2Chronicles
10-12
Sunday Evening Bible Study
Introduction
We’ve now gone through the reigns of King David and his son Solomon. Now it’s time for the next generation to step up.
2Chronicles 10
:1-11 Rehoboam listens to bad advice
:1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem
Rehoboam – R@chab‘am – “a people has enlarged”
Odd fact: Solomon had 700 wives
and 300 concubines. We are told of two of his daughters (1Ki. 4:11 , 15). Yet we are only told the name of
one son, Rehoboam.
Shechem – Sh@kem – “back” or “shoulder”. A city about 30 miles north of Jerusalem
It was one of the “Cities of Refuge” (Josh. 20:7). It had been the city from which Gideon’s son, Abimelech, tried to become king (Judg. 9).
It would be the place where the Samaritans would worship God in their
twisted form of Judaism, with their own temple in Shechem, on Mount
Gerizim
It was also called “Sychar” in the New Testament (John 4:5), where Jesus met the woman at the well.
This is the modern city of Nablus Israel Israel
Though Jerusalem
:2 Jeroboam returned out of Egypt
Jeroboam was the industrious young man that Solomon had raised up as a leader.
Jeroboam was from the tribe of Ephraim, the dominant tribe of the northern ten tribes.
When Solomon turned away from the Lord and began to worship other gods, the
prophet Ahijah came to Jeroboam and hold him that God
was going to divide the kingdom of Israel Egypt
:3 So Jeroboam and all Israel
Jeroboam seems to be popular among the people, and it seems that they ask him to be their spokesman.
:4 Thy father made our yoke grievous
Solomon had been hard on the people.
:5 Come again unto me after three days
Lesson
Take time to decide
It’s not a bad thing to take time to make important decisions.
:6 And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men
Lesson
Listen to the gray heads
These were the guys who cut their teeth on decision making while working for Solomon.
These are the guys that the Queen of Sheba spoke of when she said,
(2 Chr 9:7 KJV) Happy are thy men, and
happy are these thy servants, which stand continually
before thee, and hear thy wisdom.
Older folks aren’t perfect, but they are a HUGE resource we ought to learn
to take advantage of.
:7 If thou be kind to this people…
Good advice.
Perhaps this doesn’t quite stroke the ego of Rehoboam. He wants to establish his authority. He wants people to see that he can stand on his own two feet as a ruler.
Yet part of me wonders if the people would have still rebelled, no matter what Rehoboam did.
:8 forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men
young men – Rehoboam was about forty years old at this time, that’s probably how old these “counselors” are as well.
Perhaps I’m making too much of this, but it seems that Rehoboam “forsook” the counsel of the old men before he even heard what the young men had to say. In both the Kings and the Chronicles accounts, it says that he “forsook” the older men’s advice before he even found out what the alternative was.
Lesson
Listen to all sides before deciding
I know that sometimes people come to me for advice, but I can tell that they’ve already made up their mind.
They’re going to keep asking people for advice until they find someone who will tell them what they want to hear.
:10 My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
In other words, “You think my father was tough … you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
:11 I will chastise you with scorpions.
scorpions – some have suggested that these were whips with barbed points or bits of metal attached.
Lesson
Ask God’s advice
What’s wrong with this picture?
Rehoboam has asked counsel from the old men. He’s asked counsel of the young men.
Who has he forgotten?
He hasn’t asked counsel from the Lord.
That’s what his grandfather David was famous for, asking God for advice.
Seven times in 1&2 Samuel we read, “David inquired of the Lord”…
James writes,
(James 1:5 NLT) If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God
wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your
asking.
:12-19 The kingdom splits
:13 And the king answered them roughly
roughly – qasheh – hard, cruel, severe, obstinate; difficult; fierce, intense, vehement; stubborn, stiff of neck, stiff-necked
Lesson
Say it nicely
Rehoboam’s dad wrote a book for him, the book of Proverbs. In this book, Solomon writes to his son,
(Prov 1:8 NLT) Listen, my child, to what
your father teaches you. Don't neglect your mother's teaching.
