the Most High God and His Laws! David Guzik makes an excellent point about the northern kingdom - Spiritually speaking, Israel was struck twice—by the ungodly religion of Jeroboam and by the departure of the godly and faithful. There were few godly people left in the northern kingdom. Roger Knapp - Viewed even as a stroke of policy, this ejection of the Lord’s priests and Levites was a blunder. They went over in a body, almost, to Jeroboam’s rival, and thereby ‘strengthened the kingdom of Judah.’ ” (See The Kings of Judah and Israel) Payne explains the sons this way “The expression ‘Jeroboam and his sons,’ i.e., his successors, indicates that migrations by the faithful to Judah was a process that continued down through the years.” (See The Expositor's Bible Commentary - Abridged Edition- Page 50) G Campbell
2 Crônicas 11
Henry: Jeroboam cast them off, that is, he set up such a way of worship as he knew they could not in conscience comply with, which obliged them to withdraw from his altar, and at the same time he would not allow them to go up to Jerusalem to worship at the altar there; so that he totally cast them off from executing the priest’s office, 2 Chron. 11:14. And very willing he was that they should turn themselves out of their places, that room might be made for those mean and scandalous persons whom he ordained priests for the high places, 2 Chron. 11:15. Compare 1 Kgs. 12:31. No marvel if he that cast off God cast off his ministers; they were not for his purpose, would not do whatever he might bid them do, would not serve his gods, nor worship the golden image which he had set up. High places (01116) bamah Six activities seem to be related to high places -- burning of incense, sacrificing, eating of sacrificial meals, praying, prostitution, child sacrifice (cf. bama in the valley, Je 7:31). The first use in Lev 26:30 is God's declaration to Israel "I will destroy your high places." In Dt 32:13 speaking of Jacob (Israel) He declared "He made him ride on the high places of the earth," so clearly some uses of bamah are not negative. In a similar use God says Israel "you will tread upon their (Israel's enemies') high places." Another positive use is Psalm 18:33 where David declared Jehovah "makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me upon my high places." (cp Hab 3:19 - NET Note = David "compares his agility in battle to the ability of a deer to negotiate rugged, high terrain without falling or being injured.", cp Isa 58:14) We see he effect of Israel's high places on Jehovah in Ps 78:58 = "For they provoked Him with their high places and aroused His jealousy with their graven images." A sad phrase that is repeated again and again (speaking of Israel) is "the high places were not taken away" (1Ki 15:14, 2Chr 15:17 = King Asa but notice he did remove some of them - 2Chr 14:3, 5, 1Ki 22:43, 2Chr 20:33 = King Jehoshaphat, 2Ki 12:3 = King Jehoash, 2Ki 14:4 = King Amaziah, 2Ki 15:4 = King Azariah, 2Ki 15:35 = King Jotham son of Uzziah and look what his son did in 2Ki 16:1-4!, 2Chr 20:33). In many of these passages the context was of a king doing "spiritual house cleaning" so to speak and yet still failing to remove the high places. Isn't sin that way? We confess one or two sins but we have a little pet sin (better a "venomous viper") that we just don't have the heart to kill! God grant us spiritual eyes and hearts to learn from Israel's mistakes. Amen! Some kings like Hezekiah (1Ki 18:4, 2Chr 31:1, Isa 36:7) and Josiah (2Ki 23:4,8, 13, 15, 19-20, 2Chr 34:3 cp prophecy about Josiah 300 years earlier = 1Ki 13:2) did destroy the high places, but in Hezekiah's case his own son Manasseh rebuilt them (2Ki 21:1-2, 3, 2Chr 33:3) and in Josiah's case the people rebuilt them! We see the spiritual effect of high places on the people when King Jehoram (2Chr 21:5-10) "made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot and led Judah astray." (2Chr 21:11) One of the most incredible (and saddest) verses in the OT (in my opinion) is "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." (1Ki 11:7, cp 1Ki 3:3 = Solomon had "half a heart" for God!) This was too much for Jehovah and He declared that the 12 tribes would be split as a result of