Rehoboam
“Enlarger of the people”
Summary
Rehoboam was the son and successor of Solomon whose foolish rejection of wise counsel led to the division of the united kingdom into Israel and Judah.
☩The Division of the Kingdom
Rehoboam was the only son of Solomon by his Ammonite wife Naamah, and was forty-one years old when he began to reign. He selected Shechem as the place of his coronation, probably to conciliate the northern tribes. When the people, led by Jeroboam, requested relief from Solomon's heavy taxation and forced labor, Rehoboam consulted first his father's experienced counselors, who advised conciliation, and then the young men who had grown up with him. Rejecting the wise advice, he returned a harsh answer: "My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." This foolish response triggered the revolt of the ten northern tribes, fulfilling the prophecy of Ahijah.
☩His Reign Over Judah
After the division, Rehoboam assembled 180,000 men from Judah and Benjamin to reconquer Israel, but the prophet Shemaiah forbade the expedition, declaring that the division was from God. Nevertheless, a state of continual conflict existed between the two kingdoms throughout his reign. Rehoboam strengthened his territory by fortifying cities on the southern approaches to Jerusalem. For three years he maintained the worship of Jehovah, and the Levites and devout Israelites who fled the idolatrous worship instituted by Jeroboam strengthened his kingdom.
☩Apostasy and Egyptian Invasion
After three years of faithfulness, Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord and permitted idolatrous high places, images, and groves throughout Judah. In his fifth year, God sent Shishak king of Egypt against Jerusalem as judgment. The prophet Shemaiah explained, "Ye have forsaken Me, therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak." When Rehoboam and the princes humbled themselves, God granted some deliverance, but the Egyptians took away the treasures of the temple and palace, including Solomon's golden shields. Rehoboam replaced these with bronze shields, a fitting symbol of his diminished glory. He reigned seventeen years and was buried in Jerusalem.
Related Verses44 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Rehoboam," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Rehoboam," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Philip Schaff and Johann Herzog (ed.), "Rehoboam," in The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. IX (Funk and Wagnalls, 1908–1914).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Rehoboam," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 5.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Rehoboam," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).