2 Chronicles 12:7

_AND WHEN THE LORD SAW THAT THEY HUMBLED THEMSELVES, THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO SHEMAIAH, SAYING, THEY HAVE HUMBLED THEMSELVES; THEREFORE I WILL NOT DESTROY THEM, BUT I WILL GRANT THEM SOME DELIVERANCE; AND MY WRATH SHALL NOT BE POURED OUT UPON JERUSALEM BY THE HAND OF SHISHAK._ When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves. Their repentance and contrition were followed by the best effects; because Shemaiah was commissioned to announce that the vial of divine judgment would not be fully poured out on them-that the entire overthrow of the kingdom of Judah would not take place at that time, nor through the agency of Shishak; at yet, although it should enjoy a respite from total subversion, it should become a tributary province of Egypt, in order that the people might learn how much lighter and better is the service of God than that of idolatrous foreign despots....

Compare the repentance of Ahab (marginal reference) and that of the Ninevites Jonah 3:5 which produced similar revocations of divine decrees that had been pronounced by the mouth of a prophet. SOME DELIVERANCE - Rather, “deliverance for a short space” (see the margin). Because of the repentance, the threat cf immediate destruction was withdrawn; but the menace was still left impending, that the people might be the more moved to contrition and amendment....

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 WHEN THE LORD SAW THAT THEY HUMBLED THEMSELVES,.... Though but externally; the Lord takes notice of external humiliation, as he did of Ahab's, 1 Kings 21:29, THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO SHEMAIAH, SAYING, THEY HAVE HUMBLED THEMSELVES, THEREFORE I WILL NOT DESTROY THEM; not now, at least not altogether, 2 Chronicles 12:12, BUT I WILL GRANT THEM SOME DELIVERANCE; yet not a complete one, for they were brought into servitude by Shishak, 2 Chronicles 12:8, or only for a short time: AND MY WRATH SHALL NOT BE POURED OUT AGAINST JERUSALEM BY THE HAND OF SHISHAK; that is, to the uttermost; that was reserved to another time, and to be done by anot

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

SOME. for. little while. See note on Proverbs 5:14....

_some deliverance_ Rather (as R.V. mg.), DELIVERANCE WITHIN A LITTLE WHILE....

DISCOURSE: 401 HUMILIATION THE MEANS OF DELIVERANCE 2 Chronicles 12:7. _And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them_. REPENTANCE is so plain and acknowledged a duty, that it is never unseasonable to call men to the performance of it: whilst, on the other hand, so great are our encouragements to it, that we rather account it a privilege than a duty. The instances wherein God has recorded his condescension to penitents of old time, are almost numberless: the one before us, even if there were no other, would of itself be sufficient to encourage all, whether nations or individuals, to abase themselves before him, and to seek his favour with an assurance that they should not seek it in vain. For the space of three years Rehoboam continued to walk i