Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves ,.... Both by words acknowledging their sins, and the justice of God, and by deeds, perhaps putting on sackcloth, as was usual on such occasions, and betaking themselves to fasting and prayer: and they said, the Lord is righteous ; in giving them up into the hand of their enemies, seeing they had forsaken him, and sinned against him. read more
Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves - This is not mentioned in the parallel place, 1 Kings 14:25-29 ; : this was the sole reason why Jerusalem was not at this time totally destroyed, and the house of David entirely cut off; for they were totally incapable of defending themselves against this innumerable host. read more
A model instance of Divine goodness and opportunity prolonged to one who annulled all, and vitiated every highest privilege vouchsafed to him, by the one fact of his own infidelity of heart. We are strikingly taught, and we vividly recall from the contents of this chapter, the following lessons and facts. I. HOW VERY PRONE FORGETFULNESS OF OUR PAST SINS IS TO FOLLOW WITH SWIFT RAPIDITY ON PRESENT RESPITE FROM FEAR , RELIEF FROM SUFFERING , ... read more
Penalty, penitence, and forgiveness. It was not many months before Rehoboam found out the heinousness of his offence, the magnitude of his mistake; for in the path of sin comes penalty, and behind penalty steals shame. Happily for him there was mercy behind that. We look at this succession— I. AS EXPERIENCED BY THE KING OF JUDAH . First of all, following fast on his transgression, came: 1 . Divine displeasure and humiliating defeat. There came in to his palace-gates... read more
Two messages from Jehovah. I. A MESSAGE OF WARNING . ( 2 Chronicles 12:5 , 2 Chronicles 12:6 .) 1 . By whom sent. Shemaiah the prophet, or man of God ( 2 Chronicles 11:2 ). When Jehovah has a message for any age, people, or individual, he can always find a messenger to bear it—a Moses to go to Pharaoh, a Samuel to speak to Saul, a Nathan to send to David, an Elijah or a Micaiah to warn Ahab, a John the Baptist to preach to Israel and testify against Herod. The hour... read more
Note, as very apt parallel passages, Jeremiah 13:15 , Jeremiah 13:18 ; Exodus 9:27 . read more
They said, The Lord is righteous - i. e., they acknowledged the justice of the sentence which had gone forth against them 2 Chronicles 12:5. read more
2 Chronicles 12:6. Whereupon the princes and the king humbled themselves They penitentially acknowledged their sin, and patiently accepted the punishment of it, saying, The Lord is righteous We have none to blame but ourselves: let God be clear when he is judged. Thus it becomes us, when we are under the rebukes of divine providence, to justify God, and judge ourselves. “Even princes and kings,” says Henry, “must either bend or break; either be humbled or ruined.” read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 12:1-12
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, 2 Chron. 12:1. He had his happy triennium, when he walked in... read more