Study Desk

And it came about in King Rehoboam's fifth year, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem

Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, "This is what the LORD says: 'You have abandoned Me, so I also have abandoned you to Shishak.'"

But he did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.

The sons of Israel were subdued at that time, and the sons of Judah conquered because they trusted in the LORD, the God of their fathers.

He built fortified cities in Judah, since the land was undisturbed, and there was no one at war with him during those years, because the LORD had given him rest.

For he said to Judah, "Let's build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side." So they built and prospered.

"In those times there was no peace for him who went out or him who came in, because many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.

He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother, because she had made an abominable image as an Asherah, and Asa cut down her abominable image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron.

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, "Because you have relied on the king of Aram and have not relied on the LORD your God, for that reason the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.

"Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He handed them over to you.

And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David's earlier days and did not seek the Baals,

and he said, "Listen, all you of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat: This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.

When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoils, they found much among them, including goods, garments, and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were taking the spoils for three days because there was so much.

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, "Because you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has destroyed your works." So the ships were wrecked and could not go to Tarshish.

Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold, and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah; but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.

Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and because He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.

So Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time against his rule because he had abandoned the LORD God of his fathers.

Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, "This is what the LORD, the God of your father David says: 'Because you have not walked in the ways of your father Jehoshaphat and the ways of Asa king of Judah,

and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.'"

Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness, and he died in great pain. And his people did not make a funeral fire for him like the fire for his fathers.