Study Desk

When Rehoboam had established his sovereignty and royal power,^(a) he abandoned the law of the Lord —he and all Israel with him.

Because they were unfaithful to the Lord , in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak^(b) king of Egypt went to war against Jerusalem^(c)

with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 cavalrymen, and countless people who came with him from Egypt—Libyans,^(d) Sukkiim, and Cushites.

He captured the fortified cities^(e) of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem.

Then Shemaiah^(f) the prophet went to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who were gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak. He said to them: "This is what the Lord says: ‘You have abandoned Me; therefore, I have abandoned you into the hand of Shishak.'"^(g)

So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "Yahweh is righteous."^(h)

When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the Lord 's message came to Shemaiah: "They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them but will grant them a little deliverance.⁽ⁱ⁾ My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.^(j)

However, they will become his servants so that they may recognize the difference between serving Me and serving the kingdoms of other lands."^(k)

So King Shishak of Egypt went to war^(l) against Jerusalem.^(m) He seized the treasuries of the Lord 's temple and the treasuries of the royal palace. He took everything. He took the gold shields that Solomon had made.⁽ⁿ⁾

King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them into the care of the captains of the royal escorts^[a] who guarded the entrance to the king's palace.

Whenever the king entered the Lord 's temple, the royal escorts would carry the shields and take them back to the royal escorts' armory.

When Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord 's anger turned away from him, and He did not destroy him completely.^(o) Besides that, conditions were good in Judah.^(p)

King Rehoboam^(q) established his royal power in Jerusalem. Rehoboam was 41 years old when he became king and reigned 17 years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name.^(r) Rehoboam's mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.

Rehoboam did what was evil, because he did not determine in his heart to seek the Lord .^(s)

The events^(t) of Rehoboam's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the Events of Shemaiah^(u) the Prophet and of Iddo the Seer concerning genealogies.^(v) There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their reigns.

Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. His son Abijah^[b](w) became king in his place.

In the eighteenth year^(a) of Israel's King Jeroboam, Abijah^[a] became king over Judah

and reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Micaiah^[b](b) daughter of Uriel; she was from Gibeah. There was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.

Abijah set his army of warriors in order with 400,000 choice men. Jeroboam arranged his mighty army of 800,000 choice men in battle formation against him.

Then Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim,^(c) which is in the hill country of Ephraim, and said, "Jeroboam and all Israel, hear me.

Don't you know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever^(d) by a covenant of salt?^(e)

But Jeroboam son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord.^(f)

Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when Rehoboam was young, inexperienced, and unable to assert himself against them.

"And now you are saying you can assert yourselves against the Lord 's kingdom, which is in the hand of one of David's sons. You are a vast number and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods.^[c](g)

Didn't you banish the priests of Yahweh, the descendants of Aaron and the Levites, and make your own priests like the peoples of other lands do?^(h) Whoever comes to ordain himself⁽ⁱ⁾ with a young bull and seven rams may become a priest^(j) of what are not gods.^(k)

"But as for us, Yahweh is our God. We have not abandoned Him; the priests ministering to the Lord are descendants of Aaron, and the Levites serve at their tasks.

They offer a burnt offering and fragrant incense to the Lord every morning and every evening,^(l) and they set the rows of the bread of the Presence on the ceremonially clean table.^(m) They light the lamps of the gold lampstand every evening. We are carrying out the requirements of Yahweh our God, while you have abandoned Him.⁽ⁿ⁾

Look, God and His priests are with us at our head. The trumpets are ready to sound the charge against you. Israelites, don't fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, for you will not succeed."^(o)

Now Jeroboam had sent an ambush^(p) around to advance from behind them. So they were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them.

Judah turned and discovered that the battle was in front of them and behind them, so they cried out to the Lord .^(q) Then the priests blew the trumpets,

and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. When the men of Judah raised the battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah.^(r)

So the Israelites fled before Judah, and God handed them over to them.^(s)

Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 choice men of Israel were killed.

The Israelites were subdued at that time. The Judahites succeeded because they depended on the Lord , the God of their ancestors.

Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured some cities from him: Bethel and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron^[d] and its villages.

Jeroboam no longer retained his power^[e] during Abijah's reign; ultimately, the Lord struck him^(t) and he died.^(u)

However, Abijah grew strong, acquired 14 wives, and fathered 22 sons and 16 daughters.

The rest of the events of Abijah's reign, along with his ways and his sayings, are written in the Writing^(v) of the Prophet Iddo.^(w)