2 Chronicles 12

2 Chronicles 10–12 covers the reign of Rehoboam, and chapter 12 concludes that account. In the previous chapter Rehoboam fortified cities and strengthened his kingdom; in this chapter, having grown strong, he forsakes the law and suffers an Egyptian invasion.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 Once the kingdom is established, Rehoboam and all Israel forsake the law of the LORD. In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt comes up with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and Lubim, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians; he takes the fortified cities of Judah and comes to Jerusalem.
• Verses 5–8 The prophet Shemaiah delivers the word of the LORD: "Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you." The king and the princes humble themselves and confess, "The LORD is righteous." The LORD declares that He will not destroy them but will make them servants of Shishak.
• Verses 9–12 Shishak takes away the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king's house, along with the shields of gold that Solomon had made. Rehoboam makes shields of brass and commits them to the chiefs of the guard. Because the king humbled himself, and because there were also good things in Judah, the LORD turns away His wrath.
• Verses 13–16 Rehoboam began to reign at the age of forty-one and reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem; his mother, Naamah, was an Ammonite woman. The passage gives the verdict that he did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD. It then notes that his acts are written in the records of Shemaiah and Iddo, mentions the continual wars with Jeroboam, and records his burial in the city of David and the accession of his son Abijah.

Key Verses

• 2 Chronicles 12:1 "When Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD" — the starting point of the chapter: turning away from God in a time of prosperity.
• 2 Chronicles 12:7 "They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them" — this reflects the Chronicler's theme that God relents when His people humble themselves (2 Chronicles 7:13–22).
• 2 Chronicles 12:8 "That they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries" — this reveals the purpose of the discipline.

People and Places

• Rehoboam: Son of Solomon and the first king of the southern kingdom of Judah.
• Shishak: King of Egypt. Scholars generally identify him with Shoshenq I of Egypt's Twenty-Second Dynasty.
• Shemaiah: A prophet in Rehoboam's time. In chapter 11 he also delivers the word that prevents war with the north.
• Iddo: A seer, mentioned as the author of a record containing Rehoboam's acts.
• Naamah: Rehoboam's mother, an Ammonite woman.
• Abijah: Rehoboam's son and successor, called "Abijam" in Kings.
• Lubim, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians: Contingents accompanying Shishak's army. The Lubim are commonly understood as Libyans and the Ethiopians (Cushites) as people of the upper Nile (Nubia).

Points for Reflection

• The parallel passage, 1 Kings 14:21–31, briefly reports only Shishak's invasion and the brass shields. Chronicles adds Shemaiah's prophecy, the king's humbling of himself, and the reason the calamity was lessened, framing the narrative as a sequence in which sin leads to discipline and humility leads to restoration.
• The assessment "in Judah things went well" in verse 12 stands alongside the verdict "he did evil" in verse 14.
• A list of place names from Shoshenq I's campaign survives at the temple of Karnak in Egypt, and many scholars connect it with this event. However, the name of Jerusalem has not been identified in the surviving list, so interpretations differ.
• In the New Testament, Rehoboam and Abijah appear in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:7. The theme of humility is often read alongside James 4:6: "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."

In the Korean Church

The scene in which the shields of gold are replaced with shields of brass is frequently cited in sermons as an illustration of replacing lost glory with mere outward show.