Solomon's sin! Sin is costly. You may think you are getting away with it, but you are not! You may think you are the wisest man in the world (like Solomon) but you are really the most foolish (as Solomon was)! There was one high place that was not idolatrous (at least not at the outset) - "Then Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place which was at Gibeon; for God's tent of meeting was there, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness." (2Chr 1:3, cp 1Chr 16:39-40, 21:29). GOTQUESTIONS.ORG - Satyrs In Isaiah 13:21 and Isa 34:14, the KJV and RSV translate the Hebrew sa`iyr as “satyr.” The Hebrew word is translated 55 times in the KJV as “he-goat” or “hairy.” However, the word was also thought to imply demon-worship associated with goats, and so we find the word translated “devil” twice and “satyr” in the aforementioned verses. However, based on the context of each passage in Isaiah, it is almost certain that wild goats are intended by the Hebrew sa`iyr, not the goat-man creature of legend, and certainly not the faun of classical myth. SATYR [ISBE] - sat'-er, sa'-ter (sa`ir, literally "he-goat"; sa`ir, "hairy" (Gen 27:11, of Esau), and Arabic sha'r, "hair"; plural se`irim): For se`irim in Lev 17:7 and 2 Ch 11:15, the King James Version has "devils," the Revised Version (British and American) "he-goats," the English Revised Version margin "satyrs," the Septuagint has tois mataiois, "vain things." For se`irim in Isa 13:21, the King James Version and the English Revised Version have "satyrs," the English Revised Version margin "he-goats," the American Standard Revised Version "wild goats," Septuagint daimonia, "demons." For sa`ir in Isa 34:14, the King James Version and the English Revised Version have "satyr," the English Revised Version margin "he-goat," the American Standard Revised Version "wild goat." Septuagint has heteros pros ton heteron, "one to another," referring to daimonia, which here stands for ciyim, "wild beasts of the desert." The text of the American Standard Revised Version in these passages is as follows: Lev 17:7, "And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the he-goats, after which they play the harlot"; 2 Ch 11:15, "And he (Jeroboam) appointed him priests for the high places, and for the he-goats, and for the calves which he had made"; Isa 13:21 f (of Babylon), "But wild beasts of the desert (tsiyim) shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures ('ochim); and ostriches (benoth ya`anah) shall dwell there, and wild goats (se`irim) shall dance there And wolves ('iyim) shall cry in their castles, and jackals (tannim) in the pleasant palaces"; Isa 34:11,13,14,15 (of Edom), "But the pelican (qa'ath) and the porcupine (kippodh) shall possess it; and the owl (yanshoph) and the raven (`orebh) shall dwell therein: .... and it shall be a habitation of jackals (tannim), a court for ostriches (benoth ya`anah). And the wild beasts of the desert (tsiyim) shall meet with the wolves ('iyim), and the wild goat (sa`ir) shall cry to his fellow; yea, the night monster (lilith) shall settle there ..... There shall the dart-snake (qippoz) make her nest .... there shall the kites (dayyoth) be gathered, every one with her mate." The question is whether sa`ir and se`irim in these passages stand for real or for fabulous animals. In Lev 17:7 and 2 Ch 11:15, it is clear that they are objects of worship, but that still leaves open the question of their nature, though it may to many minds make "devils" or "demons" or "satyrs" seem preferable to "he-goats." In Isa 13:20 we read, "neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there." This may very likely have influenced the American Committee of Revisers to use "wild goat" in Isa 13:21 and 34:14 instead of the "he-goat" of the other passages. In the American Standard Revised Version, no fabulous creatures (except perhaps "night-monster") are mentioned here, but the Septuagint employs daimonia, "demons" in Isa 13:21 for se`irim and in 34:14 for tsiyim; onokentauroi, from "centaur," in Isa 13:22 and 34:14 for 'iyim, and again in 34:14 for lilith; seirenes, "sirens," in Isa 13:21 for benoth ya`anah, and in 34:13 for tannim. We must bear in mind the uncertainty