{"id":9251,"date":"2022-09-24T02:58:45","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T07:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-1-kings-1421\/"},"modified":"2022-09-24T02:58:45","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T07:58:45","slug":"exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-1-kings-1421","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-1-kings-1421\/","title":{"rendered":"Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 14:21"},"content":{"rendered":"

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam [was] forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name [was] Naamah an Ammonitess. <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n

21 24<\/strong>. The sinful reign of Rehoboam in Judah (2Ch 12:13<\/span>)<\/p>\n

21<\/strong>. Rehoboam<\/em> was forty and one years old<\/em> ] As Solomon’s reign lasted forty years (1Ki 11:42<\/span>), this son must have been born a year or more before his father came to the throne, and Solomon must have married this Ammonitish wife, Naamah, before Pharaoh’s daughter. The age of Rehoboam makes it strange that he should have been led by the counsels of young men rather than the elders, as we read in chap. 12, and appears to contradict the words of 2Ch 13:7<\/span>, where Rehoboam is described as ‘young and tender-hearted’ and not able to withstand the rebellion of Jeroboam. Hence the reading of a few MSS. in this passage, of 21 for 41 years, has been thought more probable, though it is not supported either by Josephus or by the narrative of Chronicles (2Ch 12:13<\/span>). May it not have been that the compilers used different documents and did not try to reconcile them?<\/p>\n

the Lord did choose<\/em> ] R.V. ‘the Lord had chosen<\/strong>.’ The choice had been made long before.<\/p>\n

his mother’s name<\/em> ] The high position and great influence of the queen-mother in Oriental courts accounts for the regular mention of the mother’s name in the history of each king’s reign. (See above on 1Ki 11:19<\/span>.) This Ammonitish princess must probably have been an idolatress, so that even in his father’s time, if the chronology of this verse be correct, the heart of Solomon went after strange women. The R.V. notes that the national designation of this princess has the article ‘ the<\/strong> Ammonitess’, she was probably well known.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

On the age of Rehoboam at his accession, see 1Ki 12:8<\/span> note. The 17 years of his reign must have been complete, or a little more than complete, if Abijam ascended the throne in the eighteenth year of Jeroboam 1Ki 15:1<\/span>.<\/P> <\/p>\n

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Rehoboam was forty and one years old; <\/B>therefore he was born a year before Solomon was king, as appears from 1Ki 11:42<\/span>. This is noted as an aggravation of Rehoboams folly, that he was old enough to have been wiser. <\/P>

An Ammonitess; <\/B>a people cursed by God, and shut out of the congregation of his people for ever, Deu 23:3<\/span>; Neh 13:1<\/span>. This is observed as one cause both of Gods displeasure in punishing Solomon with such a son, and of Rehoboams apostacy after his three first years, 2Ch 11:17<\/span>. <\/P> <\/p>\n

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

21. he reigned . . . inJerusalem<\/B>Its particular designation as “the city whichthe Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his namethere,” seems given here, both as a reflection on the apostasyof the ten tribes, and as a proof of the aggravated wickedness ofintroducing idolatry and its attendant vices there. <\/P>

his mother’s name was Naamahan Ammonitess<\/B>Her heathen extraction and her influence as queenmother are stated to account for Rehoboam’s tendency to depart fromthe true religion. Led by the warning of the prophet (1Ki12:23<\/span>), as well as by the large immigration of Israelites intohis kingdom (1Ki 12:17<\/span>; 2Ch 11:16<\/span>),he continued for the first three years of his reign a faithful patronof true religion (2Ch 11:17<\/span>).But afterwards he began and encouraged a general apostasy; idolatrybecame the prevailing form of worship, and the religious state of thekingdom in his reign is described by the high places, the idolatrousstatues, the groves and impure rites that with unchecked license wereobserved in them. The description is suited to the character of theCanaanitish worship. <\/P>

1Ki14:25-31<\/span>. SHISHAKSPOILS JERUSALEM.<\/P><\/p>\n

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah<\/strong>,…. Over the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, when Jeroboam reigned over the other ten:<\/p>\n

Rehoboam [was] forty one years old when he began to reign<\/strong>; being born one year before his father Solomon began to reign, and so it might have been expected he would have begun his reign more wisely than he did:<\/p>\n

and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem<\/strong>; not half so long as his father and grandfather, being neither so wise nor so good a prince as either of them:<\/p>\n

the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there<\/strong>; to have a temple built for him, and his worship carried on in it; which was an aggravation of the sin of Rehoboam, that he should reign in such a place, and yet be guilty of the crimes he was; the three first years he reigned well, but afterwards forsook the law of the Lord, 2Ch 11:17<\/span><\/p>\n

and his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess<\/strong>; and which is observed again, 1Ki 14:31<\/span>, she being the instrument of drawing him into idolatry, which it is very probable she practised in the days of Solomon, 1Ki 11:5<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Reign of Rehoboam in Judah (compare 2 Chron 11:5-12:16). – 1Ki 14:21<\/span>. Rehoboam, who ascended the throne at the age of forty-one, was born a year before the accession of Solomon (see at 1Ki 2:24<\/span>). In the description of Jerusalem as the city chosen by the Lord (cf., 1Ki 11:36<\/span>) there is implied not so much an indirect condemnation of the falling away of the ten tribes, as the striking contrast to the idolatry of Rehoboam referred to in 1Ki 14:23<\/span>. The name of his mother is mentioned (here and in 1Ki 14:31<\/span>), not because she seduced the king to idolatry (Ephr. Syr.), but generally on account of the great influence which the queen-mother appears to have had both upon the king personally and upon his government, as we may infer from the fact that the mother’s name is given in the case of every king of Judah (vid., 1Ki 15:2<\/span>, 1Ki 15:13<\/span>; 1Ki 22:42<\/span>, etc.).<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:22-24<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong> The general characteristics of Rehoboam’s reign are supplied and more minutely defined in the account in the Chronicles. According to 2 Chron 11:5-12:1, he appears to have been brought to reflection by the announcement of the prophet, that the falling away of the ten tribes had come from the Lord as a punishment for Solomon’s idolatry (1Ki 12:23-24<\/span>; 2Ch 11:2-4<\/span>); and in the first years of his reign to have followed the law of God with earnestness, and to have been occupied in the establishment of his government partly by the fortification of different cities (2Ch 11:5-12<\/span>), and partly by setting in order his domestic affairs, placing his numerous sons, who were born of his many wives and concubines, in the fortified cities of the land, and thus providing for them, and naming Abijam as his successor (2Ch 11:18-22<\/span>); while his kingdom was still further strengthened by the priests, Levites, and pious Israelites who emigrated to Judah and Jerusalem from the ten tribes (2Ch 11:13-17<\/span>). But this good beginning only lasted three years (2Ch 11:17<\/span>). When he thought that he had sufficiently fortified his kingdom, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel (i.e., all the covenant nation) with him (2Ch 12:1<\/span>). “Judah did that which was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; they provoked Him to jealousy more than all that their fathers (sc., under the Judges) had done with their sins.” , to provoke to jealousy (Num 5:14<\/span>), is to be explained, when it refers to God, from the fact that the relation in which God stood to His people was regarded under the figure of a marriage, in which Jehovah appears as the husband of the nation, who is angry at the unfaithfulness of his wife, i.e., at the idolatry of the nation. Compare the remarks on in the Comm. on Exo 20:5<\/span>.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:23<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong> They also (the Judaeans as well as the Israelites) built themselves bamoth<\/em>, altars of high places (see at 1Ki 3:3<\/span>), monuments and Ashera-idols. are not actual images of gods, but stones set up as memorials (Gen 31:13<\/span>; Gen 35:20<\/span>; Exo 24:4<\/span>), more especially stone monuments set up in commemoration of a divine revelation (Gen 28:18<\/span>, Gen 28:22<\/span>; Gen 35:14<\/span>). Like the bamoth<\/em>, in connection with which they generally occur, they were originally dedicated to Jehovah; but even under the law they were forbidden, partly as places of divine worship of human invention which easily degenerated into idolatry, but chiefly because the Canaanites had erected such monuments to Baal by the side of his altars (Exo 23:24<\/span>; Exo 34:13<\/span>; Deu 7:5<\/span>, etc.), whereby the worship of Jehovah was unconsciously identified with the worship of Baal, even when the mazzeboth<\/em> were not at first erected to the Canaanitish Baal. As the of the Canaanites were dedicated to Baal, so were the to Astarte, the female nature-deity of those tribes. , however, does not mean a grove<\/em> (see the Comm. on Deu 16:21<\/span>), but an idol of the Canaanitish nature-goddess, generally most likely a lofty wooden pillar, though sometimes perhaps a straight trunk of a tree, the branches and crown of which were lopped off, and which was planted upon heights and in other places by the side of the altars of Baal. The name was transferred from the idol to the goddess of nature (1Ki 15:13<\/span>; 1Ki 18:19<\/span>; 2Ki 21:7<\/span>, etc.), and was used of the image or column of the Phoenician Astarte (1Ki 16:33<\/span>; 2Ki 13:6<\/span>; 2Ki 17:16<\/span>, etc.), just as in Jdg 3:7<\/span> alternates with in Jdg 2:13<\/span>. These idols the Israelites (? Judaeans – Tr.) appear to have also associated with the worship of Jehovah; for the external worship of Jehovah was still maintained in the temple, and was performed by Rehoboam himself with princely pomp (1Ki 14:28<\/span>). “On every high hill,” etc.; see at Deu 12:2<\/span>.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:24<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong> “There were also prostitutes in the land.” is used collectively as a generic name, including both male and female hierodylae, and is exchanged for the plural in 1Ki 15:12<\/span>. The male had emasculated themselves in religious frenzy in honour of the Canaanitish goddess of nature, and were called Galli by the Romans. They were Canaanites, who had found their way into the land of Judah when idolatry gained the upper hand (as indicated by ). “They appear here as strangers among the Israelites, and are those notorious Cinaedi more especially of the imperial age of Rome who travelled about in all directions, begging for the Syrian goddess, and even in the time of Augustine went about asking for alms in the streets of Carthage as a remnant of the Phoenician worship ( de civ. Dei<\/em>, vii. 26).” – Movers, p. 679. On the female see the Comm. on Gen 38:21<\/span> and Deu 23:18<\/span>.<\/p>\n

This sinking into heathen abominations was soon followed by the punishment, that Judah was given up to the power of the heathen.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:25-27<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong> King Shishak<\/em> of Egypt invaded the land with a powerful army, conquered all the fortified cities, penetrated to Jerusalem, and would probably have put an end to the kingdom of Judah, if God had not had compassion upon him, and saved him from destruction, in consequence of the humiliation of the king and of the chiefs of the nation, caused by the admonition of the prophet Shemaiah, so that after the conquest of Jerusalem Shishak contented himself with withdrawing, taking with him the treasures of the temple and of the royal palace. Compare the fuller account of this expedition in 2Ch 12:2-9<\/span>. Shishak ( ) was the first king of the twenty-second (or Bubastitic) dynasty, called Sesonchis<\/em> in Jul. Afric., Sesonchosis<\/em> in Eusebius, and upon the monuments on which Champollion first deciphered his name, Sheshonk<\/em> or Sheshenk<\/em>. Shishak has celebrated his expedition against Judah by a bas-relief on the outer wall of the pillar-hall erected by him in the first palace at Karnak, in which more than 130 figures are led in cords by Ammon<\/em> and the goddess Muth<\/em> with their hands bound upon their backs. The lower portion of the figures of this long row of prisoners is covered by escutcheons, the border of which being provided with battlements, shows that the prisoners are symbols of conquered cities. About a hundred of these escutcheons are still legible, and in the names upon them a large number of the names of cities in the kingdom of Judah have been deciphered with tolerable certainty.<\/p>\n

(Note: Compare Max Duncker, Gesch. des Alterthums<\/em>, Bd. i. p. 909, ed. 3, and for the different copies of this bas-relief in the more recent works upon Egypt, Reutschi in Herzog ‘ s Cycl<\/em>. (art. Rehoboam<\/em>). The latest attempts at deciphering are those by Brugsch, Geogr. Inschriften in den gypt<\/em>. Denkmltern<\/em>, ii. p. 56ff., and O. Blau, Sisaqs Zug gegen Juda aus dem Denkmale bei Karnak erlutert<\/em>, in the Deutsch. morgenl. Ztschr<\/em>. xv. p. 233ff. Champollion ‘ s interpretation of one of these escutcheons, in his Prcis du systme hierogl<\/em>. p. 204, viz., Juda hammalek<\/em>, “ the king of Judah, ” has been rejected by Lepsius and Brugsch as philologically inadmissible. Brugsch writes the name thus: Judh malk<\/em> or Joud-hamalok<\/em>, and identifies Judh<\/em> with Jehudijeh<\/em>, which Robinson ( Pal<\/em>. iii. p. 45) supposes to be the ancient Jehud ( Jos 19:45<\/span>). This Jehud<\/em> in the tribe of Dan, Blau (p. 238) therefore also finds in the name; and it will not mislead any one that this city is reckoned as belonging to the tribe of Dan, since in the very same chapter (Jos 19:42<\/span>) Ajalon is assigned to Dan, though it was nevertheless a fortress of Rehoboam (2Ch 11:10<\/span>). But Blau has not given any explanation of the addition malk<\/em> or malok<\/em>, whereas Gust. Roesch takes it to be , and supposes it to mean “ Jehud of the king, namely, of Rehoboam or of Judah, on account of its being situated in Dan, which belonged to the northern kingdom. ” But this is certainly incorrect. For where could the Egyptians have obtained this exact knowledge of the relation in which the tribes of the nation of Israel stood to one another?) <\/p>\n

Shishak was probably bent chiefly upon the conquest and plundering of the cities. But from Jerusalem, beside other treasures of the temple and palace, he also carried off the golden shields that had been made by Solomon (1Ki 10:16<\/span>), in the place of which Rehoboam had copper ones made for his body-guard. The guard, , runners, are still further described as , “who kept the door of the king’s house,” i.e., supplied the sentinels for the gate of the royal palace.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:28<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong> Whenever the king went into the house of Jehovah, the runners carried these shields; from which we may see that the king was accustomed to go to the temple with solemn pomp. These shields were not kept in the state-house of the forest of Lebanon (1Ki 10:17<\/span>) as the golden shields were, but in the guard-chamber ( ; see at Eze 40:7<\/span>) of the runners.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:29-30<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong> Further particulars are given in 2 Chron 11 and 12 concerning the rest of the acts of Rehoboam. “There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam the whole time (of their reign).” As nothing is said about any open war between them, and the prophet Shemaiah prohibited the attack which Rehoboam was about to make upon the tribes who had fallen away (1Ki 11:23<\/span>.), can only denote the hostile feelings and attitude of the two rulers towards one another.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:31<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong> Death and burial of Rehoboam<\/em>: as in the case of Solomon (1Ki 11:43<\/span>). The name of the queen-mother has already been given in 1Ki 14:21<\/span>, and the repetition of it here may be explained on the supposition that in the original sources employed by the author of our books it stood in this position. The son and successor of Rehoboam upon the throne is called Abijam<\/em> ( ) in the account before us; whereas in the Chronicles he is always called Abijah<\/em> ( , 2Ch 12:16<\/span>; 2Ch 13:1<\/span>, etc., or , 2Ch 13:21<\/span>). , i.e., father of the sea, is unquestionably the older form of the name, which was reduced to , and then identified with the formation from and = (from ).<\/p>\n

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Rehoboam’s Disgrace and Death.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD>

B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 960.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE>

      21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was<\/I> forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD<\/B> did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was<\/I> Naamah an Ammonitess.   22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD<\/B>, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.   23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.   24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and<\/I> they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD<\/B> cast out before the children of Israel.   25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that<\/I> Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:   26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD<\/B>, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.   27 And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them<\/I> unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king’s house.   28 And it was so,<\/I> when the king went into the house of the LORD<\/B>, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.   29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are<\/I> they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?   30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their<\/I> days.   31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother’s name was<\/I> Naamah an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.<\/P>

      Judah’s story and Israel’s are intermixed in this book. Jeroboam out-lived Rehoboam, four or five years, yet his history is despatched first, that the account of Rehoboam’s reign may be laid together; and a sad account it is.<\/P>

      I. Here is no good said of the king. All the account we have of him here is, 1. That he was forty-one years old when he began to reign, by which reckoning he was born in the last year of David, and had his education, and the forming of his mind, in the best days of Solomon; yet he lived not up to these advantages. Solomon’s defection at last did more to corrupt him than his wisdom and devotion had done to give him good principles. 2. That he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city where God put his name,<\/I> where he had opportunity enough to know his duty, if he had but had a heart to do it. 3. That his mother was Naamah, an Ammonitess; this is twice mentioned, 1Ki 14:21<\/span>; 1Ki 14:31<\/span>. It was strange that David would marry his son Solomon to an Ammonitess (for it was done while he lived), but it is probable that Solomon was in love with her, because she was Naamah,<\/I> a beauty<\/I> (so it signifies), and his father was loth to cross him, but it proved to have a very bad influence upon posterity. Probably she was daughter to Shobi the Ammonite, who was kind to David (2 Sam. xvii. 27<\/span>), and David was too willing to requite him by matching his son into his family. None can imagine how lasting and how fatal the consequences may be of being unequally yoked with unbelievers. 4. That he had continual war with Jeroboam (v.<\/I><\/span> 30<\/span>), which could not but be a perpetual uneasiness to him. 5. That when he had reigned but seventeen years he died, and left his throne to his son. His father, and grandfather, and grandson, that reigned well, reigned long, forty years apiece. But sin often shortens men’s lives and comforts.<\/P>

      II. Here is much evil said of the subjects, both as to their character and their condition.<\/P>

      1. See here how wicked and profane they were. It is a most sad account that is here given of their apostasy from God, v.<\/I><\/span> 22-24<\/span>. Judah, the only professing people God had in the world, did evil in his sight,<\/I> in contempt and defiance of him and the tokens of his special presence with them; they provoked him to jealousy,<\/I> as the adulterous wife provokes her husband by breaking the marriage-covenant. Their fathers had been bad enough, especially in the times of the judges, but they did abominable things, above all that their fathers had done.<\/I> The magnificence of their temple, the pomp of their priesthood, and all the secular advantages with which their religion was attended, could not prevail to keep them to it. Nothing less than the pouring out of the Spirit from on high<\/I> will keep God’s Israel in their allegiance to him. The account here given of the wickedness of the Jews agrees with that which the apostle gives of the wickedness of the Gentile world (Rom 1:21<\/span>; Rom 1:24<\/span>), so that both Jew and Gentile are<\/I> alike under sin,<\/I> Rom. iii. 9<\/I><\/span>. (1.) They became vain in their imaginations<\/I> concerning God, and changed his glory into an image,<\/I> for they built themselves high places, images, and groves<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 23<\/span>), profaning God’s name by affixing to it their images, and God’s ordinances by serving their idols with them. They foolishly fancies that they exalted God when they worshipped him on high hills and pleased him when they worshipped him under the pleasant shadow of green trees. (2.) They were given up to vile affections (as those idolaters Rom 1:26<\/span>; Rom 1:27<\/span>), for there were sodomites in the land<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 24<\/span>), men with men working that which is unseemly,<\/I> and not to be thought of, much less mentioned, without abhorrence and indignation. They dishonoured God by one sin and then God left them to dishonour themselves by another. They profaned the privileges of a holy nation, therefore God gave them up to their own hearts’ lusts, to imitate the abominations of the accursed Canaanites; and herein the Lord was righteous. And, when they did like those that were cast out,<\/I> how could they expect any other than to be cast out like them?<\/P>

