2 Chronicles — Chapter 12
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1And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.
2And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,
3With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubim, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.
4And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
5Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.
6Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous.
7And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he took all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
10Instead of which king Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king’s house.
11And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber.
12And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.
13So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.
14And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.
15Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
16And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.
1And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established, and he was strong, that he forsook the law of Jehovah, and all Israel with him.
2And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against Jehovah,
3with twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen. And the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.
4And he took the fortified cities which pertained to Judah, and came unto Jerusalem.
5Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, Ye have forsaken me, therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.
6Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, Jehovah is righteous.
7And when Jehovah saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Jehovah came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves: I will not destroy them; but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8Nevertheless they shall be his servants, that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king`s house: he took all away: he took away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
10And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, that kept the door of the king`s house.
11And it was so, that, as oft as the king entered into the house of Jehovah, the guard came and bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.
12And when he humbled himself, the wrath of Jehovah turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether: and moreover in Judah there were good things [found].
13So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother`s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
14And he did that which was evil, because he set not his heart to seek Jehovah.
15Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, after the manner of genealogies? And there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
16And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.
1After Rehoboam’s rule was established and solidified, he and all Israel rejected the law of the Lord.
2Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem.
3He had 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and an innumerable number of soldiers who accompanied him from Egypt, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites.
4He captured the fortified cities of Judah and marched against Jerusalem.
5Shemaiah the prophet visited Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were assembled in Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have rejected me, so I have rejected you and will hand you over to Shishak.’”
6The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.”
7When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the Lord’s message came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves, so I will not destroy them. I will deliver them soon. My anger will not be unleashed against Jerusalem through Shishak.
8Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.”
9King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made.
10King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace.
11Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guards carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.
12So when Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord relented from his anger and did not annihilate him; Judah experienced some good things.
13King Rehoboam solidified his rule in Jerusalem; he was forty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. Rehoboam’s mother was an Ammonite named Naamah.
14He did evil because he was not determined to follow the Lord.
15The events of Rehoboam’s reign, from start to finish, are recorded in the Annals of Shemaiah the Prophet and of Iddo the Seer that include genealogical records. There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
16Then Rehoboam passed away and was buried in the City of David. His son Abijah replaced him as king.
1When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned Yahweh’s law, and all Israel with him.
2In the fifth year of king Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against Yahweh,
3with twelve hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horsemen. The people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.
4He took the fortified cities which belonged to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
5Now Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, who were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, “Yahweh says, ‘You have forsaken me, therefore I have also left you in the hand of Shishak.’”
6Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “Yahweh is righteous.”
7When Yahweh saw that they humbled themselves, Yahweh’s word came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them; but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath won’t be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.”
9So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of Yahweh’s house and the treasures of the king’s house. He took it all away. He also took away the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
10King Rehoboam made shields of brass in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.
11As often as the king entered into Yahweh’s house, the guard came and bore them, then brought them back into the guard room.
12When he humbled himself, Yahweh’s wrath turned from him, so as not to destroy him altogether. Moreover, there were good things found in Judah.
13So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned; for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
14He did that which was evil, because he didn’t set his heart to seek Yahweh.
15Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, aren’t they written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer, in the genealogies? There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
16Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city; and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
Summary
Rehoboam forsakes God's law, and Shishak of Egypt invades Judah with a massive army, plundering the Temple and palace treasures. When Rehoboam humbles himself, God grants partial deliverance but allows subjection to Egypt as a lesson.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Parallels 1-2 Kings but focuses exclusively on Judah (the southern kingdom). Jerusalem and the Temple are the theological center throughout.
- Key locations include various battle sites, reform locations, and high places destroyed or rebuilt by successive kings.
- The book ends with exile to Babylon (586 BC) and Cyrus's decree permitting return — the geographic arc moves from Jerusalem to Babylon and back.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes the bronze shields as a symbol of the church maintaining outward form while losing inner substance. He notes the pattern: strength → independence → abandonment → judgment → humbling → partial restoration.
- Charles Spurgeon: "Gold shields replaced with brass — this is the picture of a declining soul. The outward form continues: the guard still carries shields, the king still enters the Temple. But the gold is gone. The substance has been stolen while the ceremony continues. How many professing Christians carry brass shields and think themselves rich? The form of godliness without the power thereof. 'He prepared not his heart to seek the LORD' — there is the root. Not terrible crimes but terrible neglect. He did not seek, and therefore he did not find. He did not prepare his heart, and therefore his heart was unprepared when trial came."
Reflection
- 1. Strength without humility leads to forsaking God (v.1). The pattern is predictable: you grow strong, feel self-sufficient, stop needing God, and drift away. Guard your prosperity seasons with extra spiritual vigilance. When things go well is precisely when you are most vulnerable to spiritual neglect.
- 2. God's discipline is proportional and explained (v.5). He does not punish capriciously. When difficulty comes, ask: is God responding to something I've abandoned? His prophetic word (v.5) makes the connection explicit. He disciplines in love, not in random anger.
- 3. "The LORD is righteous" is the key to restoration (v.6). Acknowledging God's justice — rather than complaining about circumstances — opens the door to mercy. As long as you argue against God's discipline, restoration is delayed. The moment you agree with His assessment, mercy begins.
- 4. God uses contrast to teach appreciation (v.8). Sometimes He lets you experience the alternative to make you grateful for what you had. The bitterness of foreign servitude taught what God's service really meant. If you're experiencing the consequences of straying, let the bitterness teach you — and drive you back to God's sweetness.
- 5. Spiritual negligence is as destructive as active rebellion (v.14). Rehoboam's verdict is not "he committed terrible sins" but "he prepared not his heart." You can lose everything simply by neglecting your devotional life. Prepare your heart daily — intentionally direct your attention toward God. The absence of seeking is the presence of drifting.