2 Chronicles 12:1

_AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN REHOBOAM HAD ESTABLISHED THE KINGDOM, AND HAD STRENGTHENED HIMSELF, HE FORSOOK THE LAW OF THE LORD, AND ALL ISRAEL WITH HIM._ When Rehoboam ... had strengthened himself - (see the note at 2 Chronicles 11:17.) During the first three years of his reign his royal influence was exerted in the encouragement of the true religion, but the faithful observance of the divine law was not permanent even in Judah. Security and ease led to religious decline, which in the fourth year, ended in open apostasy. The example of the court was speedily followed by his subjects, because 'all Israel was with him' - i:e., the people in his own kingdom. The very next year-namely, the fifth of his reign-punishment was inflicted by the in vasion of Shishak....

CHAPTER XII _Rehoboam and his subjects, forsaking the Lord, are delivered_ _into the hands of Shishak, king of Egypt_, 1-4. _Shemaiah the prophet remonstrates with them, and they humble_ _themselves, and Jerusalem is not destroyed; but Shishak takes_ _away all the treasures, and the golden shields, instead of_ _which Rehoboam makes shields of brass_, 5-12. _He reigns badly_ seventeen _years, dies, and is succeeded by his_ _son Abijah_, 13-16. NOTES ON CHAP. XII Verse 2 C

ALL ISRAEL WITH HIM - i. e., “all Judah and Benjamin” - all the Israelites of those two tribes....

EXPOSITION This chapter finishes for us the history of Rehoboam, his "acts" and his character; and, with the preceding two chapters, it may be counted among the masterpieces of Scripture biography. In so short a compass, how well marked, how distinctly limned, are the features of the man! The name of Rehoboam is, undoubtedly, one of the more important, if not taking rank among the most important, of Scripture, and no one can rise from the study of the fifty-eight verses of these three chapters without a very satisfactory conception of the man Rehoboam and what he was. It will be seen from the language of the second verse, compared with 2 Chronicles 11:17, that, roughly speaking, this chapter stretches over the last sad and evil twelve of the whole seventeen years of Rehoboam's reign. This, however, does not negative the possibility of the anticipation in...

AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN REHOBOAM HAD ESTABLISHED THE KINGDOM,.... Or when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established; the tribes of Judah and Benjamin being firmly attached to him, and great numbers from the other tribes coming over to him, and things going on peaceably and prosperously during the three years that he and his people abode by the pure worship of God: AND HAD STRENGTHENED HIMSELF; built fortified cities for the defence of himself and kingdom, 2 Chronicles 11:5, he forsook the law of the Lord; after he had reigned three years, and was become strong, and thought himself safe and secure on the throne, trusting to his strength: AND ALL ISRAEL WITH HIM; the greater part of them following the example of their king; of this defection, and the sins they fell into, see...

2 Chronicles 12:1. _And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him._ They prospered, at first, by adhering to Jehovah. The good people out of the neighbouring land of Israel emigrated to them, strengthening them but, as soon as they grew strong, they forsook the law of Jehovah. 2 Chronicles 12:2. _And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,_ Shishak did not know that fact, nor did he care about Jehovah. God so ruled in providence that, when his people cast him off, he soon found a rod with which to chasten them. The king of Egypt dete

CHAPTER 12 REHOBOAM'S APOSTASY, PUNISHMENT, AND DEATH _ 1. Rehoboam's apostasy (2 Chronicles 12:1)_ 2. Punishment through Shishak (2 Chronicles 12:2) 3. Death of Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 12:13) The kingdom had been established; Rehoboam had strengthened himself and lived in the indulgence of the flesh. Then followed the awful plunge into apostasy. “He forsook the law of the Lord and all Israel with him.” Idolatry in the high places and under every green tree was established and fostered by him. “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” ...

SHISHAK INVADES JUDAH; SUMMARY OF REHOBOAM'S REIGN; HIS DEATH (see notes on 1 Kings 14:21 f., 1 Kings 14:25; 1 Kings 14:29). The words in 2 Chronicles 12:2_ b_ (because they had trespassed.) to the end of 2 Chronicles 12:8, which do not figure in 1 K., are regarded by many commentators as a _midrash_ (see note on 2 Chronicles 13:22) which the Chronicler either wrote himself or incorporated from some source to which he

HE FORSOOK. It is taken for granted that we know the details of 1 Kings 14:22. ALL. Figure of speech _Synecdoche_ (of Whole), put for the part (viz. the ten tribes)....

2 Chronicles 12:1-12 (cp. 1 Kings 14:22; 1 Kings 14:25-28). The Invasion of Shishak 1. _all Israel_ i.e. all the Southern Kingdom; cp. note on 2 Chronicles 11:3. The details of Judah's apostasy are given, 1 Kings 14:22-24....