      2. See here how weak and poor they were; and this was the consequence of the former. Sin exposes, impoverishes, and weakens any people. Shishak, king of Egypt, came against them, and so far, either by force or surrender, made himself master of Jerusalem itself that he took away the treasures both of the temple and of the exchequer, of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, which David and Solomon had amassed, 1Ki 14:25<\/span>; 1Ki 14:26<\/span>. These, it is likely, tempted him to make his descent; and, to save the rest, Rehoboam perhaps tamely surrendered them, as Ahab, ch.<\/I><\/span> xx. 4<\/span>. He also took away the golden shields that were made but in his father’s time, v.<\/I><\/span> 26<\/span>. These the king of Egypt carried off as trophies of his victory; and, instead of them, Rehoboam made brazen shields, which the life-guard carried before him when he went to church in state, 1Ki 14:27<\/span>; 1Ki 14:28<\/span>. This was an emblem of the diminution of his glory. Sin makes the gold become dim, changes the most fine gold, and turns it into brass. We commend Rehoboam for going to the house of the Lord,<\/I> perhaps the oftener for the rebuke he had been under, and do not condemn him for going in pomp. Great men should honour God with their honour, and then they are themselves most honoured by it.<\/P><\/p>\n

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:21-31<\/span>. From incidents associated with the kingdom of ISRAEL, the historian now turns to JUDAH. <\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:28<\/span>. Naamah an Ammonitess<\/strong>Sept.<\/em> reads: Daughter of Ana [Hanun?] son of Naas [Nahash], king of the Ammonites. Her heathen extraction is marked as indicating her natural alienation from the religion of Jehovah. As queen-mother, she had great influence in the Government. <\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:23<\/span>. Images and groves<\/strong>On groves,vide<\/em> Note on. <\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:15<\/span>. supra<\/em>. Here , images or pillars<\/em>, from , to he firmly set, or made fast; probably stone pillars, or monumental idols, representing the male deity, Baal, as the Ashterahs, wooden idols, represented the female deity. <\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:24<\/span>. There were also sodomites in the land<\/strong>. These were vicious paramours, detestable persons who practised, as a religious rite, a vile self-desecration. They were male prostitutes, and are ranked in Scripture with harlots (Deu. 23:17<\/span>). <\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:25<\/span>. Shishak, king of Egypt<\/strong>On the Karnak basrelief this Sheshonk (as he is named in Egyptian monuments) is represented as dragging Jewish captives.W. H. J.<\/p>\n

HOMILETICS OF <\/em>1Ki. 14:21-31<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

IDOLATRY AS A CAUSE OF NATIONAL DECAY<\/p>\n

I. That idolatry is a degradation to the holiest place<\/strong>. Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Israel to put His name there (1Ki. 14:21<\/span>). The spot was hallowed as the dwelling-place of Jehovah and by manifold revelations of His glory. It was no slight degradation that this holy city should be debased by the idolatrous rites of the heathen. Idolatry pollutes everything it touches. There was no visible church upon earth but here; and this what a one! O God, how low dost thou sometimes suffer thine own flock to be driven! what woful wanes and eclipses hast thou ordained for this heavenly body. But the gloomy times of corruption shall not last always, the light of truth and peace shall at length break out, and bless the sad hearts of the righteous.<\/p>\n

II. That idolatry is the originator and patron of the most abominable vices<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

1. It corrupts a whole nation<\/em>. And Judah<\/em> did evil above all that their fathers had done (1Ki. 14:22-23<\/span>). It is no longer the individual monarch who is blamed, but the people; the evil practices have become national. One sinner destroyeth much good; one false officer may corrupt an entire army; an idolatrous king is a curse to a country. The mother of Rehoboam was an Ammonitess (1Ki. 14:21<\/span>), a bad wife for a king of Israel; and her son soon partook more of the temper of Ammon, the idolater, than of the spirit of Abraham. <\/p>\n

2. It sanctions the most abominable vices<\/em> (1Ki. 14:24<\/span>). What a strange incongruity is thisSodom in Jerusalem! idols in Judah! Surely debauched profession proves desperate; admit the idols, you cannot doubt of the sodomy. If they have changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things, it is no marvel if God gave them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves. They dishonoured God by one sin, and God left them to dishonour themselves by another. The most outrageous sins have been committed under the sanction of idolatrous worship. <\/p>\n

3. It is specially offensive to God<\/em>. They provoked Him to jealousy with their sins (1Ki. 14:22<\/span>). This expression is a metaphor which views the relation of God and His people as the marriage covenant, in which the people are represented as a faithless wife. No act of infidelity can be so secret as to elude the eyes of God. Judah did evil in the sight<\/em> of the Lord. What emotions must arise in the heart of God as He is a silent and invisible Spectator of the sins of His people!<\/p>\n

III. That idolatry destroys the bravery of a nation<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

1. It is powerless to repel the invasion of an enemy<\/em> (1Ki. 14:25<\/span>). It may be that Jeroboam incited the Egyptian king to make war against Judah; but it is a revelation of the condition of weakness into which the kingdom had sunk that Jeroboam saw his rival would become an easy prey to the Egyptian army. How great a change was this to the vigour and bravery of the days of David, when the surrounding nations were kept in awe by his victorious sword, and the Jewish kingdom acquired the position of a first-rate military power! Idolatry emasculates the manhood of a people, and it becomes demoralized and cowed in the presence of an enemy which before it had confronted with bravery. <\/p>\n

2. It reduces a nation to poverty<\/em> (1Ki. 14:26-28<\/span>). Religion promotes the wealth of a nation and guards it from spoliation. While Rehoboam and his people walked in the fear of God (2Ch. 11:17<\/span>), the accumulated riches of Solomon remained undisturbed; but when they forsook the Lord (ib.<\/em> 1Ki. 12:1<\/span>), then Shishak, the instrument of Divine retribution, was permitted to invade Jerusalem and carry away its immense treasures. And now, instead of the golden shields which glittered in the presence of Solomon on great state occasions, Rehoboam is glad enough to substitute brassan emblem of the degeneracy of Judah. How soon the mention of the profusion of gold in the age of Solomon is succeeded by this mention of brass in its place! Such are the evanescent vanities of this worlds riches! Idolatry will bring the most prosperous nation to beggary.<\/p>\n

IV. That idolatry is a fruitful source of fraternal enmity<\/strong>. There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days (1Ki. 14:30<\/span>). Not merely a feeling of hostility, but frequent wars. We are not to suppose that the Word of the Lord by Shemaiah (1Ki. 12:24<\/span>) was any more observed in the later history of Rehoboam than it was by his sons. Of all quarrels, those between people of near kindred are the most bitter and disastrous. Where true religion is ignored, the bond of unity and brotherhood is destroyed. Idolatry encourages a restless strife after an unholy and tyrannical supremacy, rather than contends for the honour of God and the supreme authority of His law.<\/p>\n

V. That idolatry hurries its votaries to an untimely and dishonoured grave<\/strong> (1Ki. 14:31<\/span>). Brief as was the reign of Rehoboam, that of his son and successor was briefer still (chap. 1Ki. 15:2<\/span>). Sin shortens human life, robs it of many pleasures, and surrounds its close with gloom and misery. Even the pious are impressed with the brevity of life. Alas! was the touching lament of Grotius, I have lost my life in doing nothing with great labour! What can be said of the close of a life wasted in folly and in wicked opposition to God?<\/p>\n

LESSONS:<\/p>\n

1. Religion it the secret of a nations greatness<\/em>. <\/p>\n

2. No nation can prosper when it forsakes God<\/em>. <\/p>\n

3. There is no limit to the abominations of a nation when it gives itself up to idolatry<\/em>.<\/p>\n

GERM N0TES ON THE VERSES<\/em><\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:21-30<\/span>. The deep fall of Judah<\/strong>. I. Whence it came (Deu. 32:15<\/span>; Hos. 13:6<\/span>; Pro. 30:9<\/span>). II. Whither it led (Rom. 1:25<\/span>; Rom. 1:28<\/span>). Amongst individual men, as in entire communities, cities, and nations, revolt against the living God results from haughtiness, over-prosperity, and carnal security, bringing, as inevitable consequences, poverty, ruin, and misfortune in war. High as stood Judah under David and Solomon, so deep in proportion did it sink under Rehoboam.Lange<\/em>.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:21-22<\/span>. Wherever God has a house, the Devil always builds a chapel close at hand. How often does it happen that cities and countries, whence it has been ordained by God that the light of His knowledge should shine forth, have become the seat alike of superstition and of scepticism, and thus infinitely sink below the level of those lands which have never heard His blessed Word.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:22<\/span>. The enormity of sin<\/strong>. I. Is not unnoticed by the Omniscient One. It is committed in the sight of God. II. Is a trial to the love of God. They provoked Him to jealousy with their sins. III. Is a flagrant evidence of faithlessness to the Divine Covenant. IV. Earns an unenviable notoriety. Above all that their fathers had done.<\/p>\n

Idolatry and immorality rather increased than decreased, and the fall of Judah seems to have been even deeper than that of Israel. However, the condition of Judah was not so bad as the condition of Israel in this respect; as in the latter the breach of the fundamental law had become the state religion and institution of the kingdom, the separate existence of which depended on the new worship; whilst in Judah the apostasy was only permitted, and the lawful worship of Jehovah had always a firm footing at the central sanctuary. Many good elements also still existed in Judah (2Ch. 20:12<\/span>). Judah always repented as often as they fell into idolatry, and they continued to be the guardian of the law; whilst Israel, on the contrary, never completely returned to the right way.Lange<\/em>.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:23-24<\/span>. Wherever profligacy and fornication are in the ascendant, there is true heathendom, how many soever may be the churches. King Rehoboam, too, sinned grievously in this wise he, although not himself an idol-worshipper, yet failed as a servant of God, in that he did not oppose idol worship with all his might, and even regarded it as having equal rights with the service of the true Godeven, alas! as we find Christian sovereigns who permit unbelief and revolt from the truth to rank upon a level with faith and confession of God in Christ.Ibid.<\/em><\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:23<\/span>. One great object of the Mosaic dispensation was to maintain, in the persons of the Israelites, a living testimony against the polytheism which had overspread the nations; and whatever might directly or indirectly tend to the worship of many gods, or to the associating of other gods of mans devising with the only real God, Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth, was carefully guarded against and discouraged. When, in process of time, the high places and groves of primitive worship became consecrated to divers idols, the danger was that, in adopting the use of them, the Israelites should retain some lingering recollection of the God to whom they had been set apart; and this, gathering strength, would insensibly lead them into idolatry, and to the association of other gods with Jehovah.Kitto<\/em>.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:25<\/span>. Where the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together (Mat. 24:28<\/span>). The chastisements of God are never delayed where immorality and godlessness prevail, but they do not always lead, as with Judah, to the humble confession, The Lord is righteous (2Ch. 22:6<\/span>). Sovereigns are often only the instruments of God in their undertakings, although they do not or will not recognize the fact.Calwer<\/em>.<\/p>\n

So long as Rehoboam continued in a right course, the king of Egypt was restrained by the Lord from the measures he contemplated; but no sooner had the king, with his people, sinned against Jehovah, than the hands of this powerful prince were loosened, and he proceeded to invade the land with a mighty host. This was the first time the Egyptians had appeared in the sacred land with hostile purposes against the Hebrews; and it is probable that so formidable a body of chariots, horsemen, and infantry had never before invaded the country. The appearance of this new enemy, whose power and resources they well knew, must have filled the Judahites with dreadthe rather, as their unfaithfulness had disentitled them to the right of looking to the Lord for his protection.Kitto<\/em>.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:26<\/span>. The true treasures of the Temple are the worship of God in spirit and in truth, prayer, faith, love, and obedience: these no thieves nor robbers can steal and without them all the gold and silver in temples and churches is vain and empty show. Golden or copper shields are alike in value if only we can say: The Lord is our shield, and the Holy One of Israel our King.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:27-28<\/span>. The pride of poverty<\/strong>. I. Descends to paltry imitations. II. Delights in pompous parade. III. Exaggerates the value of what it possesses.<\/p>\n

It is better to pray to our Heavenly Father in our closet, rather than to worship with pomp in church to be seen by men. Yet now there are many who ceremoniously frequent the churches, but neglect to maintain the fear of God, discipline, and good morals in their own houses and neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:30-31<\/span>. It is not to a mans honour when, at his grave, these words are said: There was life-long enmity between him and his neighbour.Lange<\/em>.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:30<\/span>. Jealousy a fruitful source of mischief<\/strong>. I. Engenders hatred among the nearest kindred. II. Is the cause of the most horrible wars. III. Is very difficult to allay.<\/p>\n

1Ki. 14:31<\/span>. We are not to conclude that Rehoboam himself served idols; on the contrary, it is emphatically said, that in solemn procession, accompanied by his whole body-guard, he continually visited the Temple, and thus showed himself publicly to the people as a worshipper of Jehovah. But he forsook the law in so far that he did not obey its injunctions; he suffered idolatrous worship in Jerusalem, and did nothing towards exterminating it. This was the evil he was accused of: he continued Jehovahs servant, but he wanted firmness and decision. Sometimes fiery and arrogant, sometimes yielding and weak, he was unstable, as he had shown himself in Shechem at the commencement of his reign. He seems also to have been under the influence of his idolatrous mother (1Ki. 14:31<\/span>), and wife (chap. 1Ki. 15:13<\/span>), and of his many wives (2Ch. 11:21<\/span>).Lange<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

I. THE FIRST THREE KINGS OF JUDAH 14:21-15:24
(931870 B.C.)<\/p>\n

The first three kings of Judah ruled for sixty-one years. In this section the author speaks of (1) the apostasy of Rehoboam (1Ki. 14:21-31<\/span>); (2) the hypocrisy of Abijam (1Ki. 15:1-8<\/span>); and (3) the reformation of Asa (1Ki. 15:9-24<\/span>)<\/p>\n

A. THE APOSTASY OF REHOBOAM 14:2131<\/p>\n

In dealing with the unfaithfulness of Judah under Rehoboam, the historian first describes (1) the extent of the apostasy (1Ki. 14:21-24<\/span>), and then (2) the punishment of the apostasy. The chapter closes with (3) a brief summary note about Rehoboam (1Ki. 14:29-31<\/span>).<\/p>\n

First King of Judah
REHOBOAM BEN SOLOMON
931 913 B.C.
(liberator or enlarger of the people)<\/p>\n

1 Kings 12:124<\/span>; 14:2131<\/span>; 2<\/span> Chronicles 10-12<\/p>\n

Synchronism
Rehoboam 1 = Jeroboam 1
Contemporary Prophet
Shemaiah<\/p>\n

Mother: Naamah<\/p>\n

Appraisal: Bad<\/p>\n

in the multitude of people is the kings honor-, but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince. Proverbs 14:28<\/span><\/p>\n

1. THE EXTENT OF THE APOSTASY (1Ki. 14:21-24<\/span>)<\/p>\n

TRANSLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

(21) Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon ruled in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he ruled seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD chose from all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. And the name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonitess. (22) And Judah did that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and they made Hun jealous more than all which their fathers had done in their sins which they committed. (23) And they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim upon every high hill and under every green tree. (24) And also male temple prostitutes came to be in the land; they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD had driven out from before the children of Israel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having brought to a close his treatment of the first king in the North, the historian now turns his attention to the reign of Rehoboam who ruled simultaneously in the South. Rehoboam was no child when he foolishly responded to the elders of the Northern tribes and thereby lost their allegiance. He was forty-one when he became, king. He ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, the capital of Gods own choosing. It was a great advantage to Rehoboam to have as the seat of his government the city which God had chosen for His Temple and thus this point is emphasized by the historian in 1Ki. 14:21<\/span>. The name of Rehoboams mother is givenshe was Naamah (peasant) the Ammonitess (1Ki. 14:21<\/span>). The name of the mother is given with every king in Judah, probably because of the position of influence which the queen mother occupied in the kingdom.<\/p>\n

It is somewhat shocking that there was extensive religious deterioration and apostasy in Judah during the reign of Rehoboam. From the account in Chronicles it would appear that the tiny nation remained faithful to the Lord for the first three or four years of this reign. But when Rehoboam began to feel secure, the defection commenced (2Ch. 12:1<\/span>). It is perhaps noteworthy that the historian says Judah, not Rehoboam, did evil. Perhaps the king himself remained faithful and was unable to suppress the idolatrous tendencies which had crept in under his father Solomon. Be that as it may, the evil in Judah provoked the Lord to jealousy. Israel was the bride of the Lord and whenever the nation got carried away with the worship of other gods, the Scriptures speak anthropomorphically of Gods jealousy. The apostasy was quite serious, for the people exceeded their fathers in sin (1Ki. 14:22<\/span>). Just as in the Northern Kingdom, the people built high places where they might worship the astral deities. They erected the pillars which symbolized Baal and the poles which were symbols of Asherah.[363] These abominations were found throughout the land on every high hill and under every green tree (1Ki. 14:23<\/span>). Shady spots were necessary for the immoral rites associated with Baal worship. Most shocking of all, male cult prostitutes[364] sprang up around the land. Whether these were homosexual[365] or heterosexual prostitutes is uncertain. For these abominations the Lord cast out the Canaanites (1Ki. 14:24<\/span>), and now His own people had adopted these practices!<\/p>\n

[363] The Ras Shamra texts revealed that Asherah was the mother-goddess of the fertility cult.<\/p>\n

[364] According to Deu. 23:18<\/span> cult prostitutes were of both sexes. The masculine here may embrace both male and female prostitutes.<\/p>\n

[365] That castrated Sodomites were known in ancient Israel is indicated by Deu. 23:2<\/span>.<\/p>\n

2. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE APOSTASY (1Ki. 14:25-28<\/span>)<\/p>\n

TRANSLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

(25) And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak, king of Egypt, went up against Jerusalem. (26) And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the house of the king, and everything he took away, even taking the shields of gold which Solomon had made. (27) And King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze, and committed them into the hand of the commanders of the guard who kept the door of the kings house. (28) And it came to pass when the king went up to the house of the LORD, the guard carried them; and then they returned them to the chamber of the guard.<\/strong><\/p>\n

COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

The apostasy in Judah was punished rather swiftly by the Lord. In the fifth year of Rehoboam (926 B.C.) the great Pharaoh Shishak invaded the land (1Ki. 14:25<\/span>). Egypt was overjoyed at the turn of events in Canaan. The mighty empire of Solomon had been divided. No doubt this is the very thing which Shishak had hoped for when he granted asylum to Jeroboam several years earlier. At last Egypt could reassert her claims to dominion over Palestine. A record of this invasion is inscribed on one of the pylons of the great Amon temple at Karnak (Thebes) in lower Egypt. This inscription contains the names of between fifty and sixty localities in Israel and about a hundred in Judah which were captured on this expedition.[366] Scripture makes no direct mention of the fact that the kingdom of Jeroboam suffered along with Judah, but there is a hint to this effect in the notice that Jeroboam moved his capital temporarily into the region of Transjordan (1Ki. 12:25<\/span>).<\/p>\n

[366] Shishak left at Megiddo a stele of which fragments have been found. The best discussion of this campaign is B. Mazor, The Campaign of Pharaoh Shishak to Palestine, SVT, IV (1957), 5766.<\/p>\n

The Chronicler relates that at the approach of Shishak, Rehoboam and the nation repented of their transgressions and begged God for mercy. God heard that prayer and spared Jerusalem from destruction at the hands of Shishak (2Ch. 12:5-8<\/span>). Nevertheless, to teach His people the bitter results of sin, God permitted them to be brought under tributary obligation to Shishak. The Egyptian invader took away all the treasures of the house of the Lord as well as those of the kings palace, including the beautiful shields of gold which Solomon had hung in the house of the forest of Lebanon (1Ki. 14:26<\/span>). Rehoboam could do no better than to replace these golden shields with shields of bronze or copper (1Ki. 14:27<\/span>) which were carried by the royal bodyguards (lit., runners) whenever the king made an official visit to the Temple. After the parade these shields were immediately returned to guard chambers so as to conceal from the people the humiliating fact that bronze had been substituted for gold (1Ki. 14:28<\/span>). What a contrast! Solomons golden shields were put on public display in the house of the forest of Lebanon; but the shields of bronze were of so little value that they were stored in a guard chamber. The shields of bronze are a striking evidence of the decadence of Rehoboams kingdom. Try as he may to maintain the grandeur of Solomons court, Rehoboam was but a pale imitation of his father.<\/p>\n

2. A CONCLUDING NOTE ON THE REIGN OF REHOBOAM (1Ki. 14:29-31<\/span>)<\/p>\n

TRANSLATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

(29) And the rest of the acts of Rehoboam and all which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? (30) And war occurred between Rehoboam and Jeroboam constantly. (31) And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And the name of his mother was Naamah the Ammonitess; and Abijam his son reigned in his stead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

COMMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this formal conclusion to the account of Rehoboam the historian alludes to his source of informationthe book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah (1Ki. 14:29<\/span>). He adds the information that a state of war or perhaps an armed truce existed between Rehoboam and his counterpart in the North, Jeroboam, throughout the seventeen years in which they simultaneously reigned (1Ki. 14:30<\/span>). Shemaiah the prophet had prohibited a full-scale invasion of the North by Rehoboam, and thus it is unlikely that 1Ki. 14:30<\/span> is referring to organized campaigns. Rather the reference here is probably to incessant border skirmishes and raids.<\/p>\n

The account concludes with a note that Rehoboam died peacefully (he slept with his fathers) and was buried in the family tomb in the city of David, i.e., the southeastern hill of Jerusalem.[367] The name of Rehoboams Ammonitess mother is repeated from 1Ki. 14:21<\/span>, perhaps suggesting that she was the one who had unduly influenced Rehoboam to walk the paths of apostasy. Finally, the name of Rehoboams son and successor, Abijam (or Abijah[368] as it appears in Chronicles) is given (1Ki. 14:31<\/span>).<\/p>\n

[367] The phrase slept with his fathers may reflect the mortuary custom of laying corpses on benches in the burial cave as though on a couch. Honor, JCBR, p. 208.<\/p>\n

[368] It may be that the author of Kings has deliberately corrupted the name Abijah (my father is Yahweh) to make it Abijam (my father is Yam). Yam was the Canaanite sea god. Some Hebrew manuscripts, however, read here Abijah.<\/p>\n

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

(21) And Rehoboam.<\/strong>Here begins the second series of the booka series of brief annals, touching only the main points of the history of the kings of Israel and Judah, till the appearance of Elijah (1Ki. 17:1<\/span>). In respect of the kingdom of Judah, and of Israel so far as it is connected with Judah, it is largely supplemented by the fuller record of the Chronicles (2 Chronicles 11-17).<\/p>\n

During this first epoch of the existence of the two kingdoms, including about sixty years, their relations appear to have been incessantly hostile, the aggression being on the side of the kingdom of Israel. In the reign of Rehoboam the invasion of Shishak was probably instigated, perhaps aided, by Jeroboam; subsequently the attack on Abijah, victoriously repelled, seems a direct attempt at subjugation; the same policy in substance is pursued by Baasha, and only checked by the desperate expedient of calling in the foreign power of Syria; till at last, wearied out by continual war against a superior force, Judah, even under such a king as Jehoshaphat, is forced to ally itself, apparently on a footing of something like dependence, with the kingdom of Israel.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

REHOBOAM’S EVIL REIGN, AND SHISHAK’S INVASION, 1Ki 14:21-31<\/span>.<\/p>\n

21<\/strong>. <\/strong> Rehoboam <\/strong> On the beginning of his reign, his unwise policy, and his loss of most of his father’s kingdom, see 1Ki 12:1-24<\/span>. The various acts and incidents of this king’s reign are given more fully in 2 Chronicles 11, 12<\/span>. <\/p>\n

Forty and one years old <\/strong> This number, confirmed by 2Ch 12:13<\/span>, should be followed, rather than conjectures formed from the fact that Rehoboam’s companions are called young men, <\/em> ( ,) 1Ki 12:8<\/span>, and from the statements of the Septuagint in its addition to 1Ki 12:24<\/span>. Since Solomon reigned forty years, (1Ki 11:42<\/span>,) Rehoboam was born one year before his father’s accession. <\/p>\n

Naamah <\/strong> Schultz supposes that his mother’s name is here mentioned because she was the occasion of Rehoboam’s idolatry; and Keil thinks it is because she had, as queen-mother, considerable influence in the government. But the single fact that she was of foreign birth an Ammonitess <\/strong> would be a sufficient reason for mentioning her in this connexion, though she may have been dead before Solomon’s marriage with Pharaoh’s daughter. See note on 1Ki 11:43<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

The Reign Of Rehoboam of Judah c. 930-913 BC ( 1Ki 14:21-31<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ). <\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

The sad thing about Rehoboam’s reign would be its extreme bankruptcy. He reigned over a country which went to the excess in religious apostasy and sin, he saw all his treasures which had been built up by David and Solomon stripped away, and he spent much of his time fighting with Jeroboam and thus weakening Judah. And he did it while ruling in the city which YHWH had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put His Name there, chosen because it had been the city chosen by His servant David. But there is one thing indicated in his favour. While the country appear to have gone wild over false religion Rehoboam himself is not said to have been implicated and indeed is said to have worshipped regularly in the Temple. (The Chronicler is not quit so lacking in criticism, but even he does not condemn Rehoboam wholeheartedly). <\/p>\n

The one thing that appears to have saved Rehoboam’s reign from being as catastrophic as Jeroboam’s was the true worship maintained in the Temple, which would partly explain the comment about him reigning in the city where YHWH had set His Name. It would appear from this that initially the future of Yahwism in Judah was being secured by the true worship of the Temple, the place where YHWH had set His Name, and in both Judah and Israel by the activities of the prophets, who certainly in Israel must have arranged sanctuaries at which those who were faithful to YHWH could truly worship. Problems would therefore begin to arise in Judah when the Temple itself went astray. But that would not be for some time. <\/p>\n

From this point on each reign will begin with an opening formula similar in general to that which introduces Rehoboam’s reign, and the order in which kings are dealt with from now on will be based on whether they commence reigning during the reign of their counterpart in the other country who has already been introduced. Thus Rehoboam’s son Abiyam will follow Rehoboam, because Jeroboam was still reigning in Israel when he began to reign, and Abiyam’s son (Rehoboam’s grandson), Asa will then follow, for the same reason. Jeroboam will then die during Asa’s reign and so Jeroboam’s son will be dealt with next because he came to the throne while Asa was reigning, followed by Baasha, Zimri, Omri and Ahab, all kings of Israel, because all began reigning during the reign of Asa. Asa then died during the reign of Ahab so that Jehoshaphat of Judah will be dealt with after Ahab, because he began reigning during the reign of Ahab. And so it will go on. The result is that we have a continual, if imperfect, co-relation between what is happening in the two countries around the same time. <\/p>\n

Analysis. <\/p>\n

a <\/strong> And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which YHWH had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there, and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess (1Ki 14:21<\/span>). <\/p>\n

b <\/strong> And Judah did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done (1Ki 14:22<\/span>). <\/p>\n

c <\/strong> For they also built for themselves high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree (1Ki 14:23<\/span>). <\/p>\n

d <\/strong> And there were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which YHWH drove out before the children of Israel (1Ki 14:24<\/span>). <\/p>\n

e <\/strong> And it came about in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and he took away the treasures of the house of YHWH, and the treasures of the king’s house. He even took away all, and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made (1Ki 14:25-26<\/span>). <\/p>\n

d <\/strong> And king Rehoboam made as replacements shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house (1Ki 14:27<\/span>). <\/p>\n

c <\/strong> And it was so, that, as often as the king went into the house of YHWH, the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber (1Ki 14:28<\/span>). <\/p>\n

b <\/strong> Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually (1Ki 14:29-30<\/span>). <\/p>\n

a <\/strong> And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abiyam his son reigned instead of him (1Ki 14:31<\/span>). <\/p>\n

Note that in ‘a’ we have details of Rehoboam and his mother, and in the parallel we have the same. In ‘b’ we are informed about the acts of Judah and their sins, and in the parallel we have reference to the acts of Rehoboam, and especially his act in warring with Israel. In ‘c’ Judah went to excess in idolatry and false worship outside Jerusalem while in Jerusalem the king regularly visited the house of YHWH. In ‘d’ the land was defiled with adulterated behaviour, and in the parallel the king’s own ceremonial equipment was adulterated. Centrally in ‘e’ we have the fact that Jerusalem and the Temple were emptied of their treasures by Shishak. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which YHWH had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there, and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. <\/p>\n

After his bad start Rehoboam continued his rule over Judah. He was forty one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for seventeen years in Jerusalem, ‘the city which YHWH had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put His Name there’. From this point on the reference for other kings of Judah will be shortened to ‘in Jerusalem’ but it is probable that we are intended each time to add these words on in our mind. The emphasis is basically on the fact that they are ruling in the city of David, the chosen of YHWH, for the reason why YHWH ‘chose’ Jerusalem was because of David’s interest in it. Jerusalem was blessed for David’s sake. We must never allow Jerusalem to replace David in our thinking. It was chosen because it was David’s city, and it was because David introduced the Ark into it that His Name was there (2Sa 6:2<\/span>). Rehoboam was therefore to be seen as ruling in it as the new David. <\/p>\n

“And his mother”<\/strong> s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.’ With rare exceptions the introductory formulae for the kings of Judah regularly refer to the name of the king’s mother, thus confirming that the king’s blood line was genuine. It emphasised that he was born of a known wife of the previous Davidic king. Naamah may well have been one of the wives who led Solomon astray. She was no doubt a treaty wife. Rehoboam was thus half Ammonite. <\/p>\n

Others see the mention of the mother’s name as signifying that she had special status and authority at court as ‘the queen mother’. <\/p>\n

“The city which YHWH had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there.”<\/strong> The emphasis here is first on the fact that Jerusalem now housed the Central Sanctuary, which was where His Name was set because it contained the Ark of the Covenant, although it should be noted that it is the city that is being emphasised, not the Temple. The statement is based on Deu 12:5<\/span> which referred to wherever YHWH set up the Central Sanctuary, initially at Shechem and Shiloh. But there was no mention of a city there. The emphasis was simply on ‘the place’ where the Sanctuary was set up. So the idea here is that, because he was the new David, Rehoboam reigned in the city which had been chosen by YHWH with a view to pleasing His servant David, and where YHWH now dwelt with the king as His regent. Compare 1Ki 11:13<\/span> which is the first indication in Kings that Jerusalem had been chosen, and there the idea is closely connected with YHWH’s covenant with David. The emphasis is thus not on the Temple, but on the YHWH\/David partnership. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:22<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> And Judah did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done.’ <\/p>\n

Regularly in Kings the king’s reign is introduced with the words ‘he did evil (good) in the sight of YHWH’, thus we must see a deliberate distinction here between Rehoboam and Judah. It was Judah as a whole, but not Rehoboam, who are seen as doing evil in the sight of YHWH. He lost control over the country’s religious behaviour, but at least he retained his own loyalty to YHWH (1Ki 14:28<\/span>), at least superficially. It was the one bright spot in his reign. The Chronicler, however, states that ‘he did evil because he did not prepare his heart to seek YHWH’ (2Ch 12:14<\/span>). While at the beginning of his reign he warmed towards YHWH, when the priests and Levites who were in Israel made their way to Jerusalem, his love again began to grow cold. It was revived again for a short while as a result of the invasion by Shishak, but then it again grew nominal so that he no longer prepared his heart to seek YHWH. But it is never suggested, even by the Chronicler, that he worshipped at the high places (see 2Ch 11:13<\/span> to 2Ch 12:14<\/span>). <\/p>\n

On the other hand the country as a whole apostasised. Solomon’s behaviour (not Rehoboam’s) was coming home to roost. So Judah did what was evil in the sight of YHWH, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins and idolatry to a far greater extent than their fathers. From now on Yahwism would struggle to maintain its purity in a land which had succumbed to syncretism with Canaanite religion. This did not mean that they had ceased to worship in YHWH’s name. It meant that they were using a combination of Yahwism and Baalism to the detriment of Yahwism. They hoped to retain YHWH’s favour while at the same time enjoying what Baalism offered, a religion free of moral demands and offering sexual licence. We can see now why YHWH had wanted the Canaanites either to be driven out, or to be slaughtered. Judah was now experiencing the consequences of compromise. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:23<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> For they also built for themselves high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree,’ <\/p>\n

We are given full details of how far they went. They filled the land with adulterated sanctuaries, which included all the Canaanite paraphernalia. The ‘high places’ were raised altars (Lev 26:30<\/span>; Num 33:50<\/span>), which were forbidden in Israel (Exo 20:26<\/span>). The ‘pillars’ represented male gods (Deu 12:3<\/span>), probably in this case usually Baal, which is why they were frowned on. (Pillars erected to the glory of YHWH were not frowned on – Gen 28:18<\/span>; Gen 31:45<\/span>; Exo 24:4<\/span>). The Asherim were the images or poles which represented the fertility goddess. And these were set up in places seen as sacred, on high hills and under green trees (compare Deu 12:2<\/span>). Religion abounded but it was no longer pleasing to YHWH. The essentials of the covenant had been stripped way, and the true sanctuaries were being sidelined. Every man did what was right in his own eyes and YHWH was diminished. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:24<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> And there were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which YHWH drove out before the children of Israel.’ <\/p>\n

Indeed the situation had deteriorated even further, for religious prostitutes of both sexes were introduced. It was all part of the fertility rites. It was the popular method of obtaining good harvests without having to resort to good living. Thus they entered into ‘all the abominations’ of the Canaanites, the abominations because of which YHWH had insisted on the Canaanites being driven out of the land. And Rehoboam seemingly let it happen without making any effort to interfere. Perhaps his confidence had gone as a result of the fiasco with Israel, so that he no longer dared to try to lay down the Law, preferring rather to enjoy himself in Jerusalem. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:25-26<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> And it came about in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and he took away the treasures of the house of YHWH, and the treasures of the king’s house. He even took away all, and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.’ <\/p>\n

In view of what is written above the invasion by Shishak of Egypt in 925 BC was clearly intended to be seen as God’s judgment coming on the land of Judah. It was also revealing the folly of Solomon for putting such effort into amassing gold. His efforts would have been far better spent in training up his son to walk rightly in the sight of YHWH. Solomon cannot escape blame for what Rehoboam had become. So it was both a judgment and a retribution on Solomon and his son. <\/p>\n

Shishak must have chuckled with delight when he saw his protg Jeroboam made king of Israel, and then the two countries battling with each other. He had bided his time, waiting for them to weaken each other, and now he was ready to strike. He came with massive forces and his aim was twofold, firstly to secure the trade routes for Egypt, and secondly in order to obtain booty. He would die a year later. <\/p>\n

Information about his invasion is found in the temple of Amun in Thebes. There he listed the towns from which he extracted tribute in Judah and Israel, and it was a long list. He first sacked Gezer on the border, and then moved into Judah towards Jerusalem city by city until, when he had reached Gibeon, Rehoboam sued for peace and paid him a huge ransom in the terms described above. The treasures that Solomon had built up had only been safe while the country was strong enough to hold on to them, and due to Rehoboam’s folly it was no longer strong enough to resist a revived Egypt. Shishak also invaded deeply into the Negev in the South, possibly as far as Ezion-Geber, hitting at the trade routes there, and once Jerusalem had yielded, he advanced from Gibeon into Israel and received tribute from many Israelite cities. We do not know in fact whether Jeroboam ceded the tribute peacefully, in gratitude for Shishak’s previous assistance, or whether Shishak had to sack the cities in Israel as well. There are indications that suggest that the former might have been so, but included among the list of Israelite cities who paid tribute were Penuel and Mahanaim in the Transjordan. This was then followed by Taanach, Megiddo and Shunem in the west as Shishak began to make his way back to Egypt along the coastal plain, laden with spoils. A stele belonging to Shishak was discovered in Megiddo, and we know that it was certainly partially sacked around this time. Megiddo was a huge city and would not yield up its riches easily. Shishak then appears to have set up his statue in Megiddo, the plinth of which has been discovered. <\/p>\n

But none of this is mentioned in Kings. The only thing that was of interest to the author was the loss of the treasures of David and Solomon, because this demonstrated God’s judgment on Rehoboam (and on the deceased Solomon). It will be noted that concentration is not on the Temple treasure. Equal mention is given of the spoiling of the king’s house. This was not about the Temple. It was about Rehoboam. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:27<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> And king Rehoboam made as replacements shields of bronze, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.’ <\/p>\n

