2 Chronicles 12

Listen to 2 Chronicles 12
1 But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the LORD, and all Israel followed him in this sin.
2 Because they were unfaithful to the LORD, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign.
3 He came with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horses, and a countless army of foot soldiers, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians.
4 Shishak conquered Judah’s fortified towns and then advanced to attack Jerusalem.
5 The prophet Shemaiah then met with Rehoboam and Judah’s leaders, who had all fled to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah told them, “This is what the LORD says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak.”
6 Then the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The LORD is right in doing this to us!”
7 When the LORD saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem.
8 But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.”
9 So King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the LORD ’s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.
10 King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace.
11 Whenever the king went to the Temple of the LORD, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom.
12 Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD ’s anger was turned away, and he did not destroy him completely. There were still some good things in the land of Judah.
13 King Rehoboam firmly established himself in Jerusalem and continued to rule. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, a woman from Ammon.
14 But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the LORD with all his heart.
15 The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in and which are part of the genealogical record. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other.
16 When Rehoboam died, he was buried in the City of David. Then his son Abijah became the next king.

2 Chronicles 12 Commentary

Chapter 12

Rehoboam, forsaking the Lord, is punished.

- When Rehoboam was so strong that he supposed he had nothing to fear from Jeroboam, he cast off his outward profession of godliness. It is very common, but very lamentable, that men, who in distress or danger, or near death, seem much engaged in seeking and serving God, throw aside all their religion when they have received a merciful deliverance. God quickly brought troubles upon Judah, to awaken the people to repentance, before their hearts were hardened. Thus it becomes us, when we are under the rebukes of Providence, to justify God, and to judge ourselves. If we have humbled hearts under humbling providences, the affliction has done its work; it shall be removed, or the property of it be altered. The more God's service is compared with other services, the more reasonable and easy it will appear. Are the laws of temperance thought hard? The effects of intemperance will be found much harder. The service of God is perfect liberty; the service of our lusts is complete slavery. Rehoboam was never rightly fixed in his religion. He never quite cast off God; yet he engaged not his heart to seek the Lord. See what his fault was; he did not serve the Lord, because he did not seek the Lord. He did not pray, as Solomon, for wisdom and grace; he did not consult the word of God, did not seek to that as his oracle, nor follow its directions. He made nothing of his religion, because he did not set his heart to it, nor ever came up to a steady resolution in it. He did evil, because he never was determined for good.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or charioteers, or horsemen.
  • [b]. Hebrew and Cushites.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 CHRONICLES 12

Rehoboam and his people forsaking the law of the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt is allowed by God to invade his land, and take his fenced cities, 2Ch 12:1-4, upon which a prophet of the Lord was sent to him and his princes, to show them the reason of it; whereupon they humbled themselves, and the Lord was pleased not to allow the enemy utterly to destroy them, yet to reduce them to servitude, and take away their riches, 2Ch 12:5-12, and the chapter is closed with an account of the reign and death of Rehoboam, 2Ch 12:13-16.

2 Chronicles 12 Commentaries

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