2 Chronicles
Chapter 12
As soon as Rehoboam had established his authority as king and had become powerful, he and all his people abandoned the law of the Lord.
In the fifth year of Rehoboam, Shishak the king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem since it had been unfaithful to the Lord.
With twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horses, and a countless army of Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians who came from Egypt with him,
he captured the fortified towns of Judah and reached Jerusalem.
Rehoboam and the Judean captains, at the advance of Shishak, had gathered near Jerusalem. To them came Shemaiah the prophet, and he said: “The Lord says this: ‘As you have abandoned me, now I have abandoned you into the hands of Shishak.’”
Then the Israelite captains and the king humbled themselves and said: “The Lord is just!”
When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them because of this. In a little while, I will grant them deliverance. My anger shall not fall on Jerusalem through the power of Shishak.
Nevertheless, they shall become his slaves, so they may understand the difference between serving me and serving the kings of foreign countries.”
Shishak, the king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem and took all the treasures from the temple of the Lord and the royal palace. He took everything, including the golden shields that Solomon had made.
In place of them, King Rehoboam had bronze shields made, entrusting them to the care of the officers of the guard who guarded the king’s palace gate.
Whenever the king went to the temple of the Lord, the guards would come out carrying them, and return them to the guardroom afterward.
Since he had submitted to the Lord, the anger of the Lord did not destroy him. There was still something good in Judah.
King Rehoboam was able to strengthen his position in Jerusalem and to govern. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city chosen by the Lord out of all the tribes of Israel, as the place where his Name would be. Rehoboam’s mother was Naamah, the Ammonite.
He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.
The history of Rehoboam, from first to last, is all recorded in the Annals of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer. There was constant warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
Then Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Abijah succeeded him.
Commentaries
The Kings of Judah Until the Exile.
The final section of the Chronicler’s work focuses on the history of the kingdom of Judah, covering from Solomon to the exile, with little mention of the Northern Kingdom. For the Chronicler, the kingdom of Judah represents the entire nation of Israel. The primary standard for judging each king is their loyalty to God. Four notable figures stand out as models of this loyalty: Asa, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, and especially Hezekiah. The prophets are also depicted alongside the kings, delivering messages that include warnings and sincere calls to stay loyal to the Lord. Ultimately, the Chronicler encourages the post-exilic community to seek God and remain faithful to the One who has remained true to his people despite their difficulties.
Rehoboam of Judah – Abijah of Judah.
The reign of Rehoboam is partially covered in 1 Kings 12-14. This section can be divided into three main parts: the positive phase of Rehoboam’s reign (11), the negative phase of his reign (12), and the contrast with the faithfulness of Abijah’s reign (13).
Positive Phase.
The reign begins by presenting Rehoboam as obedient to the Word of the Lord, who instructs him not to fight against Jeroboam. The list of cities (5-12) is likely authentic, although it is probable that they were only fortified after the invasion of Shishak, Pharaoh of Egypt (12:1-12). Through the removal of priests and Levites (13-17), the author emphasizes that the center of worship is in Jerusalem and that the Levites have been loyal to the Temple from the start.
Negative Phase.
Through a pattern of sin, humiliation, and forgiveness, the Chronicler applies the doctrine of retribution to Rehoboam’s case. In response to the abandonment of his Law, the Lord demands humiliation from both the king and the people through the prophet Shemaiah (6:7, 12). As the people humble themselves, the Lord spares Judah from destruction (12). The chapter concludes by characterizing Rehoboam as one who “did evil because he did not set his heart to serve the Lord” (14).