And the result was that, having lost his ceremonial shields of gold, a humiliated Rehoboam had to make shields of bronze in order to retain his fading glory. The ‘glory’ of Judah had been lost because of the behaviour of the people at the high places, and the consequence was that YHWH took away its shields of gold, replacing them with shields of bronze. Its glory was thus twice adulterated. And the result was that the shields no longer needed the security of the House of the Forest of Lebanon, but were kept in the guard house. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:28<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> And it was so, that, as often as the king went into the house of YHWH, the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.’ <\/p>\n

So when in future Rehoboam went into the house of YHWH to worship, there was still a splendid ceremonial display as his bodyguard bore the shields of bronze which glistened in the sun, but all knew that the splendour was tarnished because of YHWH’s judgment on Rehoboam and on Jerusalem. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:29<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?’ <\/p>\n

Having dealt with what mattered to him, because of what it revealed about YHWH’s dealings with Judah, the prophetic author now referred his readers to the chronicles of the kings of Judah if they wanted further information about what Rehoboam had done. He was not interested in the secular details of the history of a king who did not concern himself with obeying YHWH. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:30<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.’ <\/p>\n

One thing, however, he does stress and that is that there was a continual state of warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. This may indicate that they fortified their frontiers, and bristled at each other over them, with the occasional incident occurring, and their not allowing any movement of people between them, or even that they made continual forays into each others territory for punitive purposes without the actual intention of a full scale invasion. It would be many years before the two countries could live side by side amicably. The hurt had gone too deep. But the result of this state of affairs would be that the people of Israel were discouraged from coming to the Temple as the Central Sanctuary, in order to worship YHWH in accordance with the covenant. That was another thing that YHWH had against Rehoboam. <\/p>\n

1Ki 14:31<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

‘<\/strong> And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abiyam his son reigned instead of him.’ <\/p>\n

And eventually Rehoboam died peacefully, and ‘slept with his fathers’, and he was buried with his fathers in the city of David. Note the emphasis on Jerusalem as ‘the city of David’. It was because of that that it had been chosen by YHWH. <\/p>\n

The repetition of his mother’s name, which is unusual in Kings, was probably an indication of the author’s unhappiness with the fact that Solomon had married an Ammonitess. The Ammonites were one of the peoples excluded from becoming true worshipping Israelites (Deu 23:3<\/span>), and his Ammonite wives had led him astray. But finally we learn that Abiyam his son reigned in his place. The Davidic dynasty continued. <\/p>\n

The name Abiyam means ‘my father is Yam’ (see also 1Ki 15:1<\/span>; 1Ki 15:7<\/span>). Yam was a Canaanite god of widespread influence, which goes with Abiyam’s mother being an Ammonitess. Elsewhere his name is said to have been Abi-yah, ‘my father is YHWH (e.g. 2Ch 13:1<\/span>). This can be seen as a conversion of the previous name in order to remove its disgrace. It may have taken place when he came to the throne. <\/p>\n

Rehoboam’s life is a warning for us to be considerate of other people’s needs. If only Rehoboam had ‘loved his neighbour as himself’ what a difference it would have made to Israel’s history. We need to recognise that unwise words and attitudes can rebound on us both in the present, and in our future lives. Better not to speak than to speak foolishly. It is also a warning to us to ensure that when we seek advice we do it in the right quarters. Rehoboam had had the good advice, he just did not listen to it. <\/p>\n

The Early Kings Of Judah And Israel ( 1Ki 15:1<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> to 1Ki 16:28<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ) <\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

There now follows information concerning the reigns of seven kings, each of which is dealt with briefly in order to bring out the lesson that the prophetic writer is interested in. The first two kings were kings of Judah. The first, Abiyam, shared the condemnation of Rehoboam, but the author emphasised that for David’s sake YHWH would establish for him a lamp in Jerusalem. He was a warning against compromise and half-heartedness. The second, Asa, turned out truly to be a lamp for he did what was right in the eyes of YHWH, and his heart was right towards YHWH. Nevertheless due to his failing to fully trust YHWH he lost the treasures that he had built up, and ended up diseased in his feet. He was a warning against the danger of not fully trusting with all his heart. Things seemed, however, to be generally promising in Judah. <\/p>\n

Due to Asa’s long reign the next five kings were kings of Israel. The picture in that case was one of continual decline as things got worse and worse. It began with Nadab who followed in the way of his father, and was assassinated as a result of God’s judgment on Jeroboam, continued with Baasha who not only continued in the way of Jeroboam but also sought to prevent Israelites from entering Judah in order to worship YHWH, and was continually belligerent towards Judah, with the result that his son, who followed in his ways, was also assassinated for the same reason. The man who carried out the assassination was Zimri, a chariot commander, who lasted only seven days, and after a period of civil war he was followed by Omri, Israel’s commander-in-chief who not only walked in the way of Jeroboam but also began to lay a greater emphasis on the open worship of Baal. Thus no king of Israel concerned himself with purifying the worship of YHWH, but instead contributed to the continuing deterioration. Indeed had it not been for the rise of Elijah faith in YHWH in Israel may well have died out. <\/p>\n

Overall Analysis. <\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Short Reign Of Abiyam, King of Judah c. 913-911\/910 BC (1Ki 15:1-8<\/span>). <\/p>\n

The Long Reign Of Asa, King of Judah c. 911\/910-870 BC (1Ki 15:9-24<\/span>). <\/p>\n

The Short Reign Of Nadab, King Of Israel c.910-908 BC (1Ki 15:25-31<\/span>). <\/p>\n

The Longer Reign Of Baasha, The Usurper Of Israel c.908-885 BC (1Ki 15:32<\/span> to 1Ki 16:7<\/span>). <\/p>\n

The Short Reign Of Elah, King of Israel c. 885-884 BC (1Ki 16:8-14<\/span>). <\/p>\n

The Seven Day Reign Of Zimri, King Of Israel c. 884 BC (1Ki 16:15-20<\/span>). <\/p>\n

The Longer Reign Of Omri, King of Israel c. 884-872 BC (1Ki 16:21-28<\/span>). <\/p>\n

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/strong> The Rule of Rehoboam<\/p>\n

v. 21. And Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign,<\/strong> having thus been born one year before Solomon’s accession to the throne, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Israel to put His name there,<\/strong> a fact which is here noted on account of the idolatry which was practiced afterward on the heights of Judah. And his mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess,<\/strong> the individual queen-mothers having a great influence at that time on account of the harem system, which usually brought the children more closely to the mother. <\/p>\n

v. 22. And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. <\/strong> Cf 2Ch 11:5<\/span>; 2Ch 12:1<\/span>. This decay set in just as soon as Rehoboain had established his kingdom and fortified its boundaries. <\/p>\n

v. 23. For they also built them high places,<\/strong> altars for the purpose of idolatrous worship on prominent hills, and images,<\/strong> memorial stones usually consecrated to the heathen idol Baal, and groves,<\/strong> the wooden monuments of Astarte, the female nature divinity, on every high hill, and under every green tree,<\/strong> thick, shady trees usually being selected for that purpose, Hos 4:13<\/span>. <\/p>\n

v. 24. And there were also Sodomites in the land,<\/strong> men or boys from the surrounding nations who permitted themselves to be prostituted in honor of the gods; and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel,<\/strong> the original Canaanitish inhabitants of the land. <\/p>\n

v. 25. And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak, king of Egypt,<\/strong> probably at the suggestion of Jeroboam, came up against Jerusalem; <\/p>\n

v. 26. and he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house,<\/strong> the great quantities of precious metals stored there; he even took away all;<\/strong> and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made, 1Ki 10:17<\/span>. <\/p>\n

v. 27. And King Rehoboam made in their stead brazen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard,<\/strong> the king’s runners, which kept the door of the king’s house,<\/strong> the watch at the palace gate. <\/p>\n

v. 28. And it was so, when the king went into the house of the Lord, that the guard bare them,<\/strong> accompanying the king in solemn procession, and brought them back into the guard-chamber,<\/strong> evidently a room in the house of the forest of Lebanon, 1Ki 10:17<\/span>. One commentator suggests that the highly polished copper shields, access to which was denied the common people, were intended to deceive them concerning the true state of affairs. <\/p>\n

v. 29. Now, the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

v. 30. And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days,<\/strong> a state of war existed as long as they both lived, which resulted in at least one pitched battle under Abijah. <\/p>\n

v. 31. And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David,<\/strong> with due honors. And his mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess,<\/strong> the statement being repeated probably on account of the fact that site introduced the idol worship of Moloch in Jerusalem. And Abijam, his son, reigned in his stead. <\/strong> Men who deliberately reject the Lord and His blessings need not be surprised if they find themselves punished by God in various ways. <\/p>\n

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

EXPOSITION<\/strong><\/p>\n

THE<\/strong> REIGN<\/strong> OF<\/strong> REHOBOAM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty<\/strong> [or twenty. See on 1Ki 12:1<\/span>] and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned <\/strong>[this reign is related at greater length in 2Ch 11:1-23<\/span>; 2Ch 12:1-16<\/span>.] seventeen years <\/strong>[cf. 1Ki 15:1<\/span>] in<\/strong> Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose <\/strong>[cf. 1Ki 11:36<\/span>; Psa 78:68<\/span>; Neh 1:9<\/span>] out of all the tribes of Israel <\/strong>[cf. 2Ch 6:6<\/span>; 2Ki 21:7<\/span>] to put his name there. <\/strong>The historian reminds us that Jerusalem was by God’s appointment the religious centre of the land; that Bethel and Dan were no sanctuaries of His choosing; and that, however much the realm of Rehoboam was restricted, he still reigned in the capital of God’s choice. It is possible the words have some reference to the next verse, and imply that, though it was the holy city, yet even there they fell away from God (Bhr). And his mother’s name was Naamah<\/strong> [or, according to the LXX<\/strong>; Naanan. See on 1Ki 12:24<\/span>], an<\/strong> [Heb. the, i.e; <\/em>the well-known] Ammonitess<\/strong>. [The name of the mother is given with every king of Judah, principally because of the position of influence she occupied in the kingdom. See on 1Ki 2:13<\/span>, and 1Ki 2:31<\/span> below.]<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:22<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord <\/strong>[not, however, before the fourth <\/em>year of Rehoboam’s reign. For the first three Fears the nation remained steadfast in the faith, and the kingdom was greatly strengthened and consolidated. The defection commenced when Rehoboam began to feel himself secure (2Ch 12:1<\/span>). It is to be observed, however, that the historian says “Judah” (not Rehoboam) “did evil,” etc. It is probable that a considerable section of the people approved of the idolatrous practices introduced in the preceding reign, and that Rehoboam was unable to repress them. It was his misfortune to have to reap the bitter fruits of Solomon’s unfaithfulness], and they provoked him to jealousy<\/strong> [Heb. made him jealous<\/em>. Same word, Exo 20:5<\/span>; Exo 34:14<\/span>; Num 5:14<\/span>. The words of the covenant proclaimed the Lord a,’ jealous God.” This is of course anthropomorphic language. The nation was regarded as the bride of Jehovah, and God is said to be made jealous, because idolatry was unfaithfulness to Him. The worship of Baal and Ashtoreth, it must be remembered, involved unutterable immoralities, <\/em>hence the special fitness of the word, which is only used of idolatry of one kind or other] with their sins which they had committed<\/strong> [Heb. sinned<\/em>] <\/em><\/strong>above all that their fathers had done.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1Ki 14:23<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For they also<\/strong> [i.e; <\/em>they as well as the ten tribes] built them high places <\/strong>[i.e; <\/em>houses of high places. See on 1Ki 3:2<\/span> and 1Ki 13:32<\/span>] and images<\/strong> [Heb. pillars <\/em>or statues <\/em>(; <\/em>LXX<\/strong>; ). <\/em>These were, no doubt, originally memorial pillars or stones, erected to commemorate some Divine manifestation, and with no thought of idolatry (see Gen 31:13<\/span>; Gen 35:14<\/span>, Gen 35:20<\/span>; Gen 28:18<\/span>). But the Canaanites erected pillars, which were also statues or images, to their god, Baal. Hence we read of the “image” () of Baal (2Ki 3:2<\/span>; 2Ki 10:26<\/span>, 2Ki 10:27<\/span>; cf. 2Ki 18:4<\/span>; 2Ki 23:14<\/span>); and hence also we find such images frequently mentioned side by side with the so-called “groves,” i.e; the <\/em>“Asherahs” (verse 15; Exo 34:13<\/span>; Deu 7:5<\/span>; Deu 12:3<\/span>; Deu 16:21<\/span>, etc.) Both the Mazzebah <\/em>and the Asherah, <\/em>consequently, was an upright pillar or post, but the former was of stone, the latter of wood; the former dedicated to Baal, the god of nature, of generation; the latter to Ashtoreth, the goddess of nature and productive power. The gradual transition of the memorial pillar into the Baal statue is <\/strong>hinted at in Le 26:1<\/span>. It is observable that these idolatrous and immoral rites seem to have found a home in Judah before they were introduced into Israel] and groves <\/strong>[Asherahs, <\/em>idols; see on verse 15. This verse proves conclusively that the translation “grove” is a mistaken one] on every high hill, and under every green tree. <\/strong>[The phrase is from the Pentateuch, Deu 12:2<\/span>; cf. Jer 2:20<\/span>; Jer 3:6<\/span>; Hos 4:13<\/span>. “Probably the evil example of Maachah, his favourite wife (2Ch 11:20-22<\/span>), whose idolatrous tastes were displayed under Asa (2Ch 15:16<\/span>), was not without a pernicious effect on Rehoboam” (Wordsworth).]<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:24<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And<\/strong> there were also Sodomites <\/strong>[, a collective noun = (1Ki 15:12<\/span>) = consecrated persons or devotees, because they were set apart to the service of Astarte, the Dea Syria<\/em>. <\/em>It is clear from Deu 23:18<\/span> (Heb.) that male <\/em>prostitutes are here spoken of, the name of the female being . The former is described in Deu 23:19<\/span> 50.c<\/em>. as a dog<\/em>, the latter as a whore<\/em>] <\/em><\/strong>in the land<\/strong> [cf. 1Ki 15:12<\/span>. It is highly probable that these infamous persons were of Canaanite or Phoenician origin (this being a Phoenician superstition, Movers, “Phoniz.” 1:671), but it is somewhat precarious to found an assertion to that effect on these last words (as Bhr)], and <\/strong>[Heb. omits and] they did according to all the abominations of the nations <\/strong>[see Le 18:20<\/span>.; Deu 18:9-12<\/span>] which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.<\/strong> [“Here we see a reason for God’s command, requiring the extirpation of the Canaanites” (Wordsworth).]<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:25<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And it came to pass in the fifth year <\/strong>[that is, two years after king and people forsook the law of the Lord (2Ch 12:11<\/span>). Retribution seems to have overtaken Judah sooner than Israel. They had the less excuse, and they seem to have plunged deeper into idolatry and immorality] of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt<\/strong> [to whom Jeroboam had fled (1Ki 11:26<\/span>, 1Ki 11:40<\/span>)] came up against Jerusalem<\/strong>. [This expedition is related with somewhat more of detail in 2Ch 12:2-4<\/span>. For Shishak, see 1Ki 11:40<\/span>. It was in the twentieth year of his reign that Shishak, once Jeroboam’s protector and friend, invaded Palestine. It has been conjectured (Ewald, al<\/em>.) that he was incited so to do by Jeroboam, and that the two kings waged war against Judah in concert (see on 1Ki 11:30<\/span>). But as to this Scripture is silent; and moreover if Jeroboam summoned Shishak to his assistance, it is certain that his own kingdom did not altogether escape invasion; and it is perhaps more probable that the divided and weakened state of the country seemed to promise the Egyptian king an easy capture of Jerusalem, of the treasures of which he had doubtless heard. It is well known that a record of this expedition exists in the sculptures and inscriptions of the great temple at Karnak. The bassi relievi <\/em>of the temple wall contain over 130 figures, representatives, as the names on the shields show, of so many conquered cities. Amongst these are found three of the “cities for defence” which Rehoboam had built, viz; Shoco, Adoraim, and Aijalon (2Ch 11:7-10<\/span>), while many other towns of Palestine, such as Gibeon, Taanach, Shunem, Megiddo, etc; are identified with more or less of probability. One feature in the list is remarkable, viz; the number of Levitical and Canaanite ciiescities of Israel<\/em>which Shishak is said to have conquered. The usual inference is that such cities, although in Jeroboam’s dominions, had nevertheless held out against his rulethe former for religious reasons; the latter, perhaps, in the effort to recover their independence. Mr. Peele, however (Dict. Bib; art. “Egypt” ), accounts for the names on the supposition that Shishak directed, his forces against the northern as well as the southern kingdom, and certainly this seems to agree better with the facts. It is hardly likely that Jeroboam, with the army at his command, would tolerate so many centres of disaffection in his midst. Besides, the Levites, we are told, had migrated in a body to Judah; and the Canaanites at this period can hardly have been in a position to defy any Hebrew monarch. The silence alike of our historian and of the chronicler as to the invasion of Israel is easily accounted for by the fact that Judah bore the brunt of the war.]<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:26<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord <\/strong>[The historian omits to mention the interposition of Shemaiah (2Ch 12:5-8<\/span>). The account of the Chronicles is altogether much fuller], and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all <\/strong>[rather, “and everything <\/em>(sc<\/em>. <\/em>that he could lay his hands on) he took away<\/em>.” <\/em>The spoil must have been enormous]: and he took away all the shields of gold<\/strong> [cf. 1Ki 10:17<\/span>] which Solomon had made.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1Ki 14:27<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And king Rehoboam made in their stead brazen shields <\/strong>[lit; shields of brass or copper; a striking token of the decadence of the kingdom; cf. 1Ki 9:28<\/span>; 1Ki 10:22<\/span>. “He changed his father’s religion, as his shields, from gold to brass” (Hall) I, and comttted<\/strong> [Heb. appointed<\/em>] <\/em>them unto the hands of the chief of the guard<\/strong> [Heb. commanders of the runners <\/em>(see on 1Ki 1:38<\/span>)], which kept the door of the king’s house<\/strong>. [Cf. 2Ki 11:6<\/span>. The functions of the bodyguard were very varied. A primary duty was, obviously, to supply sentinels and attendants for the palace.]<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:28<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And it was so, when the king went unto the house of the Lord, that the guard<\/strong>s <\/em>[runners<\/em>] <\/em>bare<\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>them<\/strong> [Whatever idolatries Rehoboam tolerated or encouraged, it is clear that he maintained the temple worship with great pomp and circumstance. The state visits of the Sultan to the Mosque may perhaps be best compared with these processions. Ewald sees in this circumstance a proof of Rehoboam’s vanity. The brazen shields were “borne before him in solemn procession, as if everything were the same as before”], and brought them back into the guard chamber <\/strong>[Heb.” chamber of the runners<\/em>.” <\/em>Solomon’s golden shields were kept “in the house of the forest of Lebanon” (1Ki 10:17<\/span>). These shields of Brass were of so little value that the guard chamber sufficed for their custody.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:29<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? <\/strong>[See on 1Ki 14:19<\/span>.]<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:30<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And there was war<\/strong> [cf. 2Ch 12:15<\/span>, “wars.” Keil argues from the prohibition of war by Shemaiah (1Ki 12:23<\/span>) that this must mean “hostility, enmity.” But surely implies more than angry feelings or a hostile attitude; and it is highly probable that, even if there were no organized campaigns, a desultory warfare was constantly carried on on the borders of the two kingdoms. It is also possible that Jeroboam took a part in the war of Shishak] between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:31<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