And in this book (Proverbs), Solomon wrote,
(Prov 15:1 NLT) A gentle answer turns
away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.
It doesn’t hurt to try and say things gently. It often keeps the argument at a level where things can be resolved.
Illustration
Tokyo , Japan
Sony has announced its own computer operating system now available on its hot new portable PC called the Vaio. Instead of producing the cryptic error messages characteristic of Microsoft’s Windows and DOS systems, Sony’s chairman Asai Tawara said, “We intend to capture the high ground by putting a human, Japanese face on what has been—until now—an operating system that reflects Western cultural hegemony. For example, we have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft error messages with our own Japanese haiku poetry.” The computer haiku messages are just as informative as Microsoft’s and they make you pause just long enough that you’re able to fight the impulse to put a fist through the screen. The chairman went on to give examples of Sony’s new error messages:
A file that big?
It might be very useful.
But now it is gone.
You seek a Web site.
It cannot be located.
Countless more exist.
Chaos reigns within.
Stop, reflect, and reboot.
Order shall return.
Yesterday it worked
Today it is not working
Windows is like that.
First snow, then silence.
This thousand dollar screen dies
So beautifully.
A crash reduces
Your expensive computer
To a simple stone.
You step in the stream
But the water has moved on.
Page not found.
Serious error.
All shortcuts have disappeared.
Screen. Mind.
Both are blank.
:15 for the cause was of God …
This doesn’t mean that Rehoboam can’t be blamed for doing something stupid. But his stupid decision did make it easier for the Lord to bring about the split of the kingdom, which was something God was going to do.
The reason for the split in the kingdom went beyond Rehoboam’s stupid decision. God was using Rehoboam’s mistake to bring about His promised judgment of Solomon’s sin.
(1 Ki 11:9-13 KJV) And the LORD was angry
with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel Jerusalem
God had warned Solomon about the things he had been dabbling in and had become consumed in. God warned him that He would be taking the kingdom away from the house of David, but because of God’s love for David (Solomon’s father), God would wait and take the kingdom away from Solomon’s son, not Solomon.
Later, God would speak to Jeroboam that he would be the one to rule over
ten of the twelve tribes (1Ki. 11:29 -37).
This would be a result of Solomon’s sin.
Lesson
We don’t always see the reasons at
first.
In a way, we could say that the civil war was a result of Rehoboam’s bad judgment.
Yet in reality, the division came as a result of Solomon’s sin.
:17 …the cities of Judah
Rehoboam’s kingdom now consists of two of the twelve tribes – Judah and Benjamin
:18 Rehoboam sent Hadoram …
Hadoram – or, “Adoniram”
This was the guy in charge of the forced labor.
(1 Ki 4:6 KJV) And Ahishar
was over the household: and Adoniram the son
of Abda was over the
tribute (forced labor)
This was the worst possible guy to send to the northern tribes. This was
the very guy who had made them tow a hard line during Solomon’s and David’s
reigns.
Rehoboam realizes he’s in trouble and he flees home.
:19 And Israel
The kingdom was divided. It would never be completely united again.
2Chronicles 11
:1-12 Don’t fight, build
:1 that he might bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam.
Rehoboam gathers a huge army to try and reunite the nation.
:4 Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren
God was behind the dividing of the nation. It had come about as a result of
Solomon’s turning away from the Lord and worshipping other gods (1Ki. 11:11 -13)
God didn’t want them fighting each other.
Lesson
A time to stop fighting
There are times when it is appropriate to fight against division.
It was appropriate for David to fight against Absalom and later against the
man named Sheba
But God says that in this instance, Rehoboam is to let it go.
:5 And Rehoboam dwelt in Jerusalem Judah
Rehoboam fortifies his positions to protect from both the possible attack
from Jeroboam in the north as well as possible attacks from Egypt
:6 He built even Bethlehem
See map
:7 And Bethzur …
See map
:8 And Gath
Gath
See map
:9 And Adoraim …
See map
:10 And Zorah … Hebron
See map
Hebron Judah
The cities of Benjamin would protect from an invasion from the north.