regarding the identity of tsiyim, 'iyim, 'ochim and tannim, as well as of some of the other names, and we must recall the tales that are hung about the name lilith (the King James Version "screech owl," the King James Version margin and the Revised Version (British and American) "night-monster," the Revised Version margin "Lilith"). While sa`ir is almost alone among these words in having ordinarily a well-understood meaning, i.e. "he-goat," there is good reason for considering that here it is used in an exceptional sense. The translation "satyr" has certainly much to be said for it. Alfred Ely Day SATYR In Greek and Roman mythology, satyrs were sylvan gods associated with drunkenness and sexual licentiousness and characterized by a mixture of human and goatlike (or equine) features. Following the LXX and the Vulgate, some older English translations of the Bible rendered the noun sa’ir (“he-goat”) as “satyr” or “demon.” In several cases, the context suggests the translation “goat,” without connotations of the mythological entity (Isa. 13:21; 34:14). In two cases, the context does involve the worship of false deities (Lev. 17:7; 2 Chron. 11:15; and, with a minor textual emendation, possibly 2 Kings 23:8). In such cases, the translation “goat-idol” may be an appropriate way of avoiding the anachronism introduced by using the Greek-derived terms “satyr” and “demon” in the translation of the Hebrew text. (BORROW The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary) Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (BORROW) - SATYRS שׂעירים I. The word śĕʿîrîm, the plural of śăʿîr ‘hairy’ (Gen 27:11 and often), i.e. ‘(hairy) he-goat’ (over 50 examples, in addition to its synonyms ʿattûd ‘he-goat’, ṣāpîr and tayiš), describes a group of creatures which are usually identified as ‘hairy demons, satyrs’ (Lev 17:7; Isa 13:21; 34:14; 2 Chr 11:15; HALAT 1250; for older translations see SNAITH 1975). The conjectured reading śĕʿîrîm for MT šĕʿārîm ‘gates’ in 2 Kgs 23:8 is old (BHS), but is to be rejected on the basis of current knowledge (SCHROER 1987: 133 with n. 292). On śĕʿîrîm in Deut 32:2 (‘May my discourse come down as the rain, My speech distil as the dew, Like showers [śeʿîrîm] on young growth, Like droplets on the grass.’) see HALAT 1250–1251, s.v. śāʿîr IV and M. DIETRICH & O. LORETZ, UF 21 (1989) 113–121, esp. 116–117. II. KEEL’s opinion that we do not know enough about →demons in the Syro-Palestinian region (1984) is to be reevaluated on the basis of more recent examinations. Nonetheless we do not possess clear iconographic witnesses to flesh out our conceptions of demonic ‘desert beings’, as the śĕʿîrîm must have been. The engraved scene on a Late Bronze Age ivory plaque from Megiddo (G. LOUD, The Megiddo Ivories, [OIP 52; Chicago 1939] Pl. 5:4.5), which has been discussed in this context (KEEL 1984:73 fig. 97), could hardly represent such a being (→Azazel). It belongs rather to the group of scenes of fighting animals, as they are known from Mesopotamia in Middle Assyrian glyptic art: a (male) sphinx in battle against a capride/bovide which he overcomes. III. According to 2 Chr 11:15 a special cult was established for the śĕʿîrîm of Jeroboam I (‘having appointed his own priests for the shrines, goat-demons [śeʿîrîm], and calves which he [Jeroboam] had made’), although their veneration had been expressly forbidden according to Lev 17:7: ‘and that they [the Israelites] may offer their sacrifices no more to the goat-demons [śĕʿîrîm] after whom they stray’. In this case the demonic intermediate creatures are employed in an ex post facto critique of the worship of foreign deities. It is possible that behind 2 Chr 11:15 are pictorial representations of śĕʿîrîm. W. R. Smith, J. Wellhausen and others have compared the śĕʿîrîm with Arabic ǧinn (hairy demons in animal form, who can transform themselves into various shapes, including human form). On the other hand SNAITH considered the śĕʿîrîm of Lev 17:7; Deut 32:2 [sic!] and 2 Chr 11:15 storm demons (‘the rain-gods, the fertility deities, the →Baals of the rain-storms’ [1975:118]), while those of Isa 13:21 and 34:14 were simply animals (‘he-goats’) without any religious connotation (1975:115). Although