And Rehoboam slept with his fathers <\/strong>[The same formula as in 1Ki 2:10<\/span>; 1Ki 11:43<\/span>; 1Ki 15:8, 1Ki 15:24<\/span>, etc. It is used of nearly all the kings of Judah], and was buried with his fathers <\/strong>[These words go to prove, against Gesenius, that the phrase “slept (lit. lay down<\/em>) with his fathers” is not to be interpreted of Sheol, but of the grave; see on 1Ki 2:10<\/span>] in the city of David. And his mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. <\/strong>[Same words as in 1Ki 2:21<\/span>. The repetition can hardly be, as Bhr, Wordsworth, al<\/em>; imagine, designed, in order to show that the worship of Moloch was brought by her to Jerusalem (1Ki 11:7<\/span>), and that she exercised a sinister influence upon her son. As she is twice called “the Ammonitess” it can hardly be doubted that she was one of the “Ammonitesses” (1Ki 11:1<\/span>, Hebrews) who turned away Solomon’s heart; and it is also certain that Rehoboam did not inherit his folly from his father. At the same time these words are more easily accounted for on the supposition that the historian found them in this position in one or more of the documents from which he compiled his history. It is also to be remembered that some of these chronological statements are manifestly by a later hand, and have been transferred from the margin to the text. See on 1Ki 6:1<\/span>.] And Abijam <\/strong>[elsewhere called Abijah <\/em>(2Ch 12:16<\/span>; 2Ch 13:1<\/span>), or Abijahu <\/em>(2Ch 13:21<\/span>, Hebrews) Some MSS<\/strong>. have Abijah here. The variation is not easily accounted for except as a clerical error. The supposition of Lightfoot that the name was designedly altered by the historian to <\/strong>avoid the incorporation of the sacred JAH<\/strong> into the name of a bad man is too fanciful, the more so as Abijam was by no means an exceptionally bad king. It is, however, approved by Bhr and Rawlinson. But it is as little probable that Abijam is the original form of the name (Keil). The form Abijahu, <\/em>the LXX<\/strong>. , and the analogy of Abiel <\/em>(1Sa 9:1<\/span>) all make against this idea. On the whole, it is more likely that Abijam results from an error of transcription, and the final being easily confounded] his son reigned in his stead.<\/strong><\/p>\n

HOMILETICS<\/strong><\/p>\n

1Ki 14:25<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Invasion of Shishak.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three years after the death of David, the foundations of the temple, the glory of that agesome have called it orbis miraculum, <\/em>the marvel of every agewere laid. Four years after the death of Solomon his sonsome forty years, that is to say, after its foundation, three and thirty years after its completion, according to some only twenty years after its dedicationthe treasures of that temple, its gold and gems, were carried off by an invader. A short time after his accession, again, Solomon made alliance with the strongest and proudest of the empires of that age, with Egypt, and a Hebrew, one whose forefathers were Pharaoh’s bondmen, was gladly recognized as great Pharaoh’s son-in-law. A short time after his death, this same Egyptian kingdom is become an assailant of Solomon’s son, and Pharaoh is turned to be the oppressor and plunderer of his realm. For a great part of Solomon’s reign it was the boast of the people that an Egyptian princess occupied one of his splendid palaces in Jerusalem, but he has not been long dead before those same palaces are rifled by Egyptian princes, and Jerusalem is environed by the legions of Shishak.<\/p>\n

And yet that temple, the magnificence of which has been so short-lived, which was hardly completed ere it was despoiled, was built to the name of the Lord, and as a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. And as such it was accepted by Him. That house had had a greater glory and consecration than of gold and precious stones, for “the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord” (1Ki 8:11<\/span>). Why, then, is it, we may well ask, as the men of that age would ask, that it is so soon left comparatively desolate? Cannot the Deity to whom it was dedicated protect it against spoliation. Or have His worshippers provoked Him to anger, so that He has “abhorred his sanctuary,” and “delivered his glory into the enemies’ hand”?<\/p>\n

For we may be quite sure that there was a profound reason for this profound dishonour and disgrace. We cannot account for the fact that the temple of the Lord, the “house of the great God” (Ezr 5:8<\/span>), was stripped bare and left a wreck within a few years of its erection, on the supposition that a chance happened to it, and that it only suffered as other shrines have done from the vicissitudes of fortune and the impartial, inevitable havoc of war. “In rebus bellicis,<\/em>“ <\/em>it has been said, “maxime dominatur Fortuna<\/em>.” <\/em>But if we feel at liberty to interpret other histories by a theory of chance, that idea must be excluded in thinking of God’s <\/em>people. If their history was fortuitous, then the Old Testament is a delusion. No; we may not be able always to trace the finger of God in profane history, but it will be passing strange if we cannot recognize it here.<\/p>\n

Now the immediate <\/em>cause of the invasion was, no doubt, the divided and therefore weakened state of the kingdom. We might have been tempted to think that Jeroboam had summoned his patron Shishak to his aid, had we not proof that Israel as well as Judah suffered from this campaign. And of course it is <\/em>possible that Jeroboam instigated a war which ultimately extended to his own kingdom. But it is obvious that Shishak would need no invitation to attack Jerusalem. The fame of its immense treasure is quite sufficient of itself to account for his advance. So long as it was guarded by the armies of Solomon it was secure. But Rehoboam, whose troops would not number a third of his father’s, and who was paralyzed by the hostility of Israel crouching like a wild beast on his northern border, offered an easy prey to a general with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen, and “people without number” under his command.<\/p>\n

We see, then, that it was the treasures of the Holy Citythe vast accumulation of the precious metalswhich excited the cupidity of the Egyptians, while theft defenceless state suggested the idea of seizing them. Observe here<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> RETRIBUTION<\/strong> OF<\/strong> SOLOMON<\/strong>‘S SIN<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. Of his greed and pride<\/em>. <\/em>He has “multiplied silver and gold to himself” only to provoke an invasion of his territory and the humiliation of his people. If he had obeyed the law; if he had been content to embellish the house of the Lord and leave the palaces alone; if his overweening pride and his insatiable thirst for fame had not prompted him to amass treasures which excited universal attention, it is probable that Judah would have escaped invasion. In this case “pride has gone before destruction.” The very magnitude of his treasures led to their dispersion.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Of his idolatry<\/em>. <\/em>We have already seen how this sin (1Ki 11:5-8<\/span>) was punished by the partition of his realm. In the plunder of his palaces, provoked and made possible by that division, we see a further recompense of his outrage and defiance of the almighty. The hills on which his idol altars were erected now swarmed with idolaters, assembled not to sacrifice, but to slay. We are reminded here of the retribution which befell the Jerusalem of a later day. On one of the hills before Jerusalem the Jews raised a crossthey crucified the Prince of Life. On all the hills that are round about Jerusalem, the Romans raised crosses, the crosses of His murderers (Jos; Bell. Jud. Rom 5:11<\/span>.1<\/span>).<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Of his multiplication of horses<\/em>. <\/em>For it is to be remembered from what quarter the retribution came. There is an exquisite judicial propriety in an invasion from Egypt, and an invasion of chariots and horses. This was retaliation <\/em>in the proper sense of the word; it was like for like. Why, there was almost a beaten track made for those same chariots by the horses and chariots which Solomon had imported in such prodigious numbers. Literally the trade horses paved the way for the horses of war. This illegal traffic had long since familiarized Egyptian charioteers with the shortest way to the Holy City.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> Of his multiplication of wives<\/em>. <\/em>Solomon’s lawful wife came from Egypt. Had he been true to her, he would probably have been true to his Lord God (1Ki 11:3<\/span>), and so his realm would have escaped invasion. It is a kind of Nemesis for the wrong done to his Egyptian consort that his harem was plundered by Egyptians. There are those who connect Napoleon’s fall with the repudiation of Josephine. The “judge of the widow” (Psa 68:5<\/span>) is also the avenger of the injured and dishonoured wife (Heb 13:4<\/span>). Human laws seldom take cognizance of these, the deepest of wrongs, but the cry of the heart-broken woman goes up into the ears of One who has said, “I will repay.”<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> PUNISHMENT<\/strong> OF<\/strong> REHOBOAM<\/strong>‘S FOLLY<\/strong> AND<\/strong> SIN<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. Of his obstinacy<\/em>. <\/em>For in the first place, but for his infatuation, humanly speaking, the kingdom would have escaped division, and the land would have escaped invasion. That infatuation, it is true, was the product of his breeding and his training, but that consideration does not wholly exonerate him from blame. No man can charge his parents or surroundings with his sin. The law does not excuse the thief on the ground that from infancy he has been taught to steal. Rehoboam was a free agent, and ought to have acted otherwise, and doubtless he knew it when it was too late.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Of his pride<\/em>. <\/em>It was his pride had rejected all compromise, and had prated of scorpions, etc. It had been humbled once in the dismemberment of his realm. It must be humbled again in the spoliation of his palaces. For observe, it was when he “had strengthened himself” (2Ch 12:1<\/span>) that Shishak came to prove his weakness. St. Paul is not the only one who has had to learn the lesson, “When I am weak, <\/em>then am I strong.” It is extremely probable that this vainglorious prince, after losing most of his realm, still piqued himself on the abundance of his treasures. His trust was in his shields of gold. So he must be reduced to shields of pinchbeck.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong> Of his infidelity<\/em>. <\/em>“He forsook the law of the Lord” (2 Chronicles l.c.<\/em>) Much as his father had done before him. “What the old sing,” says the German proverb, “the young chirp.” That is to say, he still worshipped Jehovah (verse 28; cf. 1Ki 9:25<\/span>), but he sanctioned, or did not suppress, idolatry. The son of an Ammonitess, he would find it difficult to trample on the gods of his mother (1Ki 11:5<\/span>), and he was probably too much afraid of another insurrection to stamp out the abominations of verses 28, 24.<\/p>\n

III.<\/strong> THE<\/strong> RECOMPENSE<\/strong> OF<\/strong> ISRAEL<\/strong>‘S IDOLATRIES<\/strong>. Though the chronicler informs us that Rehoboam “forsook the law and all Israel with him,<\/em>“ <\/em>yet it seems probable from verses 22, 24, “And Judah <\/em>did evil,” etc; that he rather followed than led his people. He could hardly fail, at first, to see that his strength lay in a rigid adherence to the law; that his policy was one of piety. The Levites and others who streamed into Judah, shocked by the innovations of Jeroboam, cannot fail to have suggested that his role <\/em>was orthodoxy. It is probable, therefore, that it was not until a large section of his people, infected with the superstitions and vices they had learned in Solomon’s reign, clamoured for the tolerance of shameful shrines, that he yielded to idolatry. Verse 25 seems to connect the invasion directly with the people’s sin. But for the high places and images. etc; the land would have been spared this humiliation. It is to be carefully noted that, so long as king and people served the Lord, Shishak was held back from attacking them. Hence we understand why Judah receives earlier and greater stripes than Israel It was Jeroboam made Israel to sin. It was Judah made Rehoboam to sin. The guilty people, accordingly, are punished by the invasion of their land and the spoliation of their treasure; the guilty king by the destruction of his house. And here again, let us observe, how significant that the chastisement should come from Egypt. Time was when God had punished the idolatries of Egypt through the instrumentality of the Jewish people (Exodus 7-14.) Now the tables are turned, and Egypt is employed to avenge the idolatries of Judah. This was the first time that an Egyptian army had crossed their borderthe first time, indeed, that the land had sustained the brunt of any invasion. It was the Sodomites and the like had drawn forth those swords from their scabbards. What a contrast between Exo 14:1-31<\/span>. and 1Ki 14:1-31<\/span>. Israel, who then “saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore,” now feels the grip of Pharaoh at his throat, and the iron of Pharaoh in his soul. <\/p>\n

HOMILIES BY J.A. MACDONALD<\/strong><\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21-24<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sin of Judah.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having discoursed of Jeroboam and the kingdom of Israel, the sacred historian now returns to Rehoboam and the sister kingdom of Judah. To have found a better state of things here would have been refreshing, but in this we are disappointed. How fearful was the moral state of the whole world in those days!<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> JUDAH<\/strong> HAD<\/strong> FALLEN<\/strong> INTO<\/strong> THE<\/strong> GROSSEST<\/strong> IDOLATRY<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. He had multiplied high places<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> High places were not necessarily for idolatry. They were proper to the worship of the true God in patriarchal times.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Even after God had chosen Jerusalem to put His name there, the patriarchal use of high places was upon special occasions sanctioned by Him (see 1Ki 18:38<\/span>).<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> In Judah there was little need for these, since the extremity of the kingdom was not very remote from Jerusalem. The distance to Beersheba would be about forty British statute miles.<\/p>\n

(4)<\/strong> But the high places of Judah were mainly designed for idolatry. Hence their association in the text with” images-and groves” and rites of Sodomites and other Canaanitish abominations.<\/p>\n

2<\/strong>. He had built many temples<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> The term () here translated “images” is elsewhere commonly rendered pillars <\/em>(see Gen 28:18<\/span>; Gen 31:51<\/span>; Gen 35:20<\/span>; Exo 24:4<\/span>; Isa 19:19<\/span>). It is far from evident that this word is ever used for any image or figured thing. In places where it is construed “images,” pillars<\/em> would give as good sense (see Exo 23:24<\/span>; 2Ki 10:26<\/span>, 2Ki 10:27<\/span>). Marginal readings bear this out (see Deu 7:5<\/span>; Deu 16:22<\/span>).<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> It is probable these pillars were distributed in ranks, as those of the Druids at Stonehenge and Abiry, to serve as temples in which the powers of the material heavens were worshipped.<\/p>\n

3<\/strong>. He had enshrined idols in these<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> The Asherim () are here evidently misrendered “groves;” for how could groves be planted under every green tree? (See Homily on 1Ki 14:15<\/span>, 1Ki 14:16<\/span>, supra<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> They were idols apparently in figure like goats. For Jeroboam “ordained him priests for the high places and for the devils ( goats<\/em>), <\/em>and for the calves which he had made” (2Ch 11:15<\/span>). Here we have no mention of Ashorim<\/em>; <\/em>of goats, <\/em>however, we have mention. But when Josiah destroyed these things, there is mention of the Ashorah, <\/em>but no mention of the goat <\/em>(compare 2Ki 23:15<\/span>). The Asherah destroyed by Josiah appears, then, to be the goat which Jeroboam had set up.<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> These Asherim, or Asherothfor they appear to have been male and female idolswere supposed to convey blessings to their worshippers, and hence their name (from to proceed, to bless<\/em>).<\/p>\n

4<\/strong>. His idolatry was attended with shocking cites<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> They were the very abominations for which the land had spewed out the Canaanites as with abhorrence (see Le 1Ki 18:28; 1Ki 20:22<\/span>, and contexts).<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Conspicuous amongst these were the Sodomites, whose orgies were intimately connected with the Asherim, and to encourage which the women wove hangings (see 2Ki 23:7<\/span>). How fruitful in inventions is the wickedness of the heart! (Ecc 7:29<\/span>.)<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> FOR<\/strong> HIS<\/strong> DEGENERACY<\/strong> HE<\/strong> WAS<\/strong> WITHOUT<\/strong> EXCUSE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. He had Jerusalem for his capital<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> This was the city chosen of God out of all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. The temple of Jehovah was there, and the Shekinah of Jehovah was in it.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Every appliance for acceptable worship was there at hand. The altars were there; the priesthood was there; the appointed assemblies, festival and ferial, were there.<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> They sinned, therefore, “before the face of the Lord,” as in His very presence. Even more so than Israel, who could not now claim Jerusalem for his capital, though he was still bound to go there to worship. Let us remember that God is ever near us; this thought will restrain our truancy.<\/p>\n

2<\/strong>. He had a son of David for his king<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> The mother of Rehoboam, indeed, was an Ammonitess. This is emphatically (twice) mentioned. She was one of those strange women who had turned the heart of Solomon from the right way. The abomination of her country was Milcom or Molech, whose rites were most ferocious and demoralizing.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> But against these influences were noble traditions on the other side. His father, in the beginning of his reign, was illustrious in wisdom and zeal for the God of Israel. The memories of his grandfather were glorious. To this must be added the most material circumstance that the Covenant was with his house; for Messiah Himself was to be the Son of David.<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> These things were not without their influence. For three years after the revolution under Jeroboam, Rehoboam governed Judah in the fear of God, and so established his throne (see 2Ch 11:17<\/span>).<\/p>\n

(4)<\/strong> When, after this, Rehoboam “forsook the law of the Lord,” his subjects should have dissuaded him and, if necessary, resisted him. But they went “with him” (2Ch 12:2<\/span>).<\/p>\n

(5)<\/strong> To such excesses,did they go that they “sinned above their fathers in provoking the Lord to jealousy.”J.A.M.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:25-31<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Entailments of Sin.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the three first years of his reign in Judah, Rehoboam walked in the steps of Solomon and David, enjoyed peace, and became established in his throne. Afterwards he gave himself up to idolatrous abominations, and brought evil upon himself and upon his people. The entailments of their sin were<\/p>\n

I.<\/strong> TROUBLE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. There was continual war between the kingdoms<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> While they remained faithful to God they had peace. God interposed to preserve peace by the hand of Shemaiah (1Ki 12:21-24<\/span>).<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> But when they forsook the Lord, they soon got to strife, which continued as long as the kings lived (verse 80). This strife was also handed down to their successors,<\/p>\n

(3) <\/strong>Thus sinners become God’s instruments to punish one another. So it is seen to this day in the contentions and litigations of individuals. Men are slow to see the hand of God.<\/p>\n