:12 made them exceeding strong,
Lesson
Unless the Lord builds the house
What Rehoboam is doing is a good thing.
It’s a good thing to be protected and build your defenses against attacks.
But as we’ll see in a little bit, unless God is a part of your defenses, your work is useless.
(Psa 127:1 KJV) A Song
of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in
vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
:13-17 Priests head south
:14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their
possession, and came to Judah Jerusalem
The priests and Levites weren’t concerned about Rehoboam’s insulting rhetoric.
He might not have been the sharpest tack on the board, but he did support the true worship of Yahweh.
These people were willing to give up their family farms and businesses to
move south to Judah
This isn’t because they made big bucks doing their ministry. If they were in it for the bucks only, they could have stayed up north with Jeroboam. Except that with Jeroboam they would have had to compromise with what the Scriptures taught.
The Scriptures taught that Israel
The Scriptures taught that when God finally decided on a place to call His
own, the people should worship there (Jerusalem
They moved south because they could not compromise.
Lesson
No compromise
It seems to me that it’s rare when people will make such radical changes because it’s the right thing.
Usually we make these kinds of decisions because our feelings are hurt or it affects our pocketbook.
The northern kingdom split because Rehoboam insulted them. They didn’t want to pay his taxes.
Yet these people left their homes and farms to move south because they wanted to worship God correctly.
:15 And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.
In Kings we are told that Jeroboam made priests of “the lowest of the people”:
(1 Ki 12:31 KJV) And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the
sons of Levi.
Josephus (Antiquities; 8:8:4) records Jeroboam making a speech to the people to convince them to not go to Jerusalem to worship but to worship at Dan and Bethel where he set up two golden calves.
Jeroboam said,
but let him that is desirous among you of being
a priest, bring to God a bullock and a ram, which they say Aaron the first
priest brought also.[1]
In other words, there doesn’t have to be a sense of God’s calling involved at all. As long as you have a bull and a ram, you can be a priest.
devils – sa‘iyr – hairy; he-goat, buck; as sacrificial
animal; satyr, may refer to a demon possessed goat like the swine of Gadara 8:30 -32). Goat-like demons were a popular idol of the
day. They were worshipped by pouring blood on them. God commanded Israel
the calves – these were the golden calves that Jeroboam set up in
Dan and Bethel Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem
Lesson
Called to ministry
The qualifications for a person being in ministry are a little different now. God’s qualifications are no longer based on whether or not you are a descendant of Aaron.
But God still wants to be the one who picks who is in ministry.
I think one of the most dangerous things that can happen in the church is when the wrong person gets into ministry. The work of God is harmed, not helped.
The work of God should only be done by people through whom God is working. When you see exciting things happening at church, don’t get confused and think it’s the people doing it, it’s the Lord. Being “effective” in ministry is not about learning to tell funny jokes or being super smart. It’s about learning to get out of the way and let God work.
How can a person know if God has called them to the ministry?
One of the evidences of God’s call is fruit.
After the rebellion of Korah, God asked each of the tribes to put a rod of wood next to the Ark of the Covenant. The tribe of Levi submitted Aaron’s rod. The next morning, all the rods were collected and something was different about Aaron’s rod.
(Num 17:8
KJV) And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of
witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and
brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
It had been a simple staff of wood, but after being in the
presence of the
I think an evidence of God’s call on your life is fruit (or, nuts if you like!).
:16 after them out of all the tribes of Israel
Lesson
Following a good example
The priests and the Levites weren’t the only ones that traveled south.
They set the pace for the others to follow.
Paul wrote,
(1 Cor 4:16 KJV) Wherefore I
beseech you, be ye followers of me.
(1 Cor 11:1 KJV) Be ye followers of me,
even as I also am of Christ.
