Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 12:14
And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.
14. he prepared not his heart ] R.V. he set not his heart. The phrase implies steady purpose.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He prepared not his heart … – See the margin. Rehoboams sin was want of earnestness and consistency.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ch 12:14
He prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.
Rehoboam the unready
I. He did not begin life with seeking the Lord.
II. He showed no heart in seeking the Lord afterwards.
III. He was not fixed and persevering seeking the Lord.
IV. He had no care to seek the Lord thoroughly. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Rehoboam
I. Implied obligation. To seek the Lord is the obligation of all This is suggestive–
1. Of the loss sustained. How is God lost to man? He has lost–
(1) The true knowledge of His character.
(2) The conscious enjoyment of His favour.
(3) The blessedness of communion with Him.
2. Of its retrievableness. For this purpose–
(1) God has revealed Himself to man in His own nature.
(2) The redemptive work of Christ is made known.
(3) The Holy Spirit performs His beneficent functions.
3. Of the importance of its recovery.
II. Mental conviction. In Rehoboam we see mental conviction arising from knowledge of duty, promptings of conscience, consciousness of guilt. This is a mental state of frequent occurrence. It may be observed–
1. As the effect of truth. The Word of God is a discoverer of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Felix. There are many Felixes.
2. As intensified by circumstances.
3. As critical in its results. How much depends on moments of conviction! They are often the turning-points of destiny. It does not seem that Rehoboam ever paused in his downward career from this time forward.
III. Moral infirmity. There was want of decision in Rehoboam. He did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord. This may be traced–
1. To sensual habits (2Ch 11:18-23; 1Ki 14:21-24).
2. To evil companionship.
3. To Satanic temptation.
IV. Accumulated guilt. He did evil because, etc. This sin was parent of a host. He sinned in this neglect of known duty, and in what resulted from it. So do all who pursue a like course. They sin–
1. In resisting their convictions.
2. In self-depravation. Beware lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
3. The depravation of others. Through his guilty conduct the people were corrupted. One sinner destroyeth much good. (S. A. Browning.)
A heart not fixed
The marginal reading is, He fixed not his heart upon the Lord. This was a favourite expression of Davids. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed. His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. Perhaps it was intended to draw a contrast between the character of Rehoboam and his far worthier ancestor. Religion is not a thing that can be taken up in a loose, careless manner. It claims the whole purpose and energy of the heart. In the Pilgrims Progress, Prudence wished to know from Christian how he was enabled to overcome his temptations and to persevere in the good and holy way. Christians reply was, When I think of what I saw at the Cross, that will do it; when I look upon my broidered coat, that will do it; when I look into the roll that I carry in my bosom, that will do it; and when my thoughts wax warm about whither I am going, that will do it. I cannot do better than follow in the line of the great dreamers allegory.
I. The first condition of a fixed heart is a sight of the Cross. The worlds religion ends with forgiveness; Gods religion begins with it. There is nothing that imparts such solidity to character, and such strength and dignity to life, as conscious peace with Heaven.
II. The next thing is to look upon your broidered coat–the righteousness that is unto all and upon all them that believe.
III. Bunyans pilgrim looked also oftentimes into the roll which he carried in his bosom. Habitual study of the Bible is indispensable to a healthy condition of the soul. McCheyne would not speak to any one in the morning till he had first of all heard the voice of God. It gives a tone to the whole day, when we begin the day with Him.
IV. when his thoughts waxed warm about whither he was going, that gave fixedness to Christians heart. You may be none the less shrewd as to the interests of time because you are wise as to the concerns of eternity; like a trusty pilot, who, though his eyes are on the stars, keeps his hand upon the helm. (J. T. Davidson, D.D.)
True and false seeking
I. There is what one may call natural seeking. Seeking is the language of human want. The cravings of life will always demand attention. All the industries of the world, with their ten thousand beneficent developments, are the products of human wisdom to supply human wants. Human life is but a seeking in so many ways, from the cradle to the grave.
II. Seeking the Lord. This is not born of nature, but of grace. Seeking the Lord implies a conscious sense of weakness and insufficiency.
III. Heart preparation. All true and successful seeking of the Lord comes of prepared hearts. The heart is always the part that makes our hearing, believing, praying, and doing right or wrong. As soon as the sun rises in the morning the birds are ready to go forth from their nests to sing. So it is with all the moral forces or faculties of the soul when the heart is prepared to seek the Lord. The heart is to the whole man what the main-spring is to the watch–it sets all the other powers in motion. But as the bowl, says one, runs as the bias inclines it, and as the ship moves as the rudder steers it, so man seeks as the heart prompts him. A prepared heart is a loving heart, believing true and clean. It enters into the secret place of the Most High as a loving child enters into his fathers home. Whence cometh this preparation? There must be some efficient cause to account for the differences we see among men. The difference between the common field and the garden to-day has been brought about by the application of human thought and manual skill. It is even so with respect to differences among men. As the garden did not enclose itself, or of itself become more fertile than the field, neither have men become different among their fellows or before God except by different resolutions of will and energy of character. Those who exercise no forethought or natural sagacity become as the man who built his house upon the sand.