2<\/strong>. Shishak aggravated the mischief<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> The influences which brought him upon the scene may be discerned. Hadad, who occasioned so much trouble to Solomon, was Shishak’s brother-in-law. Shishak was thus disposed to give asylum to Jeroboam when he fled for his life from Solomon. Shishak now conspires with Jeroboam to ruin Rehoboam.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> The array brought against Judah by Shishak was formidable (see 2Ch 12:3<\/span>). It would have been crushing had not Rehoboam and his people, in their extremity, humbled themselves before God (2Ch 12:7<\/span>).<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> But they still had to feel the smart of their sins.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> FORFEITURE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. In war there is always loss<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> Necessarily there is the forfeiture of peace<\/em>. Who can estimate the value of peace? Perfect peace is the resultant of perfect harmony as the white light is composed of all the colours in the iris.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> There is the loss of property<\/em>. Labour is the source of wealth: the labour withdrawn from industry to wage war is so much loss of wealth. The soldier also is a consumer. When he does not provide for his own sustenance, the labour of others must be taxed to feed him.<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> There is the loss of life<\/em>. <\/em>War is seldom bloodless. Often the slaughter is fearful. Wellington is reported to have said that the calamity next in severity to a defeat is a victory.<\/p>\n

2<\/strong>. Shishak despoiled the temple of its treasure<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> The booty here was enormous. The spoils of David’s victories were there; also the accumulations of Solomon’s peaceful commerce.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> The shields of gold that Solomon had made are particularly mentioned. It is added that Rehoboam had brazen shields made to replace them. How sin reduces the fine gold to brass!<\/p>\n

3<\/strong>. Shishak also rifled the palace<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> The treasures here also were immense. Perhaps there never was such plunder as this in human annals.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> Rehoboam handed down a diminished inheritance to his son. By his folly he alienated ten tribes of his nation from his kingdom. Abijam likewise succeeded to a kingdom greatly impoverished. He became heir also to embroilments. The entailments of sin pursue the spirit into the invisible world. Forfeiture. Trouble:J.A.M.<\/p>\n

HOMILIES BY J. URQUHART<\/strong><\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21-31<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfaithfulness and its rebuke.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I. JUDAH<\/strong>‘S SIN<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. The nature of the transgression<\/em>. <\/em>The grossest idolatry was set side by side with the pure worship of God. The temple and its services were still HIS<\/strong> (1Ki 14:28<\/span>), but on every high hill and under every green tree were the images and altars of the false gods.<\/p>\n

The preservation of the pure worship of God is no proof that all is yielded which God demands. The heart may be full of the world’s idolatries, of its covetousness and lust and manifold sin.<\/p>\n

2<\/strong>. Its enormity<\/em>.<\/p>\n

(1)<\/strong> It was wrought in Jerusalem, <\/em>“the city which the Lord did choose,” etc; and this, too, in the face of the defection of the ten tribes. It is high treason against Jehovah when those whom He has called and honoured are faithless to the trust committed to them. It is the darkest crime against God and man to betray the last earthly refuge of the truth.<\/p>\n

(2)<\/strong> It was done after an interval of repentance and religious zeal (2Ch 11:17<\/span>; 2Ch 12:1<\/span>). They had known and yet forsaken the better way.<\/p>\n

(3)<\/strong> Their idolatry was more unrestrained and daring than any that Israel had ever known (1Ki 14:22<\/span>).<\/p>\n

3<\/strong>. Its fruits <\/em>(1Ki 14:24<\/span>). Errors in worship become vices in life. The soul that is cut off from the fountain of life must needs break out into corruption.<\/p>\n

II.<\/strong> JUDAH<\/strong>‘S CHASTISEMENT<\/strong>. It inflicted deep humiliation and loudly proclaimed God’s indignation.<\/p>\n

1<\/strong>. It was inflicted by an old and beaten foe<\/em>. <\/em>Their temple songs, celebrating the ancient triumph over “Rahab,” must have deepened their shame.<\/p>\n

2<\/strong>. The holy city and the temple itself were spoiled<\/em>. <\/em>God loathed their holy things. We need not marvel that rationalism and infidelity are rampant in a faithless, worldly Church. It is God’s way. Israel’s idolatry is punished by Egypt’s triumph.<\/p>\n

3<\/strong>. It left its mark in enduring poverty <\/em>(1Ki 14:26-28<\/span>). The splendour passed away from the royal pomp, and doubtless also from the temple service. The nation and Church which Egypt has spoiled, whose faith has been shaken by doubt, or swallowed up in unbelief, have lost their strength and glory. They are but the shadows of what a true and pure faith once made them.J.U.<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

THIRD SECTION
The Kingdom In Judah Under Rehoboam, Abijam, And Asa<\/p>\n

(1Ki 14:21<\/span> to 1Ki 15:24<\/span>)<\/p>\n

A.The Rule of Rehoboam<\/em><\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21-31<\/span><\/p>\n

21And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was<\/em> forty and one8<\/span> years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord [Jehovah] did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mothers name was<\/em> Naamah an Ammonitess. 22And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord [Jehovah], and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their 23fathers had done. For they9<\/span> also built them high places, and images [pillars]10<\/span>, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. 24And there were also sodomites in the land: and<\/em> they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord [Jehovah] cast out before the children of Israel. 25And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that<\/em> Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem: 26and he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord [Jehovah], and the treasures of the kings house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which11<\/span> Solomon had made. 27And king Rehoboam made in their stead brazen shields, and committed them<\/em> unto the hands of the chief12<\/span> of the guard, which kept the door of the kings house. 28And it was so,<\/em> when the king went into the house of the Lord [Jehovah], that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber. 29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are<\/em> they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their<\/em> days. 31And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mothers name was<\/em> Naamah an Ammonitess.13<\/span> And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.<\/p>\n

Exegetical and Critical<\/strong><\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21<\/span>. Twenty and one years old was Rehoboam.<\/strong> [Rehoboam was forty and one years old.Eng. Ver.] The usual reading is forty and one. Although the Chronicler (2 1Ki 12:13<\/span>) and all translations give the latter, and only some MSS. give twenty and one, yet this is indisputably the right reading. For (a<\/em>) in 1Ki 12:8<\/span>; 1Ki 12:10<\/span> (2Ch 10:8<\/span>; 2Ch 10:10<\/span>), Rehoboams companions at the time of his accession are called , which generally mean infants, or at most youths, but never men of forty. The older commentators resorted to the very strange and far-fetched supposition that the young men mentioned in chap. 12 were not young in years but in understanding. Thenius thinks that their youth was relative as compared with the age of the old men; but men in ripe manhood of one and forty years cannot be called in any case. (b<\/em>) Regarding the son of Rehoboam, Abijah, 2Ch 13:7<\/span>, says, the insurrection of Jeroboam and the separation of the ten tribes took place because his (Abijahs) father was still a boy, , and (of a weak, tender heart, cf.<\/em> Gen 33:13<\/span>). The son wishes to explain the conduct of his father by his youthful age; but he could not possibly speak thus of a man forty-one years old. Besides, 1Ki 12:6<\/span> sq.<\/em> agrees perfectly with the description of Rehoboams conduct. (c<\/em>) If Rehoboam were forty-one years old at the death of Solomon, who reigned forty years (1Ki 11:42<\/span>), Solomon must have married during Davids life-time, and have married an Ammonitess, which was contrary to the law; and, as he calls himself only a (1Ki 3:7<\/span>) when he had become king, he must have had a son in about his 18th year. There is nothing, however, of all this in the history; on the contrary, it says expressly that he married a daughter of Pharaoh after he became king, and she was the real queen (1Ki 3:1<\/span>; 1Ki 9:24<\/span>); he did not take Canaanitish wives till later (1Ki 11:1<\/span> sq.<\/em>). All these positive historical evidences for the youth of Rehoboam at his accession cannot be disproved and rejected on account of a mere numerical figure, though it were originally in the text. We must, therefore, believe, like Capellus and Le Clerc, that the numeral signs were changed, as so often happens, viz., that of with ; this obviates all difficulties, and there is no passage that in the least contradicts it. The name and descent of the mother<\/em> are expressly given, because the queen-mother was very much esteemed and very influential, as the , just as the sultana Walida is now in the Turkish empire. The text also subsequently gives the name of the queen-mothers, but only of those belonging to the Judah-kings (1Ki 15:2<\/span>; 1Ki 15:13; 1Ki 22:42<\/span>, &c.). The reason of the words, in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose,<\/em> &c., is found in the following 1Ki 14:22<\/span>; 1Ki 14:24<\/span>, in connection with which they mean: the residence of Jeroboam was indeed the city where Jehovahs dwelling stood, which was the centre of the whole theocracy, but even here the people fell into idolatry. For the expression: put His name there, see above on chap. 6<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:23-24<\/span>. And Judah did evil,<\/strong> &c. Even in the times of the judges the apostasy was never so great in Judah as it was now under Rehoboam. For the expression: provoke to jealousy, see above. For see on 1Ki 3:2<\/span>, and for see on 1Ki 14:15<\/span>. The are also mentioned in Exo 34:13<\/span>; Deu 7:5<\/span>; Deu 12:3<\/span>; Deu 16:21<\/span> sq.,<\/em> in connection with the Astarte-images; from which passages it appears that the former were made of stone, and the latter of wood. from means something that is made fast or placed firmly, and refers to monuments (Exo 28:18<\/span>; Exo 28:22<\/span>; Exo 31:13<\/span>; Exo 35:14<\/span>; Exo 35:20<\/span>; Exo 24:4<\/span>; 2Sa 18:18<\/span>). As they were only used to commemorate a divine appearance and revelation (Gen 28:18<\/span>), men easily came to pay them divine honor, and in the heathen world they passed into regular idols (Lev 26:1<\/span>). Whilst the wooden monuments (Astarte) represented the female nature-divinity, the stone pillars represented the male deity, i.e.,<\/em> Baal; hence (2Ki 3:2<\/span>; cf. 2Ki 10:26; 2Ki 18:4<\/span>; 2Ki 23:14<\/span>). The were erected on hills and mountains, the idols of the male and female divinities were placed under thick shady trees, as appears from Hos 4:13<\/span>, cf. <\/em>Deu 12:2<\/span>; Jer 2:20<\/span>; Jer 3:6<\/span>; Jer 17:2<\/span>. That (1Ki 14:24<\/span>), used collectively, does not mean female (Ewald, Thenius), but only male prostitutes, is quite evident from 1Ki 15:12<\/span> () and Deu 23:18<\/span>; the author mentions as the greatest excess of idolatry, that men or boys allowed themselves to be prostituted in honor of the gods. There is no reason to suppose, as Keil does, that they were such as had castrated themselves in a fit of religious frenzy. The words in the land (cf.<\/em> with 1Ki 15:12<\/span>) shows that they were not natives (Israelites or Judeans), but strangers, Canaanites or Phnicians who had settled in the land for unlawful gain.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:25-26<\/span>. Shishak came up,<\/strong> 1Ki 14:25<\/span>. For this king see on 1Ki 11:40<\/span>. 2Ch 12:2-8<\/span> gives a further account of his invasion of Judah. We do not know the cause; the Rabbins think it was only a robber expedition. As Jeroboam had sojourned as a refugee with Shishak (according to an addition of the Sept. to 1Ki 12:24<\/span>, he had even married the daughter of the latter), it has been supposed that he was induced to undertake the war by Jeroboam. It can scarcely be doubted that the king with a Jewish countenance on one of the monuments at Carnac (see Winer, R.-W.-B.<\/em> II. s.<\/em> 311, 474) was Rehoboam, if Champollion was correct in reading Sheshonk (Prcis du syst. hieroglyph,<\/em> p. 204), Thenius. , i. e.,<\/em> all that he found; took the shields, &c. (1Ki 10:16<\/span>). These were of peculiarly high value. According to the connection, the author means, That Judah was given over into the power of the heathen was the punishment that speedily followed their fall into heathen abominations (Keil).<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:27-28<\/span>. King Rehoboam made,<\/strong> &c., 1Ki 14:27<\/span>. The are the royal guards (see above on 1Ki 1:38<\/span>), who were also named celeres<\/em> with Romulus (Liv. 1Ki 1:14<\/span>). They kept watch at the palace gate (see on 2Ki 11:6<\/span>) and accompanied the king in solemn procession, as often as he went to the temple; it was only then that they bore these shields, and not on ordinary occasions. does not mean exactly the guard-room, but any place where the runners where staying. The costly golden shields which Solomon had made were in the house of the forest of Lebanon (1Ki 10:17<\/span>), but it is doubtful whether the brazen shields of Rehoboam were only kept in the , being considered as of no value (Thenius).<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:29-31<\/span>. The rest of the acts,<\/strong> &c. What 2 Chronicles 11<\/span> relates of the cities fortified by Rehoboam, of the emigration of priests and those faithful to Jehovah to the Judah-territory, and of the family relations of Rehoboam, is certainly derived from ancient historical sources, probably from those mentioned in 2Ch 12:15<\/span> (Thenius). As also the account of the Chronicles gives no details of a regular war of Rehoboam with Jeroboam, here 1Ki 14:30<\/span>, and 2Ch 12:15 only refer to the hostile position of both kingdoms as manifested in single acts (Winer), therefore not to a warlike disposition simply.Thenius thinks that the repetition of the concluding words of 1Ki 14:21<\/span> (the name of his mother, &c.) was caused by a fault in the copyist that cannot be accounted for. This, however, is very improbable, for why should just these words have been taken by a copyist from 1Ki 14:21<\/span>, have been repeated here, and then always have remained? The repetition appears rather to have been intentional, in order to show once more at the end of the account of Rehoboam that the mother of this king was descended from that rough heathenish people, the Ammonites, who were always hostile to Israel, and that under Solomon the worship of Moloch, the abomination of the Ammonites, was brought by her to Jerusalem (1Ki 11:7<\/span>) and suffered to remain for her by his son Rehoboam. This appears also to be meant by 2Ch 12:14<\/span>, in connection with 1Ki 14:13<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Historical and Ethical<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. We learn only a few facts from these books regarding king Rehoboam and his reign,<\/em> and from those few no certain conclusion can be drawn regarding his relation to the fundamental law of Israel; the general phrase also which expresses the relation to Jehovah, and which always immediately follows the account of the personal circumstances of all the later kings (cf.<\/em> 1Ki 15:3<\/span>; 1Ki 15:11<\/span>; 1Ki 15:25; 1Ki 15:34<\/span>, &c.) is omitted here. But Chron. concludes its rather more explicit account with the words: he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord (), 2Ch 12:14<\/span>; and the remark is made before (1Ki 14:1<\/span>), that he forsook the law of the Lord. We are not to conclude from this, however, that he himself served idols; on the contrary, it is emphatically said that, in solemn procession, accompanied by his whole body-guard, he continually visited the temple, and thus showed himself publicly to all the people as a worshipper of Jehovah. As such he showed himself also when Shishak made war against him (2Ch 12:6<\/span>; 2Ch 12:12<\/span>) But he forsook the law in so far that he did not obey its injunctions; he suffered idolatrous worship in Jerusalem and did nothing towards exterminating it. This was the evil he was accused of; he continued Jehovahs servant, but he wanted firmness and decision. Sometimes fiery and arrogant, sometimes yielding and weak, he was unstable, as he had shown himself in Shechem at the commencement of his reign (1Ki 12:5-9<\/span>; 1Ki 12:18<\/span>; 1Ki 12:21<\/span>); he seems also to have been under the influence of his idolatrous mother (see on 1Ki 14:31<\/span>) and wife (1Ki 15:13<\/span>), and of his many wives (2Ch 11:21<\/span>). Menzel (Staats- und Rel.-Gesch., s.<\/em> 236) is wholly wrong in referring, in his superficial way, the expression (2Ch 12:14<\/span>) which he translates to ask the Lord, to the relation of the king to the priesthood, and in that he is blamed for not inquiring of the Lord, we can perceive that Rehoboam had not been led, by the misfortune which had befallen him, to accord greater consideration to the priesthood than they had enjoyed under his predecessors. That expression denotes rather, as Dietrich very justly remarks (Zu Gesenius W.-B. s. v.<\/em>), the striving of the spirit after God, the inward seeking, especially in prayer, and calling upon Him; cf.<\/em> Isa 55:6<\/span>; Isa 58:2<\/span>; Jer 29:13<\/span>; 2Ch 15:2; 2Ch 15:14<\/span>; 2Ch 15:6<\/span>; Hos 10:12<\/span>; Psa 14:2<\/span>. That the priesthood under Rehoboam strove for greater consideration than they had under David (for instance) is a pure invention; but we see from 1Ki 12:22-24<\/span> and 2Ch 12:5-6<\/span>; 2Ch 12:12<\/span>, that Rehoboam did not resist or act in opposition to the prophetical word.<\/p>\n

2. The idolatrous worship that commenced in Judah under Rehoboam<\/em> was not begun by the latter but by the people; for 1Ki 14:22<\/span> does not say, he did evil in the sight of the Lord, as is said of other kings, but: Judah<\/em> did, &c. This seems remarkable, because Judah had the central sanctuary in their midst, and the priests and levites; indeed all the true worshippers of Jehovah had left the apostate ten tribes and had gone to Judah, by which the kingdom of Jeroboam was weakened, but that of Rehoboam strengthened (2Ch 11:13-17<\/span>). That Judah, nevertheless, fell so deeply was owing to an after-influence of the condition of things under Solomons reign, and particularly the latter part of the same. Commerce and intercourse with foreign nations, acquaintance with their customs and mode of life, great riches and uninterrupted peace, had exercised an enervating and demoralizing influence. Ease, superfluity, and luxury gradually undermined serious thought, and brought forth lukewarmness, indifference, and even aversion to the strict covenant-law: what was written in Deu 32:15<\/span> (Hos 13:6<\/span>) came to pass. Added to this, Solomon at last removed every obstacle to the strange heathen-worship of his wives, so that although Jerusalem was the centre of the Jehovah-worship, it was at the same time the spot where the most various national gods were adored, and where their unchaste worship found a ready soil (see on 1Ki 11:1-8<\/span>). Immediately after Solomons death this religious liberty could only have been abolished by force and iron severity; but the times were not adapted for this task, and still less was his successor, Rehoboam, the son of the Ammonitess, the (2Ch 13:7<\/span>); so that idolatry and immorality rather increased than decreased, and the fall of Judah seems to have been even deeper than that of Israel. However, the condition of Judah was not so bad as the condition of Israel in this respect; as in the latter, the breach of the fundamental law had become the State religion and institution of the kingdom, the separate existence of which depended on the new worship; whilst in Judah the apostasy was only permitted, and the lawful worship of Jehovah had always a firm footing at the central sanctuary. Many good elements also still existed in Judah (2Ch 20:12<\/span>). Judah always repented as often as they fell into idolatry, and they continued to be the guardian of the law, whilst Israel, on the contrary, never completely returned to the right way.<\/p>\n