this theory is not convincing in light of the inclusion of Deut 32:2, it is still difficult to say what manner of being the śĕʿîrîm were. The following considerations are to be included in determining their function: The appearance of the śĕʿîrîm is nowhere described. Yet the image of a hairy (cf. śāʿîr ‘hairy’), goat-like (cf. śāʿîr ‘he-goat’) creature is probably not far off the mark; the śĕʿîrîm appear in uninhabited and devastated surroundings (Isa 13:19–22; 34:9–15; cf. Lev 17:5 ‘in the open’), which they haunt; they appear in the company of other sinister creatures (Isa 13:21–22: ṣiyyîm, ʾōḥîm [owls, hyenas or demons?], bĕnôt yaʿănâ [ostriches], *ʾiyyîm, tannîm [jackals, wolves?]; 34:13–15: tannîm, bĕnôt yaʿānâ, *ṣiyyîm, *ʾiyyîm, →Lilith [cf. Akkadian lilı̄tu], qippôz [a type of bird?], dayyôt [vultures?]), with whom they ‘meet’ (Isa 34:14); there they hold a (hopping/stamping) dance (rāqad pi. Isa 13:21, M. J. MULDER, TWAT 7 [1992] 665–668, esp. 666–667); finally for their negative connotation it is significant that the śĕʿîrîm appear in oracles of doom against Babylon (Isa 13:19–22) and Edom (Isa 34:9–15). Thus the enigmatic śĕʿîrîm could have been beings of mixed form (he-goat/demon), who according to Isa 13:21; 34:14 inhabitated and symbolized an inhospitable world of derelict habitations. They were—illicitly—venerated (Lev 17:7; 2 Chr 11:15). The prohibition to worship the śĕʿîrîm is an expression of post-exilic polemic against foreign gods. Various factors, including the development of the Jewish religion and Persian and Egyptian influences, led to pronounced but variant demonic conceptions in early Judaism (RAC 9 [1976] 627–631, 636). Belief in demons is widely attested not only in the Midrashim, but especially in the Babylonian Talmud (names and taxonomy in RAC 9 [1976] 669–674, 679–680). As dwelling places they preferred devastated areas, graveyards, ruins and the like, but also trees such as the palm. They surround human beings in vast numbers, attack them at night and steal whatever is not fastened or sealed. In regard to the śĕʿîrîm, SifreLev 17:7 gives the following definition: ‘śĕʿîrîm ‘the goat-like ones’ (Lev 17:7) means nothing other than demons šdym, as it is written: And śʿyrym (= demons) shall dance there (Isa 13:21).’ In a comparable way the Targums translate śʿyrym in Lev 17:7; Isa 13:21; 34:14 (śʿyr); 2 Chr 11:15 as šdym ‘demons’, cf. also GenR 65:10; LevR 22:5; b. Ber. 62b; b. BabBat. 25a; etc. (RAC 9 [1976] 670). IV. Bibliography C. FREVEL, *תַּן, TWAT 8 (1995) 701–709; M. GÖRG, Dämonen, Neues Bibellexikon 1 (1991) 375–377; B. JANOWSKI & U. NEUMANN-GORSOLKE, Das Tier als Exponent dämonischer Mächte, Gefährten und Feinde des Menschen. Das Tier in der Lebenswelt des alten Israel (ed. B. Janowski et al.; Neukirchen-Vluyn 1993) 278–282 [& lit.]; O. KEEL, Die Welt der altorientalischen Bildsymbolik und das Alte Testament. Am Beispiel der Psalmen (Zürich, Einsiedeln, Köln & Neukirchen-Vluyn 41984) 68–74; J. C. DE MOOR, Demons in Canaan, JEOL 27 (1981–1982) 106–119; *S. SCHROER, In Israel gab es Bilder. Nachrichten von darstellender Kunst im Alten Testament (OBO 74; Fribourg & Göttingen 1987) 133–135; N. H. SNAITH, The Meaning of שְׂעִירִים, VT 25 (1975) 115–118; T. STAUBLI, Das Image der Nomaden im alten Israel und in der Ikonographie seiner seßhaften Nachbarn (OBO 107; Fribourg [CH] & Göttingen 1991) 177–179, 259–268; G. STEMBERGER, Dämonen III, TRE 8 (1981) 277–279; *G. WANKE, Dämonen II, TRE 8 (1991) 275–277 [& lit.]; H. WILDBERGER, Jesaja 13–27 (BKAT X/2; 1978) 523–524; H. WOHLSTEIN, Zur Tier-Dämonologie der Bibel, ZDMG 113 (1963) 483–492, esp. 487–489; D. P. WRIGHT, The Disposal of Impurity: Elimination Rites in the Bible and in Hittite and Mesopotamian Literature (SBLDS 101; Atlanta 1987) 22–23, 27–28. B. JANOWSKI QUESTION - What is the significance of high places in the Bible? ANSWER - High places, very simply, were places of worship on elevated pieces of ground. High places were originally dedicated to idol worship (Numbers 33:52; Leviticus 26:30), especially among the Moabites (Isaiah 16:12). These shrines often included an altar and a sacred object such as a stone pillar or wooden pole in various shapes identified with