God’s Word for You
2 Chronicles 10:16-19 Tents and houses
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Thursday, November 7, 2024
16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, they answered the king: “What share do we have in David? No inheritance in the son of Jesse! Each man to his tent, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David!” So all the Israelites went home to their tents. 17 But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.
As God tore the nation out of Rehoboam’s hands, the nation made some noise. It was the foolishness of the past that came scraping out of their hearts; old words, part of their history, that they shouted and grumbled without understanding just what it all meant. The quote they came up with was from an incident that happened more than fifty years before. About the year 985, when David was grieving over the death of his son Absalom, the people were confused and arguing over David’s actions, since his son had rebelled against him and yet David mourned for his son. A troublemaker named Sheba from Benjamin rallied all the northern tribes to rebel against David with the cry, “We have no share in David, no part in Jesse’s son! Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
Notice what the Israelites were saying. They phrased things to show that they were a unified nation, and that it was the King himself, the house of David, that was in rebellion. They were separating themselves from the family of David.
Another curious detail is presented in the difference of language about the dwelling places. Judah had towns, and we know that in Jerusalem people lived in houses, but they make it sound as if the rest of the tribes all still lived in tents. We know that there were a few walled and fortified cities, but did everyone live in houses in the cities, or did some people live in tents even behind stone walls? Here are some points to consider:
- Living in a tent was still common and very much the standard of living during David’s reign: “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master and Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open fields” (2 Samuel 11:11).
- The earliest widespread archaeological evidence of permanent houses does not begin until around 780 BC, the time of King Jeroboam II in the north, King Uzziah in the south, and the prophet Jonah. This was about 150 years after Rehoboam and the division of the kingdom.
- 2 Chronicles 14:15 appears to describe “tents of cattle” (NIV “tents of herdsmen”); it’s not out of the question to imagine some large rough tents used as barns, especially in wet or cold weather.
- In the days of Jeremiah (just before the exile to Babylon) the Recabite family said: “We have never built houses to live in… we have lived in tents” (Jeremiah 35:9). They were an exceptional case, but even as late as the return from exile, tent living was still common enough that a prophet could say: “The tents of Judah” (Zechariah 12:7).
This is a simplification, but it would seem that even if the Israelites were no longer nomadic, they preferred tent living for a long time after the conquest of Canaan. Even the Apostle Paul was able to make a living from making tents (Acts 18:3) in New Testament times outside of Israel among the Greek culture to the west. Houses had begun to be used even if they were not commonplace by the eighth century BC, but by the time of Jesus they were very much the norm (Mark 3:20, 6:10, 7:24).
Is there an undertone of judgment regarding urban life in permanent homes? Verse 17 says, “The Israelites went home to their tents. But as for the Israelites who were living in the towns of Judah, Rehoboam still ruled over them.” This really conveys the message: We don’t hate you people of Judah, or you Levites in the south. Those of you who happen to be living in Judah, you’re under Rehoboam’s rule. But we in the north are not following Rehoboam or David’s family anymore. But is there also the feeling: “Down south they have houses, but here in the north we have tents”? Maybe we can’t say for certain, but the precise choice of words, ‘ohelim “tents” vs. ’ir “cities,” is remarkable.
18 King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. But King Rehoboam was able to get into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
Many years before, Jeroboam had been in charge of forced labor. Now King Rehoboam had appointed a man named Hadoram to do the job. But when they tired to force people from the north to go back to work for Solomon’s son, the people refused. But instead of stony looks, they strew stony stones and attacked both Hadoram and the king. They killed the labor boss, but Rehoboam managed to get back to his chariot and ride away, back to Jerusalem. He could not bring himself to believe that the kingdom had really been torn away from him until his life was in peril. Then it finally sank in: The kingdom he thought of as his right and his inheritance, that had lasted for eighty years under the hard work of his father and grandfather, could be lost on account of a single bad decision. The consequences continued throughout his lifetime and far beyond. The inspired author could write, perhaps quoting an ancient source: “Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.” In practical terms, the rebellion came to an end when the northern tribes were carried away into exile by Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria (2 Kings 15:29). Incidentally, it was just before the threat of the coming Assyrians that the evidence for more permanent homes rather than tents begins.
Rehoboam’s father said: “There is an evil I have seen under the sun. What a mistake rulers make! Stupidity is placed in many high places” (Ecclesiastes 10:5-6). But this was not just the stupidity of Rehoboam. The Lord tore Israel out of his grasp and handed it to someone else to teach this king, his sons and his descendants humility. What does this action teach me? Loss can happen in a moment.
If a poorly spoken word can bring down a kingdom, can’t it also bring down a career, or a ministry? If I am not humble, what will God do to me to teach me humility? Teach me humility, O Lord, without destroying me.
If I am too tempted by some sin, what will the Lord my God do to turn me away from it? Or will he become angry with me and let me plunge into a sin so deeply that I cannot find my way out again? Keep me from such sinfulness, God my Savior!
As we live in faith, knowing our Savior, we learn from the word of God how to live and walk in the law of God and according to his will. Keeping to his path is a lifelong struggle, filled with mistakes, pitfalls, and stumbles. Whether we live in tents or houses, we pray that he will keep us safe, and never let us slip from the palm of his hand.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.