seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
2 Chronicles 12:1 After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong,he and all Israel[a] with him abandoned the law of the Lord. 2 Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. 3 With twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen and the innumerable troops of Libyans, Sukkites and Cushites(b) that came with him from Egypt, 4 he captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.
5 Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.’”
6 The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.”
7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. 8 They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.”
9 When Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem, he carried off the treasures of the temple of the Lord and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields Solomon had made. 10 So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. 11 Whenever the king went to the Lord’s temple, the guards went with him, bearing the shields, and afterward they returned them to the guardroom.
12 Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him, and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed, there was some good in Judah.
13 King Rehoboam established himself firmly in Jerusalem and continued as king. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother’s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite. 14 He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.
15 As for the events of Rehoboam’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer that deal with genealogies? There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.16 Rehoboam rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. And Abijah his son succeeded him as king.
a. 2 Chronicles 12:1 That is, Judah, as frequently in 2 Chronicles
b. 2 Chronicles 12:3 That is, people from the upper Nile region
This information is from the easy English site.
Another name for Shishak was Shechonq. He was the first king of the 22nd series of kings of Egypt. He came with an enormous army and he fought against both Rehoboam and Jeroboam.
In Shishak’s army, there were men from the countries called Libya and Cush. These countries were in northern Africa. And there were men called Sukkiim. We are not sure who the Sukkiim were. They were probably a nation of people who lived in tents. The country called Cush was south of Egypt.
On the walls of Amun’s temple in the town called Karnak in Egypt, there is a record of Shishak’s battles. The Bible does not record these battles except that he captured strong cities.
When Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, Jeroboam ran away to King Shishak in Egypt (1 Kings 11:40). But that did not save him when Shishak attacked Israel.
Shishak and his army came close to Jerusalem. All the leaders of Judah were afraid of him. So, they had come together in Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet spoke to Rehoboam and to the leaders. He told them what the LORD said. They were in such danger because they had turned away from the LORD. Because they had turned from the LORD he had turned away from them. The LORD would not protect them from Shishak. The LORD would give them to Shishak.
Solomon had hundreds of golden shields hanging in the Temple. They were on display 24/7. Their only use was a display of opulence. A gold shield would be way to heavy to tote into battle. So when the Egyptian king took the shields.... they simply had to be replaced. People expected the opulence of the $4 Billion erector set. So if Rehoboam was going to continue... opulence had to be guarded.... so he made bronze shields [still shiny and opulent at a much lower cost] AND they were kept under lock and key.... only for special occasions. Tough love.... followed by opulence.... I wouldn't think the production of guarded bronze shields was any way to show God Rehoboam had changed. Rehoboam learned opulence from his father.... who's dad gave him a $4 Billion erector set.
We put on our Sunday best for God. Rehoboam put on his Sunday best for himself.
Last edited: