After Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power, he and all Israel with him forsook the Law of the LORD. In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and countless troops who came with him out of Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites, and Cushites. He captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says: 'You have forsaken Me; therefore, I have forsaken you into the hand of Shishak.'" So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is righteous." When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but will soon grant them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. Nevertheless, they will become his servants, so that they may learn the difference between serving Me and serving the kings of other lands." So King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would go with him, bearing the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom. Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the anger of the LORD turned away from him, and He did not destroy him completely. Indeed, conditions were good in Judah. Thus King Rehoboam established himself in Jerusalem. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Rehoboam did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD. Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Shemaiah the Prophet and of Iddo the Seer concerning the genealogies? There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days. And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. And his son Abijah reigned in his place.
Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done. They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace. And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom. As for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, along with all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days. And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David; his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And his son Abijam reigned in his place.
Significance
These are parallel accounts of Shishak's invasion of Judah during Rehoboam's reign. Both texts report that Rehoboam "forsook the Law of the LORD" and Shishak attacked Jerusalem, but the Chronicler adds significant theological material: the prophet Shemaiah's oracle "You have forsaken Me; therefore, I have forsaken you" (azavtem oti ve-af-ani azavti etkhem, 2 Chr 12:5) and Rehoboam's repentance, which averted total destruction. Where 1 Kings simply records the plunder of temple treasures, the Chronicler presents the invasion as a paradigm of the retribution principle: unfaithfulness brings judgment, but humility brings partial deliverance. The Chronicler seals the episode with his own verdict—Rehoboam "did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD" (2 Chr 12:14).
Found via
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type
Direct Quotation
Connection Method(s)
Redemptive-Historical Progression — 2 Chronicles 12 re-presents the Shishak invasion of 1 Kings 14:21-31 (the fifth-year attack, the plundered temple treasures, the bronze replacement shields) and carries the account forward with Shemaiah's oracle and Rehoboam's humbling, the Chronicler advancing the canonical history of the chastened-yet-preserved Davidic house through which God keeps His purposes moving toward Christ.
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