So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem ,.... The Vulgate Latin version is,"departed from Jerusalem,'as he did, having taken it, and spoiled it of its riches, and settled a yearly tax on the inhabitants of the land; of this, and the two following verses; see Gill on 1 Kings 14:26 . 1 Kings 14:27 . 1 Kings 14:28 . read more
Took away the treasures - Such a booty as never had before, nor has since, come into the hand of man. The shields of gold - These shields were the mark of the king's body-guard: it was in imitation of this Eastern magnificence that Alexander constituted his Argyraspides, adorned with the spoils taken from Darius. See Quintus Curtius, lib. viii., c. 5, et alibi. 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
Words do not tell in this verse the "humbled service" of Rehoboam and the princes; but the position speaks, speaks volumes of itself. Where did Rehoboam hide himself, where would he not have been glad to hide himself, while the treasures of the house of the Lord , and those of his own house, were coolly taken by the foreign soldiery, none forbidding them, nor resisting, nor even making afraid? read more
The first sacking of Jerusalem. I. ITS HISTORIC CERTAINTY . That Shishak gradually drew his lines closer round the capital, and in the end stormed its citadel, has received confirmation from the monuments. 1 . In the temple of Karnak, at Thebes, on the walls of which Soti I. and Rameses II . had by means of pictorial representations and hieroglyphic inscriptions preserved a record of their victories, Sheshonq, on returning from Palestine, caused a bas-relief to be executed in... read more
Instead of which King Rehoboam made shields of brass . A most humbling reversal of the glowing promise afterwards given, "For brass I will bring gold" ( Isaiah 9:17 ). read more
Brazen shields for golden. I. A VIRTUE . To content one's self with shields of brass when shields of gold cannot be got. "Be content with such things as ye have" ( Hebrews 13:5 ). II. A HYPOCRISY . To pretend that brazen shields are golden, either: 1 . To hide the truth, that our shields of gold have been stolen, lost, or never had an existence: "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees," etc. ( Luke 12:1 , Luke 12:2 ); or: 2 . To keep up appearances, and so... 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