Homiletical and Practical<\/strong><\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21-30<\/span>. The deep fall of Judah: (a<\/em>) Whence it came (Deu 32:15<\/span>; Hos 13:6<\/span>; Pro 30:9<\/span>see Hist. and Ethic. 2); whither it led (Rom 1:25-28<\/span>). Amongst individual men as in entire communities, cities, and nations, revolt against the living God results from haughtiness, over-prosperity, and carnal security, bringing as inevitable consequences, poverty, ruin, and misfortune in war. High as stood Judah under David and Solomon, so deep in proportion did it sink under Rehoboam.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21-22<\/span>. Wherever God has a house, the devil always builds a chapel close at hand. How often does it happen that cities and countries, whence it has been ordained by God that the light of His knowledge should shine forth, have become the seat alike of superstition and of scepticism, and thus infinitely sink below the level of those lands which have never heard His blessed word. When an individual man, or a whole community and people, who have received and acknowledged the truth, again depart from it, then is their last state worse than their first (Isa. 11:26).<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:23-24<\/span>. Wherever profligacy and fornication are in the ascendant, there is true heathendom, how many soever may be the churches. King Rehoboam, too, sinned grievously in this wisehe, although not himself an idol-worshipper, yet failed as a servant of God, in that he did not oppose idol-worship with all his might, and even regarded it as having equal rights with the service of the true Godeven, alas, as we find Christian sovereigns who permit unbelief and revolt from the truth to rank upon a level with faith and confession of God in Christ.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:25<\/span> sq.<\/em> Where the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together (Mat 24:28<\/span>). The chastisements of God are never delayed where immorality and godlessness prevail, but they do not always lead, as with Judah, to the humble confession: The Lord is righteous! (2Ch 12:6<\/span>).Calw. B.: Sovereigns are often only the instruments of God in their undertakings, although they do not or will not recognize the fact.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:26<\/span>. The true treasures of the temple are the worship of God in spirit and in truth, prayer, faith, love, and obedience; these no thieves nor robbers can steal, and without them all the gold and silver in temples and churches is vain and empty show. Golden or copper shields are alike in value if only we can say: The Lord is our shield, and the Holy One of Israel our King.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:27-28<\/span>. It is better to pray to our heavenly Father in our closet, rather than to worship with pomp in church to be seen by men. Yet now there are many who ceremoniously frequent the churches, but neglect to maintain the fear of God, discipline, and good morals in their own houses and neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:30-31<\/span>. It is not to a mans honor when, at his grave, these words are said: There was life-long enmity between him and his neighbor.<\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[8]<\/span>1Ki 14:21<\/span>.[Our author substitutes the number twenty-one<\/em> in his translation, the reasons for which see in the Exeg. Com. On the other hand, the entire agreement of the VV. and MSS. is a strong argument for the text as it stands. Keil decides against the proposed alteration.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/span>1Ki 14:23<\/span>.[ and they, even they built, i. e.,<\/em> the Jews as well as the Israelites.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/span>1Ki 14:23<\/span>.[ = monumental pillars for religious purposes. Sept., . See the Exeg. Com.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/span>1Ki 14:26<\/span>.[The Vat. Sept. thus enlarges the close of 1Ki 14:26<\/span> : shields of gold which David received of the hand of the children of Adrazaar, king of Souba, and brought them into Jerusalem, all the things which he received, the arms of gold which Solomon made, and carried them into Egypt.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/span>1Ki 14:27<\/span>.[The Heb., followed by all the VV., has the plural. The A. V. must have used chief collectively.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/span>1Ki 14:31<\/span>.[The Vat. Sept., as also the Syr., omits the foregoing clause, which is repeated from 1Ki 14:21<\/span>.F. G.]<\/p>\n

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

(21) And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The sacred historian here turns to the subject of Judah in the government of Rehoboam. The account of this son of Solomon is short and nothing interesting. No act of obedience towards God. No act of kindness toward men. He is said merely to have lived, and to have reigned so long, and sprung from the race of the Ammonites. See Reader! what sad effects spring out of ungracious alliances!<\/p>\n

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

1Ki 14:21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam [was] forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name [was] Naamah an Ammonitess.<\/p>\n

Ver. 21. His mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.] Mentioned here, and again, 1Ki 14:31<\/span> , but for no good. Omne malum ex Gynaeceo.<\/em> She had the breeding of him, and corrupted him likely. His wicked wife also, Maachah, helped after.<\/p>\n

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

mother’s name. Mentioned here and in the case of each successive king (Compare 1Ki 15:10; 1Ki 22:42. 2Ki 8:26, &c.); because the king’s character stands connected with the mother; and because of the position which the queen dowager occupied (Compare 1Ki 2:19, 1Ki 15:13. Jer 13:18). <\/p>\n

Ammonitess. Twice mentioned, and in connection with Jerusalem. See 1Ki 14:31. <\/p>\n

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

1Ki 14:21. And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah.<\/p>\n

After great mountains often come low valleys. Solomon was a wise man; Rehoboam was otherwise.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when be began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there.<\/p>\n

Rehoboam ought to have been a good king. Jerusalem was the holy city, the chosen city; God put his own name there. It is a sad thing that this king should try to put away Gods name from the chosen city.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21. And his mothers name was Naamah an Ammonitess.<\/p>\n

There was bad blood in him. How often do we find that the good king has a good mothers name mentioned with his own! Bad kings generally come from some stranger, some heathen princess. It was so with Rehoboam.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:22. And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.<\/p>\n

Their fathers had been great sinners; but, in the days of David, they had not set up false gods. In the days of Solomon, after the temple had been built, they began to go astray. It is a curious thing that a high ritualistic service, even if it be right, is usually attended with a down-coming in spirituality. When the temple service was instituted, it was the beginning of a decline; but in Rehoboams day that decline became more apparent, the down-grade became more visible.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:23. For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. <\/p>\n

They could not have enough of it. When men go wrong, they generally go wrong very greedily; they cannot have too much of evil.<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:24. And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.<\/p>\n

When men once turn aside from the living God to follow inventions of their own, there is no telling where they will go; nothing is too foul, nothing is too filthy for them. Now read the same story as you find it in 2 Chronicles 12.<\/p>\n

This exposition consisted of readings from 1Ki 14:21-24 and 2 Chronicles 12.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Rehoboam<\/p>\n

(Liberator, or enlarger, of the people.)<\/p>\n

(1Ki 12:1-24; 14:21-31; 2 Chron. 10-12)<\/p>\n

Contemporary Prophet, Shemaiah.<\/p>\n

In the multitude of people is the kings honor:but in the want of people is the destruction of the prince.-Pro 14:28.<\/p>\n

Rehoboam was not what we call a strong character. He was, in the beginning of his reign at least, as his own son Abijah said to Jeroboam, young (inexperienced) and faint-hearted, and did not show himself strong against the troublers of his kingdom (2Ch 13:7, N. Tr.). Why Solomon should have chosen him as his successor is not clear. It is difficult to believe that he had no other sons; yet it is a fact that Rehoboam is the only one mentioned (1Ch 3:10). His father seems to have had misgivings concerning his ability to rule the kingdom (see Ecc 2:18, 19; 4:13-16, N. Tr.). And it was probably not a question of favoritism; for Pharaohs daughter, and not Naamah the Ammonitess (Rehoboams mother), appears to have been his preferred wife. But if Rehoboam was his only son, he had no choice; so we read, Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead. Weakness and vacillation marked his reign from the beginning. His going to Shechem to be crowned was evidently a concession to conciliate the already disaffected tribes to the north. He might have succeeded in his efforts to allay the dissatisfaction caused by the enforced levy of labor by his father (see 1Ki 11:28), had he wisely and humbly heeded the advice of the aged men who had been his fathers honored counselors. They, from long experience, knew the temper of the people well; and in petitioning for the lightening of their burdens, they were only doing what any people not reduced to the condition of slavery, or serfdom, might have asked. And had the newly crowned king granted them their reasonable demands, and been kind to them, and pleased them, and spoken good words to them, they would, as the old cabinet ministers said, have been his loyal subjects forever. But he forsook their wise counsels. Influenced by a handful of callow novices and young court favorites, who, like himself, thought more of the rights of the king than of his responsibility to govern righteously he replied with as rash and insolent a speech as was, perhaps, ever uttered from the throne to a civilized nation. The outraged people answer in the same spirit as the king; and we have the sad, portentous cry, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse:every man to your tents, O Israel:and now, David, see to thine own house. (See also 2Sa 20:1.)<\/p>\n

Though truly thankful to God that we are privileged to live under a form of government which gives us fullest freedom, we have no quarrel with absolute monarchy. But while God enjoins subjection to the powers that be, tyranny over the souls and bodies of men is nowhere countenanced in His word; and rulers who attempt it must learn the results to their cost. There are many proofs of this in Scripture, as in history. Government is of God, and therefore of divine appointment; but Gods frown is upon all abuse of power.<\/p>\n

Rehoboam found it hard to believe that the ten tribes had really refused his yoke. He flattered himself, no doubt, that they would not dare to rebel against his authority. It could not be possible, he might think, that these provincials should not readily and meekly submit to his chastening with scorpions. So he confidently sent to them Hadoram to collect the imposed assessment. This ill-advised act brings matters to a crisis, and the old collector-general, who had served in this office under his father Solomon and his grandfather David is stoned by the exasperated people. So the king, who had boasted so haughtily that his little finger should be thicker than his fathers loins, ingloriously made speed to get him up to his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

It must have been evident to him now that the rebellion was a very real and formidable one, and not a mere passing wave of discontent that would quickly die away of itself and be forgotten. But such an immense loss, such terrible results occurring so unexpectedly, are not so easily submitted to. Force may yet avail. There is the army, one hundred and eighty thousand strong:these malcontents should soon be made to feel the effect of its invincible power. Might must make right, if right cannot be demonstrated in any other way. But the God of peace, who loves His people even when misguided and in error, warns the king of Judah (note the intentional limit of his title, 2Ch 11:3) by the word of the man of God, Shemaiah, saying, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren:return every man to his house; for this thing is from Me.<\/p>\n

Under the government of God this division of the kingdom was the punishment of the sins of Solomon (1Ki 11:33), occasioned by the folly of Rehoboam; it must therefore stand. To fight, then, to bring back the unity of the nation, good as the purpose might seem, was to fight against God. Reho-boam ought to have been thankful that Gods love to David had left him even two tribes. And he appears to have been, for they obeyed the words of the Lord, and returned from going against Jeroboam. He now betakes himself to make sure what had been left him. He built, or garrisoned, fifteen cities within his decreased territory, and he fortified the strong holds, and put captains in them, and store of victuals, and of oil and wine. And in every several city he put shields and spears, and made them exceeding strong. The successful rebel may sometimes turn invader, and Rehoboam (wiser now) will guard against this. There was war between him and the insurrectionist leader Jeroboam all their days, and the son of Solomon had to guard vigilantly what remained to him.<\/p>\n

The priests and Levites remained faithful to Jehovah, to His house and worship at Jerusalem, and to the house of David, which was by the election of God the royal one. They left the land of Israel, to dwell in Judah and Jerusalem. Others too, who had set their hearts to seek the God of Israel, deserted the cause of the secessionists, and flocked to Rehoboams standard. For three years all went well, and they walked in the way of David and Solomon. But their goodness (like all that is of the creature merely) was as the early dew and like the morning cloud, and passed quickly away. Subdued, no doubt, and humbled, by the loss of the greater portion of his kingdom, Rehoboam walked for a time in fear and dependence. But alas, even serious lessons like this are soon forgotten by most, and before five years had passed both king and people had lapsed so far into idolatry as to be brought to the very verge of apostasy from Jehovah. And Judah, we read, did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree. And there were also sodomites (men consecrated to impurity) in the land:and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel (1Ki 14:22-24).<\/p>\n

And for this cause God sent Shishak king of Egypt against them. Solomon had joined affinity with Pharaoh by taking his daughter to wife; and whether this was merely to please himself, or that he expected to strengthen his kingdom by an alliance with so powerful a country, it all comes to naught, as do all such expedients where Gods word is disobeyed or ignored. Shishak overthrew Pharaoh, the father-in-law of Solomon, thus ending that dynasty, and Shishak became the new king, who knew not Solomon, nor his successor. Influenced probably by Jeroboam, he marched against Jerusalem with a vast army of twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen, besides an innumerable host of footmen. Realizing the utter hopelessness of his position, and not having faith in God, Rehoboam offered no resistance to the advance of Shishak. Huddled with the princes of Judah at Jerusalem, he awaited with them, in fear of his life, the coming of the Egyptian army.<\/p>\n

It is now Gods time to speak to their consciences; and Shemaiah the prophet appeared before them with this message of conviction:Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken Me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. They humbled themselves, then, and said, The Lord is righteous; and a partial deliverance was promised them. God says, I will not destroy them. The princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves, says the Word. The princes took the lead, it would seem (from their being mentioned first), in this humiliating, yet becoming, confession; the king was slower, the roots of his former haughtiness still lingering unjudged within his heart.<\/p>\n

Note what God says: I will not destroy them. Shishak was only His whip, like the Assyrian at a later date, whom God, by His prophet Isaiah, calls the rod of Mine anger, and a razor that is hired. It is necessary, for blessing, in calamities like these, to see beyond the instrument, and know the hand that uses it. But though their lives were spared, they must become servants (tributary) to Shishak, That they may know, God says, My service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. Where true submission is, the Lords yoke is easy; and if His saints refuse to wear it, they must learn by humiliating and painful experience what the yoke of the enemy is like. So Shishak took away all the temple treasures, and those of the royal palace. He also took with him the five hundred shields of gold that Solomon had made; and Rehoboam made in their stead shields of bronze, and with these pathetically tried to keep up former appearances. It is like souls, who, when despoiled of their freshness and power by the enemy, laboriously endeavor to keep up an outward appearance of spiritual prosperity; or, like a fallen church, shorn of its strength, and robbed of its purity, seeking to hide its helplessness, and cover its nakedness, with the tinsel of ritualism, spurious revivalism, union, and anything that promises to give them some appearance of justification for saying, I am rich, and increased with goods, etc.<\/p>\n

There is little more to say of Rehoboam. Whatever was in his fathers mind when naming him Liberator, or Enlarger of the people, he failed utterly to become either. He enslaved the nation to Shishak by his sins, and decreased the numerical strength of his kingdom by more than three millions through his folly at the very outset of his reign. He followed his fathers shameful example in taking many wives. He displayed wisdom, however, in distributing his sons over the countries of Judah and Benjamin, placing them in the garrison towns, and providing them food in abundance. He probably remembered and was desirous to avoid such scenes as had occurred at the close of his grandfather Davids life in connection with his sons. Would God that Christians had always as much spiritual wisdom as Rehoboam manifested natural wisdom in this. Were Gods people well fed with truth, and well taken up with the affairs of Christ in the various services of His kingdom, there would be less strife among us. But alas, it is still too often true that the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light, Rehoboams wisdom was rewarded when, at the end of his seventeen years reign, his son Abijah quietly assumed the crown without opposition from his many brethren.<\/p>\n

Rehoboam died at the age of fifty-eight. The Spirits last comment on his character is significant:And he did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord. There we are told in a single sentence the whole secret of his failure, both as king of Judah, and servant of Jehovah, who gave him this exalted position, he applied not his heart to seek Jehovah. May God in His grace, help us to apply our hearts to seek first and always His kingdom and righteousness. Only so shall we be kept from evil, and preserved from making the record of our lives read anything like Rehoboams-one sad succession of decline and failure. <\/p>\n

Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

Rehoboam: 1Ki 11:43, 2Ch 12:13, 2Ch 13:7 <\/p>\n

the city: 1Ki 8:16, 1Ki 8:44, 1Ki 11:36, Psa 78:68, Psa 78:69, Psa 87:1, Psa 87:2, Psa 132:13, Psa 132:14, Isa 12:6 <\/p>\n

to put his name: Exo 20:24, Deu 12:5, Deu 12:21 <\/p>\n

Naamah: 1Ki 14:31, Deu 23:3, 2Ch 12:13 <\/p>\n

Reciprocal: 1Ki 15:3 – all the sins 1Ki 22:42 – And his mother’s Ecc 2:8 – silver<\/p>\n

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

1Ki 14:21. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign Although many learned men are of opinion that there is an error in the text here in regard to the age of Rehoboam when he began to reign, and some think the reading should be twenty-one, while Houbigant, following the Seventy, reads sixteen years; yet as they do not seem to give sufficient reasons for the alteration, it is certainly safest to abide by the Hebrew text. According to this, he was born in the last year of Davids life, and certainly had his education, and the forming of his mind, in the best days of Solomon; and yet, with all the advantages he enjoyed, he was a weak and inconsiderate prince, who, instead of being a blessing, proved a curse to his kingdom. Probably Solomons defection, in the latter part of his life, did more to corrupt him than his prior wisdom and devotion had done to render him wise and virtuous. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city, &c. Where he had opportunities in abundance to know his duty, had he but had a heart to practice it. His mother was Naamah an Ammonitess She was probably the daughter of Shobi, the Ammonite, who was so kind to David in Absaloms rebellion. And as there is reason to think Shobi had become a proselyte to the true religion, it is likely that gratitude, for his kindness moved David to take his daughter, though an Ammonitess, to be the wife of his son Solomon. It is very doubtful, however, whether ever she cordially embraced the religion of the Israelites, and as Solomon worshipped the gods of the Ammonites, among his other idols, it is not improbable that she was concerned in seducing him. None can imagine how lasting and how fatal the consequences may be, of being unequally yoked with an unbeliever.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

1Ki 14:21-31. Reign of Rehoboam.The formula in 1Ki 14:21 is regularly employed in Kings. The LXX make his age sixteen, and gives him twelve years. The name of the kings mother is given, since she, and not the wife, was the chief lady of the court. The title she bore was not queen, but lady (gebhirah, 1Ki 15:13). Being an Ammonitess, Naamah would naturally have encouraged her son in idolatry. But in 1Ki 14:23, whereas it is usual in Kings to give the verdict on the king he did good, he did evil, in this case Judah is blamed; the LXX, however, says Rehoboam did evil, etc. The sins of Judah are enumerated as building high places, setting up pillars (maeboth), and Asherim (A.V. groves) on every high hill, and under every green tree, and doing according to the abominations of the nations (1Ki 14:23 f.). Even in Judah down to the days of Hezekiah there were many sanctuaries (for high places see on 1Ki 3:1, and for groves, etc. on 1Ki 15:13 ff.). The chief event of the reign was the invasion of Shishak or Sheshonq, a king of the 22nd Egyptian dynasty (pp. 58, 71). This invasion is mentioned in the lists in the temple of Amun in Karnak, and Ephraimite as well as Judan cities are enumerated. Here apparently it is introduced only to explain how the shields of gold disappeared from the Temple. In 2 Chronicles 12 Rehoboam is said to have repented of his sin at the exhortation of the prophet Shemaiah after Shishaks invasion.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