(Phil 3:17 KJV) Brethren, be followers together of
me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
(1 Th 1:6-7 KJV) And ye became followers
of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy
of the Holy Ghost: {7} So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia
(2 Th 3:7-9 KJV) For yourselves know how
ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; {8}
Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but
wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable
to any of you: {9} Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an
ensample unto you to follow us.
Find good examples and follow them.
Realize that you are setting an example for others to follow.
:17 So they strengthened the kingdom
of Judah
Lesson
True worship makes you strong
People who choose not to live a life of compromise.
People who choose to live a good example and follow good examples.
These are the kinds of things that make us strong.
:18-23 Rehoboam’s family
:18 Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife
Jerimoth – we don’t know who this is and whether or not this is a son of King David or another David.
:18 Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse
Eliab was David’s oldest brother.
:20 And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom
Maachah the daughter of Absalom – Maachah was probably the
granddaughter of Absalom. Absalom was David’s son, the one who rebelled against
David. Absalom’s daughter, Tamar, married Uriel, and their daughter was Maachah
(2Sam. 14:27 ; 2Chr. 13:2)
It seemed that Rehoboam liked to marry within the family.
:21 for he took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines
Like his father Solomon, Rehoboam broke God’s law for kings:
(Deu 17:17 KJV) Neither shall he
multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not
away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
:22 And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief
Abijah – ‘Abiyah – “Yahweh is (my) father”
Abijah will replace Rehoboam. He is the son of the favorite wife.
:23 And he dealt wisely, and dispersed of all his children
He made his sons rulers over the various cities.
:23 And he desired many wives.
The idea here is probably of looking for wives for his sons.
2Chronicles 12
:1-12 Egypt
:1 And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself,
Lesson
Beware of strength
It seems that the
safest place to be is the weakest. It’s when we’re weak that we seek the Lord.
Josephus writes,
Now I cannot but think that the
greatness of a kingdom and its change into prosperity, often become the occasion
of mischief and of transgression to men; for when Rehoboam saw that his kingdom
was so much increased, he went out of the right way, unto unrighteous and
irreligious practices, and he despised the worship of God, till the people
themselves imitated his wicked actions;[2]
(1 Cor 10:12 KJV) Wherefore let him
that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
:1 he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel
The writer of Kings tells us how he “forsook the law”
(1 Ki 14:22-24 KJV) And Judah Israel
sodomites – qadesh – male temple prostitute
Last summer Jerusalem
:2 Shishak king of Egypt Jerusalem
Shishak – When Jeroboam first fled Israel Egypt Jerusalem
(1 Ki 11:40 KJV) Solomon sought
therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt Egypt Egypt
Shishak’s attack on Jerusalem temple
of Amon
This happens in Rehoboam’s fifth year.
:3 with him out of Egypt
Shishak has developed a “coalition” with several other nations. He has a huge army.
:4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained
to Judah Jerusalem
All of Rehoboam’s reinforced cities don’t stand up to Shishak’s invasion.
:5 Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.
God warns the nation that this has happened because of their sin.
:7 They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them
Lesson
God looks for true repentance.
We see one of the first examples of God honoring His promise to Solomon:
(2 Chr 7:14 KJV) If my people,
which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
:8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
(2 Chr 12:8 NLT) But they will become his
subjects, so that they can learn how much better it is to serve me than to
serve earthly rulers."
Lesson
Getting what you ask for – Choosing
whom to serve
Rehoboam had turned from following the Lord and had turned toward wicked things.
(1 Ki 14:22-24 KJV) And Judah Israel
Now God is both going to be merciful in allowing them not to be destroyed, but also allow Rehoboam a chance to see where his sin has led the nation – into slavery.
It’s better to serve the Lord than to serve sin.