the object of worship (animals, constellations, goddesses, and fertility deities). It seems that, at times, high places were set up in a spot that had been artificially elevated; 2 Kings 16:4 seems to differentiate the “high places” from the “hills.” The Israelites, forever turning away from God, practiced Molech worship and built high places for Baal (Jeremiah 32:35). Although Solomon built the temple of God in Jerusalem, he later established idolatrous high places for his foreign wives outside of Jerusalem and worshiped with them, causing him the loss of the kingdom (1 Kings 11:11). The people were still sacrificing at the pagan high places before the temple was built, and Solomon joined them. After the Lord appeared to him in a dream at Gibeon, the king returned to Jerusalem and sacrificed offerings; however, he continued to waver between the two places of worship. Not all high places were dedicated to idol worship. They played a major role in Israelite worship, and the earliest biblical mention of a site of worship, later called a “high place,” is found in Genesis 12:6–8 where Abram built altars to the Lord at Shechem and Hebron. Abraham built an altar in the region of Moriah and was willing to sacrifice his son there (Genesis 22:1–2). This site is traditionally believed to be the same high place where the temple of Jerusalem was built. Jacob set up a stone pillar to the Lord at Bethel (Genesis 28:18–19), and Moses met God on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:1–3). Joshua set up stone pillars after crossing the Jordan (Joshua 4:20) and considered this a high place of worship because the Israelites “came up from” the Jordan onto higher ground. The high places were visited regularly by the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 7:16). High places as sites of Canaanite idol worship (Judges 3:19) extended into the period of Elijah (1 Kings 18:16–40). God would name only one high place where sacrifice was authorized, and that was the temple in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 3:1). God commanded that all other high places be destroyed. King Josiah destroyed them in 2 Kings 22—23.GotQuestions.org 2 Chronicles 11:16 Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers. And after: 2Ch 15:9 30:11,18,19 Jos 22:19 Ps 84:5-7 set their hearts on seeking the LORD God of Israel: Ex 9:21 *marg: De 32:46 1Sa 7:3,4 1Ch 22:19 Job 34:14 Ps 62:10 108:1 Da 6:14 Ho 4:8 Hag 1:5 *marg: Ac 11:23 to sacrifice to the LORD God De 12:5,6,11,13,14 1Ch 16:29 22:1 JEROBOAM'S LOSS OF TRUE WORSHIPPERS OF YAHWEH Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers - NLT- "From all over Israel, those who sincerely wanted to worship the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem, where they could offer sacrifices to the LORD, the God of their ancestors." So not only did Jeroboam lose the religious leaders (priests and Levites), he also lost the godly men and women who were scattered among the 10 Northern Tribes. These men and women were willing to "count the cost" of uprooting and leaving earthly property in order to worship the living God. This departure of godliness from the northern tribes reminds me of Proverbs 29:18+ which says "Where there is no vision (divine revelation) (NLT - when people do not accept divine guidance) the people are unrestrained (undisciplined, out of control and run wild), But happy (BETTER = "blessed") is he who keeps the law." One also thinks of Proverbs 14:34 "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people." In effect, the northern kingdom was doomed from its inception because of manifold missteps by Jeroboam! Geoffrey Kirkland: In Chronicles, to seek God marries 3 elements together: 1. Earnestness (with your passion/desiring/hungry/passionate) 2. Constancy (at all times) 3. Genuinely (from the heart) Andrew Hill: The phrase “the God of their fathers” (2Ch 11:16) is suggestive, almost an implicit censure of Jeroboam’s gods because they have no standing in Israel’s history. The influx of loyal priests and Levites and faithful Israelites from the northern tribal districts strengthens Rehoboam’s rule and bolsters morale in Judah (2Ch 11:17a). (SEE 1 and 2 Chronicles - Page 4) C H