Verse 9: So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also carried away the gold shields which Solomon had made.

For three good years, King Rehoboam did wonderful in the sight God and his people. He had fortified the surrounding cities of Jerusalem and strengthened his military might. Economically and militarily, everything was going in the right direction and his kingdom was prospering. Unfortunately, King Rehoboam's heart started to wonder away from the Lord, because he was too comfortable in and proud of all his accomplishments. Furthermore, he had put his trust in his fortified cities for protection.

For the next two years, Egypt and its allies prepared and staged a war against Jerusalem. Under the leadership of Shishak, the king of Egypt, they came and destroyed the surrounding cities of Jerusalem and marched into Jerusalem. There, they took away all of the treasures from the temple and the king's house.

In the midst of this invasion, King Rehoboam and Judah's leaders did the right thing by humbling themselves, and sought the Lord.

God has a way of getting our attention. Sometimes, the Lord allows certain crisis and tradedy to happen, so that we can look to Him for strength. His main goal for our lives is be more like His son Jesus! That means that our character is very important to Him. He wants to mold and shape our character (even if it means allowing pain) to conform to Jesus Christ.

Like King Rehoboam, when we loose our confidence in ourselves and in our stuff, the only way to turn is upward!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your presence in our lives. Thank you for being with us and guiding our steps in this life journey that you have ordained for us. Remind us always that when we are weak, then we are stong because of you. Help us to always put you first in our minds, lives, and hearts. May we always strive to be more and more like your son Jesus!

Verse 17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong for three years, because they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

When King Rehoboam realized that his kingdom was divided, he assembled an army to attack the north and bring his kingdom back together by force. The Lord sent a prophet to Rehoboam and told him to cease mounting this war effort, because brothers should not go against brothers. Rehoboam conceded the word of the prophet and redistributed his forces to fortified Jerusalem and cities within his boundaries.

Meanwhile, King Jeroboam of the northern kingdom built himself forbidden places of worship called "high places," and appointed new priests to oversee them. This lead to many God-fearing priests to retreat to the south, where they joined King Rehoboam in worshiping the living God in the Jerusalem temple!

King Rehoboam did great following in his grandfather David and father Solomon's shoes for three consecutive years. While everything is going smoothly, he started marrying women within his clan, took for himself many concubines, and bore many sons. Abijah, perhaps Rehoboam's favorite son, was given the responsibility of being 'ruler among his brothers.'
King Rehoboam certainly had a lot on his plate, just like his grandpa and daddy!

When one thinks about why God would allowed this kingdom to be divided, one conclusion comes to mind: if He did not allow this to happen, the whole nation of Israel would have probably destroyed itself and disappear into oblivion. God was, is and will always be sovereign! He is in control and He sees the big picture!

Looking back today at Israel, we learned that the Assyrians from the north eventually destroyed the northern kingdom, but did not touch the southern kingdom. The southern kingdom is known to have the "good kings," while the northern kingdom worshipped demonic idols under the 'bad kings.' Just imagine if the whole Israel was under all the corrupted 'bad kings.' Israel would've been simply "no more....bye bye."

So the principle is this: King Rehoboam went through a split within his kingdom, and it hurt him a great deal. He sought God and God helped him by sending the priests from the north. As a result, he prospered! When you are in a hole, don't be discourage. Focus on the Lord and the Lord will provide for you. Don't be surprise, He might bless your socks off!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for watching over us. Thank you for being in control of everything that we go through. Help us to see that when our circumstances look bleak, you see a brighter tomorrow. Always Lord, help us to put our trust in you! ​