:9 So Shishak king of Egypt
Josephus records,
So when Shishak
had taken the city without fighting, because Rehoboam was afraid, and received
him into it, yet did not Shishak stand to the
covenants he had made, but he spoiled the temple, and emptied the treasures of
God and those of the king, and carried off innumerable ten thousands of gold
and silver, and left nothing at all behind him. (259) He also took away the
bucklers of gold, and the shields, which Solomon the king had made; nay, he did
not leave the golden quivers which David had taken from the king of Zobah, and had dedicated to God; and when he had thus done,
he returned to his own kingdom. [3]
Rehoboam gave in without a fight.
Shishak helped himself to all the treasures of David and Solomon. They were all taken.
:10 Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass
These shields were kept in the House of the Forest
of Lebanon
Bronze shields can be made to look like gold shields. But they take a lot of work, a lot of elbow grease, a lot of polishing.
Things might look the same to most of the people, but they aren’t. Life is cheaper than it used to be.
:13-16 Rehoboam dies
:13 And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.
Lesson
Family influence
Some of Rehoboam’s problems can be traced to the fact that he was repeating some of the problems his father and mother had caused.
His father, a godly man, married his mother, who became part of Solomon’s problem:
(1 Ki 11:1-7 KJV) But king Solomon loved
many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the
Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; {2} Of the nations concerning
which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them,
neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart
after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. {3} And he had seven
hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned
away his heart. {4} For it came to pass, when
Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and
his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his
father. {5} For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the
goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
{6} And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after
the LORD, as did David his father. {7} Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the
abomination of Moab Jerusalem
Set a good example for your children.
12:14 Taking Aim
There are good kings and there are bad kings. As we work our way through the history in Chronicles, at some point each king gets a report card.
Rehoboam lacked the right direction in life. That’s the kind of thing that gets us into trouble. It will get Rehoboam into trouble.
Illustration
In his autobiography, Number 1,
Billy Martin told about hunting in Texas
When Mickey came back to the car, he pretended to be angry. He scowled and slammed the door. Billy asked him what was wrong, and Mickey said his friend wouldn’t let them hunt. “I’m so mad at that guy,” Mantle said, “I’m going out to his barn and shoot one of his mules!” Mantle drove like a maniac to the barn. Martin protested, “We can’t do that!” But Mickey was adamant. “Just watch me,” he shouted.
When they got to the barn, Mantle jumped out of the car with his rifle, ran
inside, and shot the mule. As he was leaving, though, he heard two shots, and
he ran back to the car. He saw that Martin had taken out his rifle, too. “What
are you doing, Martin?” he yelled. Martin yelled back, face red with anger,
“We’ll show that son of a gun! I just killed two of his cows!”
Billy really didn’t know what he was supposed to be aiming at. He just got caught up in the moment and fired off a couple of rounds at something he thought was to be a target. He caused lots of trouble.
:14 And he did evil
evil – ra‘– bad, evil; disagreeable, malignant; unpleasant, unhappiness, misery
When did Rehoboam do evil? There are two times Rehoboam got into trouble.
Lesson
Making bad decisions
Rehoboam brought the nation into “disagreeable” or “unpleasant” times because of the decisions he made based on the advice he received.
When he first became king, the people asked him to give them a little break (2Chr. 10:4).
Rehoboam wasn’t sure what to do, so he began asking for advice.
He asked the old men first, and they told him to ease up on the people and they’d love him forever (2Chr. 10:7).
He asked the young men, and they told him to get tough and
show the people who’s boss (2Chr.
Rehoboam liked the advice that the young men gave, and when he chose to follow their advice, the nation became divided and 10 of the twelve tribes rebelled from following him.
I usually see this as a classic example of how important it is to get good advice from wiser, older people.
But perhaps the real problem is that Rehoboam didn’t ask enough people for advice.
There’s one person he forgot. He forgot to ask God.
His grandfather, David, was famous for always asking God for advice.
Long before he ever became king, David was always asking God for advice.
(1 Sam
23:1-5 KJV) Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight
against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.
{2} Therefore David inquired of the LORD,
saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David,
Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. {3}
And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in
This was the habit of David’s life – asking God for directions.
