1I stalo se, když se upevnilo Rechabeámovo království a on zesílil, že opustil Hospodinův zákon a celý Izrael s ním. 2I stalo se v pátém roce vlády krále Rechabeáma, že vytáhl proti Jeruzalému egyptský král Šíšak, protože se zpronevěřili Hospodinu, 3s tisíci dvěma sty vozy, šedesáti tisíci jezdci a bezpočtem lidu, který s ním šel z Egypta: Lúbíjci, Sukejci a Kúšijci. 4Dobyl opevněná města, která patřila Judovi, a přitáhl až k Jeruzalému. 5Nato přišel prorok Šemajáš k Rechabeámovi a judským velitelům, kteří se shromáždili před Šíšakem do Jeruzaléma, a řekl jim: Toto praví Hospodin: Vy jste opustili mě a tak já přenechám vás do Šíšakovy ruky. 6Izraelští velitelé a král se pokořili a řekli: Hospodin je spravedlivý. 7Když Hospodin viděl, že se pokořili, stalo se Hospodinovo slovo k Šemajášovi: Pokořili se; nezničím je, ale zanechám jim několik, kteří vyváznou, nerozleje se má zloba v Jeruzalémě skrze Šíšaka. 8Avšak stanou se jeho otroky, aby poznali rozdíl mezi službou mně a službou královstvím zemí. 9Egyptský král Šíšak vytáhl proti Jeruzalému a pobral poklady Hospodinova domu i poklady královského paláce, všechno to pobral. Vzal také zlaté malé štíty, které udělal Šalomoun. 10Král Rechabeám místo nich udělal štíty bronzové a svěřil je pod velení velitelů běžců, kteří střežili vchod do královského paláce. 11Pokaždé, když šel král do Hospodinova domu, běžci šli a přinášeli je a pak je vraceli zpět do síně běžců. 12Když se pokořil, odvrátil se od něj Hospodinův hněv a nezničil ho zcela. Také v Judsku se děly dobré věci. 13Král Rechabeám se vzchopil v Jeruzalémě a kraloval dále. Rechabeámovi bylo čtyřicet jedna let, když se stal králem, kraloval sedmnáct let v Jeruzalémě, městě, které Hospodin vyvolil ze všech izraelských kmenů, aby tam položil své jméno. Jeho matka se jmenovala Naama Amónská. 14Páchal to, co je zlé, neboť nezaměřil své srdce na hledání Hospodina. 15První i poslední Rechabeámovy činy jsou zapsány v letopisech proroka Šemajáše a vidoucího Ida jako rodokmen. Po celou dobu byly boje mezi Rechabeámem a Jarobeámem. 16Rechabeám ulehl se svými otci a byl pohřben v Městě Davidově. Po něm se stal králem jeho syn Abijáš.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 Israel was very much disgraced and weakened by being divided into two kingdoms; yet the kingdom of Judah, having both the temple and the royal city, both the house of David and the house of Aaron, might have done very well if they had continued in the way of their duty; but here we have all out of order there.
I. Rehoboam and his people left God: He
forsook the law of the Lord, and so in effect forsook God, and
all Israel with him, 2Chr 12:1. He had his happy triennium, when he walked in the way of David and Solomon (
2Chr 11:17), but it expired, and he grew remiss in the worship of God; in what instances we are not told, but he fell off, and Judah with him, here called
Israel, because they walked in the evil ways into which Jeroboam had drawn the kingdom of Israel. Thus he did
when he had established the kingdom and strengthened himself. As long as he thought his throne tottered he kept to his duty, that he might make God his friend; but, when he found it stood pretty firmly, he thought he had no more occasion for religion; he was safe enough without it. Thus
the prosperity of fools destroys them. Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked. When men prosper, and are in no apprehension of troubles, they are ready to say to God,
Depart from us. II. God quickly brought troubles upon them, to awaken them, and recover them to repentance, before their hearts were hardened. It was but in the fourth year of Rehoboam that they began to corrupt themselves, and in the fifth year the king of Egypt came up against them with a vast army, took
the fenced cities of Judah, and came against Jerusalem, 2Chr 12:2,
2Chr 12:3,
2Chr 12:4. This great calamity coming upon them so soon after they began to desert the worship of God, by a hand they had little reason to suspect (having had a great deal of friendly correspondence with Egypt in the last reign), and coming with so much violence that all the
fenced cities of Judah, which Rehoboam had lately fortified and garrisoned and on which he relied much for the safety of his kingdom, fell immediately into the hands of the enemy, without making any resistance, plainly showed that it was from the Lord, because they had transgressed against him.
III. Lest they should not readily or not rightly understand the meaning of this providence, God by the word explains the rod,
2Chr 12:5. When the princes of Judah had all met at Jerusalem, probably in a great council of war, to concert measures for their own safety in this critical juncture, he sent a prophet to them, the same that had brought them an injunction from God not to fight against the ten tribes (
2Chr 11:2), Shemaiah by name; he told them plainly that the reason why Shishak prevailed against them was not because they had been impolitic in the management of their affairs (which perhaps the princes in this congress were at this time scrutinizing), but because they had forsaken God. God never leaves any till they first leave him.
IV. The rebukes both of the word and of the rod being thus joined, the king and princes humbled themselves before God for their iniquity, penitently acknowledged the sin, and patiently accepted the punishment of it, saying,
The Lord is righteous, 2Chr 12:6. We have none to blame but ourselves; let God be clear when he judgeth. Thus it becomes us, when we are under the rebukes of Providence, to justify God and judge ourselves. Even kings and princes must either bend or break before God, either be humbled or be ruined.
