Shishak's Invasion, Rehoboam's Last Days

INTRO

In 2 Samuel 7, David was told he would have an Eternal Throne, an eternal kingdom, and that the Messiah would come through him. David’s desire was to build a temple for God, but God said no to David and yes to Solomon. In 2 Chronicles 1—9, Solomon built the temple and reigned over Israel for 40 years. After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom was divided with Rehoboam as king over one side (Judah) and Jeroboam as king over the other side (Israel).

TEACHING

2 Chronicles 11: Rehoboam was discouraged from fighting against the other ten tribes (“your brothers,” v. 4). So, Rehoboam fortifies Judah (v. 5), and the priests and Levites side with Rehoboam (v. 13). But in verse 15, we learn Jeroboam led his people (the ten tribes of Israel) into idolatry. At this point, with the kingdom divided and trouble on both sides, it’s not looking so good for the promises made to David in 2 Samuel 7 to come true. Over time, Rehoboam married, and he appointed his son, Abijah, as chief because he intended to make him king (vv. 18-22).

2 Chronicles 12:1-4: During his reign, Rehoboam abandoned the Law (v. 1) and was unfaithful to the Lord (v. 2). Shishak, king of Egypt, went to war against Judah. Some of the people who came with him were the Libyans, the Sukkiim (the desert tribes), and the Cushites (most people say this was the Ethiopians). Rehoboam was being overtaken by the Egyptians who were seizing fortified cities of Judah along the way.

2 Chronicles 12:5-7: The prophet Shemaiah told Rehoboam and the leaders of Jerusalem that God had abandoned them into the hands of Shishak because they had first abandoned God and the Law. Since they were no longer faithful to God and the Law, God would no longer dwell among them. In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, God gave Solomon the remedy for this situation. So, the prophet released a word to Rehoboam that he and the people needed to humble themselves, seek God, and turn from their evil ways. In 2 Chronicles 12:6, the king and all the leaders humbled themselves. They did exactly what they should have done. When God saw this, He told Shemaiah that He would not destroy them but would grant them “a little deliverance” (v. 7). We’ll come back to talk about “a little deliverance” after we walk through this story. Because of sin, there will be “little deliverance” or there will be consequences. The consequences might not be as bad as if you didn’t turn back, but you still have to deal with the consequences of your sin. (We will walk through some instances later how this applies.) When people commit sins but never get caught, they begin to believe there are no consequences. But there is always a consequence. Sin always catches up with you.

2 Chronicles 12:8- 12: In this instance, God didn’t pour out His full wrath, but He allowed them to become servants of Shishak so they would learn the difference between serving God and serving other nations (v. 8). King Shishak took everything valuable from them (v. 9). With the gold shields stolen, Rehoboam made shields of bronze and gave them to his captains to guard the palace—but they had already lost to Shishak. This was the first major military encounter with Egypt since the Exodus hundreds of years before. Now they have to taste slavery again. “If the Jews would forsake true worship of God, they would also lose His protective hand of blessing.”¹Even though Rehoboam humbled himself, he still had to deal with the consequences of losing everything—he lost the treasury. “Besides that, conditions were good in Judah” (v. 12).

2 Chronicles 12:13-14: Rehoboam reigned as king in Jerusalem for 17 years. His mother was Naamah the Ammonite (v. 13), and he did evil by not seeking the Lord (v. 14). Look back at 2 Chronicles 7:14. Rehoboam may have humbled himself, but he did not seek God, and he did not turn from his evil ways. As Rehoboam dealt with his sin, he was only partially obedient – just enough to get by –and then continued to do what he wanted to do. Even though God showed up, Rehoboam did not continue to seek the Lord. Rehoboam knew the part he had to play to get through this battle, but then he went back to his evil ways. When we do this with the Lord, it’s a slap in Christ’s face—almost like we’re saying what the cross did for us is not worth it. So how are we going to walk out this faith? In this story, Rehoboam was like a halfway believer. He humbled himself for the immediate need but he had no intention of following the Lord.

2 Chronicles 12:15-16: The events in Rehoboam’s reign, along with the genealogies, were recorded. Rehoboam and Jeroboam remained at war as long as they both reigned. When Rehoboam died, the kingdom passed to his son Abijah. In 1 Kings 15:3, Abijah was described as a great sinner.²None of them deserved to be labeled in the lineage of the Royal Throne, but that’s the beauty of the way God works. God works despite our inadequacies, our sins, our abandoning the Law and being unfaithful to the Lord. Even if we are called a great sinner, God can still use us for His glory.

Let’s back up to David and walk through the consequences of sin. We always paint David as some perfect guy, but he was far from it. In fact, David was labeled as an adulterer (affair with Bathsheba), and a murderer (he murdered Uriah the Hittite, one of his mighty men). In 2 Samuel 7, David described the man in Nathan’s story as one who deserved to die. But in 2 Samuel 12:13, Nathan said God had taken away David’s sin so David would not die. But there was a consequence: the son born from the affair with Bathsheba would die (v. 14). There are consequences for the sins we commit.

Derek Hill gave a list of the consequences of sin.³First, when you sin, it leads to separation from God. Isaiah 59:2 says our sin builds a barrier between us and God. Romans 3:23 says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Sin separates us from God.

Second, sin is just flat-out harmful to you. In Genesis 19, when God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, the angels clearly told Lot and his family not to look back as they ran from the city. But Lot’s wife looked back at the city, so she was turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

Third, sin can bring harm to others. In Matthew 2:16, King Herod, in a rage because he had been outwitted by the wise men, ordered the massacre of all the baby boys in Bethlehem. Other people had to deal with the consequences of Herod’s sin. When Rehoboam refused to listen to the advice of the elders, the tribes of Israel split. When Rehoboam abandoned the Law and was unfaithful to God, the people became slaves to Shishak.

Fourth, sin serves as a catalyst for more sin. One sin leads to another because you’re never satisfied because you think something is better on the other side of the road. Ultimately, sin leads to eternal death. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. Sin creates major issues. But there is no sin too big that God can’t overcome it, that God can’t forgive it. Romans 6:23 proves the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Although sin leads to death, Jesus took our sin upon Him and, through His death on the cross, offers us eternal life. Through His death, Jesus takes away all the consequences of sin: the separation, the harm to self and others, the catalyst for more sin, the eternal death. When we believe in Jesus and follow Him with everything we have, we can receive this free gift.

CLOSING

What do you do when you’ve sinned? Second Chronicles 7:14 gives the Old Testament mentality. The New Testament mentality says to confess these things to the Lord so you can be forgiven. Charles Stanley described a process for this:⁴

1. Assume responsibility for your sin.
2. Confess and repent of the sin.
3. Don’t complain about the consequences. Hebrews 12:6 says God loves those He disciplines.
4. Ask God to help you discover the weakness that has crept into your life.
5. Recognize that God wants to use adversity (the hard stuff) in your life. Learn from this so you don’t go back to it.
6. Thank God for revealing your sin.

Rehoboam only went halfway, maybe a third. Our challenge is to go all the way. Let’s turn from our sin and seek God so that we look more like Him each and every day