David wrote,
(Psa 34:4 KJV) I sought
the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
How do we “seek the Lord”? We pray.
Yet it seems that this never crossed Rehoboam’s mind.
Lesson
Getting caught in sin
Even after the kingdom became divided, Rehoboam went through a time when the nation began to recover and prosper.
Many of the godly people from the north moved to the south because they
wanted to worship the Lord in Jerusalem
Yet when things were starting to go pretty good, Rehoboam fell away from the Lord. Ezra records it this way:
(2 Chr
12:1 KJV) And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom,
and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel
The writer of Kings tells us more of the specifics:
(1 Ki
14:22-24 KJV) And Judah Israel
How could this man, the son of Solomon, the grandson of David, get involved in such wickedness? How could he get so far from the Lord?
Perhaps because he was never really aiming at following the Lord in the first place. He had his mind on other things.
Illustration
A sheep doesn’t go astray because it decides, “Today I will get lost”. Instead, it starts by seeing a patch of grass that looks tasty. And a little bit further off is another patch of grass. And pretty soon the sheep has eaten itself to the other side of a hill and can’t find its way back.
We need to get our eyes off the tasty treats and put them on Jesus. Aim at
following Jesus.
:14 because he prepared not his heart
he prepared not – kuwn – (Hiphil) to establish, set up, accomplish, do, make firm; make ready, prepare, provide for
My Bible has a footnote that translates this word, “It was not his basic purpose”. But it’s a little stronger than that.
TWOT: “The root meaning is to bring something into being with the consequence that its existence is a certainty”.[4] In other words, you “prepare” something because you intend for it to happen. It will happen.
To prepare your heart to seek the Lord means that you will indeed be seeking the Lord.
It doesn’t mean that you just go through the motions.
heart – leb – inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding
Lesson
Take aim
If you’re going to hit a target, you’ve got to aim at it first.
Sometimes, we really don’t know what we’re aiming at in life.
Illustration
It was Saturday morning as Jake—an avid hunter—woke up ready to go bag the
first deer of the season. He walks down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee,
and to his surprise he finds his wife, Alice, sitting there, fully dressed in
camouflage. Jake asks her: “What are you up to?” Alice Alice Alice
What is your passion in life? What are you aiming at?
If a private detective was hired to follow you and figure out what your passion was in life, would he be able to tell by just watching you? Would he even know if you have a passion for anything?
It’s dangerous to not have a direction in life.
Illustration
This was in today’s Register (12-01-02 )
(“Suspect’s life full of discord” by Keith Sharon)
It was a strange afternoon for Alex Avila to go “nowhere.” Monday, July 15,
he had a load of chores to accomplish. His sister, Elvira, asked him to fill a
couple of 5-gallon water bottles - he was the only one who could carry them
back up the stairs. He told his mother he would make her a barbecue chicken
dinner. Also, to get their apartment ready for an inspection on Tuesday, he had
to unscrew his speakers from the wall and move the large entertainment unit
that held his stereo, television and family pictures - the one of his parents
arm-in-arm, his brothers and sisters, and the panoramic shot of him and Elvira
on a rocky ledge off Ortega Highway overlooking Lake Elsinore.
Elvira, 22, stopped him on his way out the door. “Where are you going?” she
said. “Nowhere,” he said. She handed him money for the water, and sometime
around 4 p.m. , police say, Alex Avila
walked out of the apartment and became every parent’s nightmare. They say Avila Stanton
It made me think of that old Beatles song –
Illustration
Nowhere Man (by John Lennon
& Paul McCartney)
He's a real nowhere Man
Sitting in his Nowhere Land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody.
Doesn't have a point of view
Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Ezra
The people had returned from Babylon Temple Jerusalem Babylon Babylon Jerusalem
(Ezra 7:9-10 KJV) For
upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon Jerusalem Israel
Ezra knew where he was going and what he was doing because he had already taken the time to get his heart in order and making God the aim of his life.
Ezra was blessed in his life because his life was aimed in the right direction from the start.