V. Upon the profession they made of repentance God showed them some favour, saved them from ruin, and yet left them under some remaining fears of the judgment, to prevent their revolt again.
1. God, in mercy, prevented the destruction they were now upon the brink of. Such a vast and now victorious army as Shishak had, having made themselves masters of all the fenced cities, what could be expected but that the whole country, and even Jerusalem itself, would in a little time be theirs? But when God saith,
Here shall the proud waves be stayed, the most threatening force strangely dwindles and becomes impotent. Here again the destroying angel, when he comes to Jerusalem, is forbidden to destroy it:
My wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem; not at this time, not by this hand, not utterly to destroy it,
2Chr 12:7,
2Chr 12:12. Note, Those that acknowledge God righteous in afflicting them shall find him gracious. Those that humble themselves before him shall find favour with him. So ready is the God of mercy to take the first occasion to show mercy. If we have humbled hearts under humbling providences, the affliction has done its work, and it shall either be removed or the property of it altered.
2. He granted them some deliverance, not complete, but in part; he gave them some advantages against the enemy, so that they recruited a little; he
gave them deliverance for a little while, so some. They reformed but partially, and for a little while, soon relapsing again; and, as their reformation was, so was their deliverance. Yet it is said (
2Chr 12:12),
in Judah things went well, and began to look with a better face. (1.) In respect of piety.
There were good things in Judah (so it is in the margin), good ministers, good people, good families, who were made better by the calamities of their country. Note, In times of great corruption and degeneracy it is some comfort if there be a remnant among whom good things ar found; this is a ground of hope in Israel. (2.) In respect of prosperity. In Judah things went ill when all the fenced cities were taken (
2Chr 12:4), but when they repented the posture of their affairs altered, and things went well. Note, If things do not go so well as we could wish, yet we have reason to take notice of it with thankfulness if they go better than was to have been expected, better than formerly, and better than we deserved. We should own God's goodness if he do but grant us some deliverance.
3. Yet he left them to smart sorely by the hand of Shishak, both in their liberty and in their wealth.
(1.) In their liberty (
2Chr 12:8):
They shall be his servants (that is, they shall lie much at his mercy and be put under contribution by him, and some of them perhaps be taken prisoners and held in captivity by him),
that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. They complained, it may be, of the strictness of their religion, and
forsook the law of the Lord (
2Chr 12:1) because they thought it a yoke to hard, too heavy, upon them. Well, saith God, let them better themselves if they can; let the neighbouring princes rule them awhile, since they are not willing that I should rule them, and let them try how they like that. They might have
served God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, and would not; let them
serve their enemies then in hunger and thirst (
Deut 28:47,
Deut 28:48), till they think of returning to
their first Master, for then it was better with them, Hos 2:7. This, some think, is the meaning of
Ezek 20:24,
Ezek 20:25.
Because they despised my statutes, I gave them statutes that were not good. Note, [1.] The more God's service is compared with other services the more reasonable and easy it will appear. [2.] Whatever difficulties or hardships we may imagine there are in the way of obedience, it is better a thousand times to go through them than to expose ourselves to the punishment of disobedience. Are the laws of temperance thought hard? The effects of intemperance will be much harder. The service of virtue is perfect liberty; the service of lust is perfect slavery.
(2.) In their wealth. The king of Egypt plundered both the temple and the exchequer, the treasuries of both which Solomon left very full; but he
took them away; yea, he
took all, all he could lay his hands on,
2Chr 12:9. This was what he came for. David and Solomon, who walked in the way of God, filled the treasuries, one by war and the other by merchandise; but Rehoboam, who forsook the law of God, emptied them. The taking away of the golden shields, and the substituting of brazen ones in their place (2Chr:12:9-11), we had an account of before, (1Kgs:14:25-28).
13 The story of Rehoboam's reign is here concluded, much as the story of the other reigns concludes. Two things especially are observable here: - 1. That he was at length pretty well
fixed in his kingdom, 2Chr 12:13. His fenced cities in Judah did not answer his expectation, so he now
strengthened himself in Jerusalem, which he made it his business to fortify, and there he reigned seventeen years, in
the city which the Lord had chosen to put his name there. This intimates his honour and privilege, that he had his royal seat in the holy city, which yet was but an aggravation of his impiety - near the temple, but far from God. Frequent skirmishes there were between his subjects and Jeroboam's, such as amounted to
continual wars, (
2Chr 12:15), but he held his own, and reigned, and, as it should seem, did not so grossly
forsake the law of God as he had done (
2Chr 12:1) in his fourth year. 2. That he was never rightly fixed in his religion,
2Chr 12:14. He never quite cast off God; and yet in this he did evil, that he
prepared not, he engaged not, his heart to seek the Lord. See what the fault is laid upon. (1.) He did not serve the Lord because he did not seek the Lord. He did not pray, as Solomon did, for wisdom and grace. If we prayed better, we should be every way better. Or he did not consult the word of God, did not seek to that as his oracle, nor take directions from it. (2.) He made nothing of his religion because he did not set his heart to it, never minded it with any closeness of application, and never any hearty disposition to it, nor ever came up to a steady resolution in it. What little goodness he had was transient and passed away like the morning cloud. He did evil because he was never determined for that which is good. Those are easily drawn by Satan to any evil who are wavering and inconstant in that which is good and are never persuaded to make religion their business.