IV. The evil of neglecting to prepare the heart. Men may do evil by failing to do well. Mere neglect is sufficient to ruin a man. A man need not be openly profane or wicked to be excluded from Gods presence; he has but to neglect the means of grace, or to prepare his heart to seek the Lord while He may be found, to call upon Him while He is near. (John Kerr Campbell, D.D.)
.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Prepared not, or directed not, or settled not, &c, i.e. although he humbled himself, and seemed penitent for a season, and professed the true religion and worship of God; yet he quickly relapsed into his former sins, because he was not sincere nor serious in his actions, and his heart was not right with God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he did evil,…. Committed idolatry, relapsed into that, his humiliation not being hearty and sincere:
because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord; by prayer and supplication, and by an attendance on the service and worship of God; for though he did these things outwardly, yet not sincerely and heartily; he did not engage in them seriously and in good earnest, with affection and fervour.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(14) And he did evil.Syriac adds before the Lord. The nature of his evil-doing is explained immediately: for he directed not his heart to seek Jehovah. This estimate of Rehoboams conduct seems to refer to the early years of his reign, which ended in the catastrophe of Shishaks invasion. 1Ki. 14:22, says, And Judah did evil in the eyes of Jehovah ; and then goes on to tell of the acts of apostacy which brought that judgment upon the nation.
The phrase direct or prepare the heart to seek the Lord, recurs 2Ch. 19:3; 2Ch. 30:19; Ezr. 7:10.
The book.History.
Concerning genealogies.For registration (lehithyahsh). On the authorities here named, see the Introduction. The important particulars about the reign which are not given in Kings, e.g., the fortification of the southern cities, the migration of the priests, and Rehoboams private relations, were probably drawn by the chronicler from these sources.
First and last.The former and the latter. (See on, 2Ch. 17:3.)
And there were wars.And the wars of Rehoboam and Jeroboam [continued] all the days, i.e., throughout the reign. So 1Ki. 14:30, Now there had been war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days. Reuss is wrong in regarding this as a contradiction of 2Ch. 11:4. What Shemaiah forbade was a particular attempt to recover the obedience of the northern kingdom by force of arms. The permanent attitude of the rival kings could hardly be other than hostile, especially as Jeroboam appears to have instigated the Egyptian invasion of Judah; and this hostility must often have broken out into active injuries.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
DISCOURSE: 402
THE EVIL OF NEGLECTING PRAYER
2Ch 12:14. He did eril, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.
IF we were to judge by the conduct of all around us, we should suppose that religion required no effort; and that eternal happiness was to be acquired in a neglect of all the means which God has appointed for the attainment of it. But the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. The means are closely connected with the end. Even in earthly things, wealth is, for the most part, the fruit of diligence; and poverty the result of idleness: but in spiritual things it may be said invariably, that he who soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly, and that he who soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully. Of King Rehoboam we are informed, that there were hopeful appearances at the beginning, since for three years he and his people walked in the way of David and Solomon [Note: 2Ch 11:17.]: but when he was established in his kingdom, he for-sook the Law of the Lord, and all Israel with him [Note: ver. 1.]. From that period he did evil: which melancholy change is here accounted for: He did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.
From this conduct of his I will take occasion to shew,
I.
How alone man can be preserved from evil
It is by seeking after God; yet not simply by that, but by preparing the heart to seek him. Now this implies,
1.
Meditation
[A man can never prevail against sin, if he do not give himself to serious meditation upon the concerns of his soul. He must consider the end for which he has been sent into the world; the responsibility of his soul for the use of those means which God has appointed for his happiness; and, above all, the great wonders of redemption, whereby alone a fallen creature can ever obtain mercy with an offended God It is in this way only that he can get his mind into a proper frame for prosecuting the work which God has given him to do.]
2.
Self-examination
[It is necessary that we obtain correct views of our own state before God. And for this end we must compare ourselves, not with those around us, but with Gods revealed will, which alone will bring us to a just estimate of our own character. Persons of different ages, and under different circumstances, have peculiar temptations, and peculiar failings: and it is by searching out, each his own peculiar weaknesses and faults, that any real humiliation can be produced, or any clear perception of the evils to which we are most exposed. Without such a knowledge of our own hearts, we cannot seek God with effect. Then only, when we know our own sins, can we deplore them as we ought, or plead for mercy as we ought from our offended God.]