14:21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam [was] forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen {p} years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name [was] Naamah an Ammonitess.<\/p>\n

(p) And died about four years before Jeroboam.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

3. Rehoboam’s evil reign in Judah 14:21-31<\/span><\/p>\n

"The narrator introduces a new format and style at this point that enables him to state the essence of a king’s reign with an economy of words. The introduction and conclusion of the account of each reign conform to a fixed pattern with only slight variations. The following information is regularly given in the introduction to the reigns of the kings of Judah: (1) date of beginning of reign, (2) age at beginning of reign (not noted consistently at first), (3) length and place of reign, (4) name of the queen mother, and (5) a theological evaluation. The pattern for the Israelite kings is the same except that their ages and the names of their mothers are not given. The reign of each king, both Judahite and Israelite, is normally concluded in this manner: (1) summary of reign and referral to the royal annals for additional information, (2) notice of death and place of burial, and (3) name of successor." [Note: Rice, p. 125. See also Wiseman, pp. 46-52.] <\/span><\/p>\n

Rehoboam succeeded Solomon and reigned over Judah for 17 years (931-913 B.C.). Jerusalem was the only capital the Southern Kingdom ever had. In contrast to Israel’s capitals, Jerusalem was God’s chosen center for national life politically and religiously (1Ki 14:21). Rehoboam permitted the re-establishment of pagan worship as it had existed in Israel before Joshua conquered the land (1Ki 14:23-24). [Note: See Helmer Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, pp. 158-69.] <\/span> Perhaps the king’s Ammonite mother was responsible for some of this.<\/p>\n

"Essentially, the religion of Canaan was based on the assumption that the forces of nature are expressions of divine presence and activity and that the only way one could survive and prosper was to identify the gods responsible for each phenomenon and by proper ritual encourage them to bring to bear their respective powers. This is the mythological approach to reality. Ritual involves human enactments, particularly by cultic personnel such as priests, of the activity of the gods as described in the myths." [Note: Merrill, Kingdom of . . ., p. 159.] <\/span><\/p>\n

Asherah (1Ki 14:23) was the mother goddess of the Canaanite pantheon. However, the word Asherah (pl. Asherim) also described a cult object: a tree, a grove of trees, or a pole. [Note: John Day, "Asherah in the Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitic Literature," Journal of Biblical Literature 105:3 (September 1986):385-408.] <\/span><\/p>\n

Pharaoh Shishak (Shoshenq I, 945-924 B.C.) was the king who had given Jeroboam refuge (1Ki 11:40). He was a very powerful and effective ruler. [Note: I. E. S. Edwards, "Egypt: From the Twenty-second to the Twenty-fourth Dynasty," in Cambridge Ancient History 3:1:539-49.] <\/span> The campaign that brought him into Judah netted him 156 cities in Judah, Israel, Edom, and Philistia. [Note: Benjamin Mazar, "The campaign of Pharaoh Shishak to Palestine," Vetus Testamentum Supplements 4 (1957):57-66.] <\/span> His invasion diminished much of the glory of the temple and of Yahweh (1Ki 14:26-28). Shishak’s offensive was the first serious attack against Judah by any foreign power since Saul’s days.<\/p>\n

The writer footnoted "The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah" when he wrote of 14 of those kings (1Ki 14:29). Again, this document is not our 1 and 2 Chronicles. The war that kept flaring up between Rehoboam and Jeroboam (1Ki 14:30) was a consequence of their turning away from Yahweh. Rebellion against God brought war, but submission would have resulted in peace.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n

THE EARLIER KINGS OF JUDAH<\/p>\n

1Ki 14:21-31; 1Ki 15:1-24<\/p>\n

THE history of “the Jews” begins, properly speaking, from the reign of Rehoboam, and for four centuries it is mainly the history of the Davidic dynasty.<\/p>\n

The only records of the son of Solomon are meager records of disaster and disgrace. He reigned seventeen years, and his mother, the Ammonitess Naamah, occupied the position of queen-mother. She was, doubtless, a worshipper in the shrine which Solomon had built for her national god, Molech of Ammon, who was the same as the Ashtar-Chemosh of the Moabite stone-the male form of Ashtoreth. Whether her son was twenty-one or forty-one when he succeeded to the throne we do not know. His attempted expedition against Jeroboam was forbidden by Shemaiah; but ineffectual and distressing war smoldered on between the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. If Jeroboam sinned by the erection in the old sanctuaries of the two golden calves, Rehoboam surely sinned far more heinously. He not only sanctioned the high places-which in him may have been very venial, since they held their own unchallenged till the days of Hezekiah-but he allowed stone obelisks (Matstseboth) in honor of Baal, and pillars (Chammanim) of the Nature-goddess (Asherah) to be set up on every high hill and under every green tree. Worse than this, and a proof of the abyss of corruption into which the evil example of Solomon had beguiled the nation, there were found in the land the Kedeshim, the infamous eunuch-ministers of a most foul worship. In spite of Temple and priesthood, “they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord drave out before the children of Israel.” Since Rehoboam thus sinned so much more heinously than his northern compeer we can hardly admire the conduct of the Levites, who, according to the chronicler, fled southward in swarms from the innovations of the son of Nebat. The Scylla of calf-worship was incomparably less shameful than the Charybdis of these heathen abominations.<\/p>\n

Such atrocities could not be left unpunished. Where the carcass is the eagles will gather. In the fifth year of Rehoboam, Shishak, King of Egypt, put an end to the short-lived glories of the age of Solomon. Of his reason for invading Palestine we know nothing. It was probably mere ambition and the love of plunder, stimulated by stories which Jeroboam may have brought to him about the inexhaustible riches of Jerusalem. He is the first Pharaoh whose individuality was so marked as to transcend and replace the common dynastic name. He was astute enough to seize the opportunity of self-aggrandisement which offered itself when Jeroboam took refuge at his court; but the conjecture that former friendly relations induced Jeroboam to invite the services of Shishak for the destruction of his rival, is rendered impossible if Egyptologists have correctly deciphered the splendid memorial of his achievements which he twice carved on the great Temple of Amon at Karnak. There the most conspicuous figure is the colossal likeness of the king. His right hand holds a sword; his left-grasps by the hair a long line which passes round the necks of a troop of thirty-eight mean and diminutive Jewish captives. The smaller figure of the god Amon leads other strings of one hundred and thirty-three captives, and the third king from his left hand bears a name which Champollion deciphered Yudeh-Malk, which he took to mean King of Judah. If the interpretation were correct, we should here have a picture of the son of Solomon. On the other figures are the names of the cities of which they were kings or sheykhs. Among these are not only the names of southern towns, like Ibleam, Gibeon, Bethhoron, Ajalon Mahanaim, but even of Canaanite and Levitic cities in the Northern Kingdom, including Taanach and Megiddo. Shashonq (as the monuments call him) came with a huge and motley army of many nationalities, among whom were Libyans, Troglodyte and Ethiopians. This host was composed of twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and a numberless infantry of mercenaries. Such an invasion, though it was little more than an insulting military parade and predatory incursion rendered resistance impossible, especially to a people enervated by luxury, Shishak came, saw, and plundered. His chief spoil was taken from the poor dishonored Temple and the kings palace. Judah specially grieved for the loss of the shields of gold which hung on the cedar pillars of the house of the forest of Lebanon, {1Ki 10:17}-apparently both those which Solomon had made, and those which David had consecrated from the spoils of Hadadezer, King of Zobah. Perhaps a great soul would hardly have been consoled by putting mean substitutes m their place. Rehoboam, however, made bronze imitations of them in the guard-room, and marched in pomp to the Temple preceded by his meanly armed runners, “as though everything was the same as before.” “The bitter irony with which the sacred historian records the parade of these counterfeits,” says Stanley, “may be considered as the keynote to this whole period. They well represent the brazen shields by which fallen churches and kingdoms have endeavored to conceal from their own and their neighbors eyes that the golden shields of Solomon have passed away from them.” The age of pinchbeck follows the age of gold, and a Louis XV succeeds Le Grand Monarque.<\/p>\n

Rehoboam had many sons, and he “wisely” {2Ch 11:23} gave them, by way of maintenance, the governorship of his fenced cities. That “he sought for them a multitude of wives” was perhaps a stroke of worldly policy, but an unwise and unworthy one. But their little courts and their little harems may have helped to keep them out of mischief. They might otherwise have destroyed each other by mutual jealousies.<\/p>\n

Rehoboam was succeeded by his son Abijam. There is a little doubt as to the exact name of this king. The Book of Chronicles calls him Abijah, 1Ki 15:1; 1Ki 15:7-8, he is called Abijam. As the curious form Abijam seems to be unmeaning, it has been precariously conjectured that dislike to his idolatries led the Jews to alter a name which means “Jehovah is my Father.” Some doubt also rests on the name of his mother. She is here called “Maacha, the daughter of Abishalom,” but in Chronicles “Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.” Maachah was perhaps the granddaughter of Absalom, whose beautiful daughter Tamar (named after his dishonoured sister) may have been the wife of Uriel. In that case her name, Maachah, was a name given her in reminiscence of her royal descent as a great-granddaughter of the princess of Geshur, who was mother of Absalom. All sorts of secrets, however, sometimes lie behind these changes of names. She was the second, but favorite wife of Rehoboam; and Abijam, who was not the eldest son, owed his throne to his fathers preference for all that we are here told of Abijam is that “his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God,” and that “he walked in all the sins of his father”; though “for Davids sake his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem”; and that, after a brief reign of three years-i.e., of one year and parts of two others-he slept with his fathers. For “the rest of his acts and all that he did,” the historian refers us to the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: he does not trouble himself with military details. The chronicler, referring to the Commentary of Iddo, {2Ch 13:22} adds a great deal more. Jeroboam, he says, went out against him with eight hundred thousand men. Abijam, who had only half the number, stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim, and made a speech to Jeroboam and his army.<\/p>\n

He reproached him with rebellion against his father when he was “young and tender-hearted,” and with his golden calves, and his non-Levitical priests. He vaunted the superiority of the Temple priests with their holocausts and sweet incense and shewbread and golden candlestick, which priests were now with the army. Jeroboam sets an ambuscade, but at the shout of the men of Judah is routed with a loss of five hundred thousand men, after which Abijah recovers “Bethel with the towns thereof,” and Jeshanah and Ephron (or “Ephraim”) completely humbling the northern king until “the Lord smote him and he died.” After this Abijah waxes mighty, has fourteen wives, twenty-two sons, and sixteen daughters.<\/p>\n

If we had read two accounts so different, and presenting such insuperable difficulties to the harmonist, in secular historians, we should have made no attempt to reconcile them, but merely have endeavored to find which record was the more trustworthy. If the pious Levitical king of 2Ch 13:1-22 be a true picture of the idolater of 1Ki 15:3, it is clear that the accounts are difficult to reconcile, unless we resort to incessant and arbitrary hypotheses. But the earlier authority is clearly to be preferred when the two obviously conflict with each other. As it is we can only say that the kings of whom the chronicler approves are, as it were, clericalised, and seen “through a cloud of incense,” all their faults being omitted. The edifying speech of Abijah, and his boast about purity of worship, sounds most strange on the lips of a king who-if he “walked in all the sins of his father”-suffered his people to be guilty of a worship grossly idolatrous, including the toleration of Bamoth, Chammanim, and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree; and of all the abominations of the neighboring idolaters, -a state of things infinitely worse than the symbolic Jehovah-worship which Jeroboam had set up. Yet such was the strange syncretism of religion in Jerusalem, of which Solomon had set the fatal example, that (as we learn quite incidentally) Abijah seems to have dedicated certain vessels-part of his warlike spoils-to the service of the Temple. {1Ki 15:15} They were perhaps intended to supply the gaps left by the plundering raid of Shishak.<\/p>\n

After this brief and perplexing, but apparently eventful reign, Abijah was succeeded by his son Asa, whose long reign of forty-one years was contemporary with the reigns of no less than seven kings of Israel-Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Tibni, and Ahab.<\/p>\n

We are told that-aided perhaps by such prophets as Hanani and Azariah, son of Oded (or Iddo)-“he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” Of this he gave an early, decisive, and courageous proof.<\/p>\n

When he succeeded to the throne at an early age his grandmother Maachah still held the high position of queen-mother, This great lady inherited the fame and popularity of Absalom, and was a princess both of the line of David and of Tolmai, King of Geshur. She was, and always had been, an open idolatress. Asa began his reign with a reformation. He took away the contemptible idols (Gilloolim) which his fathers had made, and suppressed the odious Kedeshim; or he at least made a serious, if an unsuccessful, effort to do so. As to the high places we have a direct verbal contradiction. Here we are told that “they were not removed,” whereas the chronicler says that “he took them away out of all the cities of Judah,” but afterwards that “the high places were not taken away out of Israel,” in spite of Asas heart being perfect all his days. The explanation would seem to be that he made a partial attempt to anticipate the subsequent reformation of Hezekiah, but was defeated by the inveteracy of popular custom. He did, however, take the great step of branding with infamy the impure idolatry of the queen-mother, and he degraded her from her rank. She had made an idol, which is significantly called “a fright” or “a horror” (Miphletzeth), to serve as an emblem of the Nature-goddess. It was probably a phallic symbol which he indignantly cut down, and burnt it, where all pollutions were destroyed, in the dry wady of the Kidron. In the fifteenth year of his reign he dedicated in the Temple “silver and gold and vessels,” consecrated by his father and himself for this purpose. He also restored the great altar in the porch of the Temple, which in the course of more than sixty years had fallen into neglect and disrepair.<\/p>\n

For ten years the land had rest under this pious king, though war was always smouldering between him and Baasha: In the eleventh year, however, according to the chronicler, “Zerach the Ethiopian” attacked him with an army of a million Sushim and Lubim and three hundred chariots, and suffered an immense defeat in the Valley of Zephathah, “the watch-tower” at Mareshah. It was the sole occasion in sacred history in which an Israelite army met and defeated one of the great world powers in open battle, and it was deemed so remarkable a proof of Divine interposition that Asa, encouraged by the prophet Azariah, invited his people to renew their covenant with God.<\/p>\n

More alarming to Asa was the action of Baasha in fortifying Ramah in the thirty-sixth year of Asas reign. This was a veritable of the most dangerous kind, for Ramah, in the heart of Benjamin, was only five miles north of Jerusalem. In Abijahs signal defeat of Jeroboam and capture of Bethel, Jeshanah, and Ephron be historical, these towns must not only have been speedily recovered, but Baasha had even pushed towards Jerusalem, five miles south of Bethel. Had Ramah been left undisturbed it would have been a thorn in the side of Judah, as Deceleia was in Attica, and Pylos in Messenia. Ash saw that the demolition of this fortress was a positive necessity. Since he was too weak to effect this, he stripped both his own palace and the Temple of the treasures with which he had himself enriched them, and sent them as a vast bribe to Benhadad I, King of Damascus, begging him to renew the treaty which had existed between their fathers, and to invade the kingdom of Baasha. This step shows to what a depth of weakness Judah had fallen, for Benhadad was a son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion (probably Rezon) of Damascus; so that here we have the great-grandson of Solomon stripping Solomons Temple of its consecrated vessels wherewith to bribe the grandson of the petty rebel freebooter, whose whole present kingdom had once been a part of Solomons dominions! The policy was successful. It is easy for us now to condemn it as unpatriotic and short-sighted, but to Asa it seemed a matter of life or death. Benhadad invaded Israel, and mastered its territory in the tribe of Naphtali, from Ijon and Abel-beth-maachah on the waters of Merom down to Chinnereth or the Lake of Gennesareth. {See Num 34:11; Jos 8:27} Baasha in alarm abandoned his attempt to blockade Jerusalem, and retired to Tirzah for the protection of his own kingdom. Thereupon Ash proclaimed a levy of all Judah to seize and dismantle Ramah, and with the ample materials which Baasha had amassed he fortified Geba to the north of Ramah {Jos 21:17; 2Ki 23:8} and Mizpah (probably Neby Samwyl, to the north of the Mount of Olives), where he also sank a deep well for the use of the garrison. He thus effectually protected the frontier of Benjamin. He built, as Bossuet says, “the fortresses of Judah out of the ruins of those of Samaria,” and thus set us the example of making holy use of hostile and heretical materials. We should have thought that the invitation of Benhadad was, in a worldly point of view, brilliantly successful, and that it saved the kingdom of Judah from utter ruin. It involved, however, a dangerous precedent, and Hanani rebuked Asa for having done foolishly.<\/p>\n

After a powerful and useful reign Asa was attacked with gout in his feet two years before his death. The chronicler reproaches him for seeking “not to Jehovah but to the physicians” in his “exceeding great disease.” If this was a sin, it is one of which we are unable to estimate the sinfulness from this meager notice, it has been conjectured that it may have some reference to the name Asa, which, if written Asjah, might mean “whom Jehovah heals.” It belongs, however, to the theocratic standpoint of the chronicler, who condemns everything which bears the aspect of a worldly policy. He slept with his fathers in a tomb which he had built for himself, and was buried with unusual magnificence, amid the burning of many spices.<\/p>\n

We are not surprised that the historian should not mention the invasion of Zerah, since he refers us for the wars of Asa to the Judaean annals. It is much more remarkable that he wholly omits all reference to the prophetic activity of which the chronicler speaks as exercised in this reign. He had evidently formed a very high estimate of Asa, with none of the shadows and drawbacks which in the later annalist seemed to point to a marked degeneracy of character in his later days. On the favorable side the historian does not mention the high and eulogistic encouragement which the king received from Azariah, the son of Oded; nor the multitude which joined him out of Israel; nor the cities which he took from the hill country of Ephraim; nor his restoration of the altar. He even passes over the solemn league and covenant which he made with Judah and Benjamin and many members of the Ten Tribes in his fifteenth year, at a festival celebrated with an immense sacrifice, and with shouting and trumpets and cornets and a great exultant oath. {2Ch 15:1-15} On the unfavorable side he does not tell us that Hanani the Seer rebuked him for summoning the help of the Syrians instead of relying on Jehovah; and that Asa was in a rage because of this thing, and shut up Hanani in the “House of the Stocks,” and “oppressed some of the people at the same time,” apparently because they took part with the prophet. {2Ch 16:9-10} For none of these events does the chronicler refer us to any ancient authority. They came from separate records, perhaps written in prophetic commentaries and unknown to the compiler of the Kings. But whatever may have been the failings or shortcomings of Asa it is clear that he must be ranked among the more eminent and righteous sovereigns of Judah.<\/p>\n

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam [was] forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name [was] Naamah an Ammonitess. … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 14:21”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9251\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}