3.
Fixedness of heart to follow the dictates of our conscience
[The word prepared is, in the marginal translation, fixed. Now there must be in us a fixed purpose to renounce sin, and a determination, through grace, to surrender up ourselves entirely to God in newness of heart and life Without this fixedness of purpose, we shall vacillate between sin and duty, and never become steadfast in the ways of God.]
We may therefore easily foresee,
II.
The certain consequence of neglecting the appointed means
We shall do evil, and continue to do it even to the end. As long as we neglect to seek after God,
1.
Our corruptions will rage
[The heart of every man is full of evil. Our corruptions may vary according to our age or condition in life: but our besetting sins, whatever they may be, will gather strength. A fire, if not checked, will produce a conflagration, as long as there are any materials to burn. And our corruptions, if suffered to remain unmortified, will burn even to the lowest hell. There is in every man a spiritual, as well us a fleshly, filthiness; and both the one and the other will overspread the whole man, even like a leprosy, though under different forms, according to the dispositions and habits of every different individual.]
2.
Our temptations will multiply
[Men, if they turn not to God, will frequent those scenes which most amuse them, and that company which is most in accordance with their taste. Their pursuits will all be of such a nature as shall tend rather to confirm, than to eradicate, the corruptions of their hearts: and thus they will be working out their own damnation from day to day, even as a child of God is daily working out his salvation. What but ruin can proceed from such a course?]
3.
Our enemies will prevail
[Satan is a great adversary, whom we are commanded to oppose: and a divine panoply is provided for us, that we may be able to withstand him. But if we put not on our armour, how can we hope to vanquish him? He will lead us captive at his will, yea, as a roaring lion he will devour us.]
Get then your minds deeply imbued with,
1.
A sense of your weakness
[It is impossible to have too deep a sense of our incapacity for what is good. To be as a little child is almost the summit of human attainment. And, strange as it may appear, you never are so truly strong, as when you are thus weak: for then will God interpose for you, and perfect his own strength in your weakness.]
2.
A persuasion of the efficacy of prayer
[If we really believed that our prayers would be answered, methinks we should be urging our requests all the day long. Observe, in the Scriptures, Gods answers to prayer, how marked! how speedy! how effectual! Verily, however wide we might open our mouths, God would fill them: and all that he did for the Lord Jesus Christ corporeally, in raising him from the dead, and setting him at his own right hand above all the principalities and powers of heaven, he would do mystically and spiritually in us [Note: Eph 1:19-22. with 2:47.], and make us more than conquerors through Him who loved us.]
3.
A conviction of the necessity of holiness in order to your happiness in the eternal world
[To do evil, and continue in it, can issue in nothing but destruction. Christ came to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. Let, I pray you, the end of his grace be answered in this way: and never cease to plead with him, till he has delivered you from all evil, and bruised Satan himself under your exulting and triumphant feet.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 12:14 And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.
Ver. 14. Because he prepared not. ] Some good resolutions he had, but they were flashy and fleeting: he drew them not into execution, but was soon off all again; his quicksilver was not fixed. See 2Ch 12:6 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
he did evil. Compare 1Ki 14:22-24.
prepared, or fixed. Compare Psa 57:7; Psa 108:1, and Psa 112:7.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
he prepared: Heb. he fixed, 2Ch 11:16, 2Ch 19:3, 2Ch 30:19, 1Sa 7:3, 1Ch 29:18, Psa 57:7, Psa 78:8, Psa 78:37, 1Co 15:58, 1Co 16:13
to seek: Deu 5:29, Psa 105:3, Psa 105:4, Isa 45:19, Isa 55:6, Isa 55:7, Eze 33:31, Mat 7:7
Reciprocal: 2Ch 20:33 – had not Ezr 7:10 – prepared Job 11:13 – prepare Psa 119:80 – sound
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 12:14. He prepared not his heart, &c. Directed not, or settled not, &c. That is, although he humbled himself, and seemed penitent for a season, and professed the true religion and worship of God; yet he quickly relapsed into his former sins, because he was not sincere and serious in his actions, and his heart was not right with God. To seek the Lord He did not serve the Lord, because he did not seek the Lord. He did not pray to the Lord, as Solomon did, for wisdom and grace. Or he did not consult the word of God, did not seek to that as his oracle. Hence, what little goodness he had, passed away like the morning cloud, and he did evil because he was not fully determined for that which was good. Those are easily drawn aside to evil by Satan, who are wavering and inconstant in that which is good, and are not persuaded to make religion their business.