1 Kings 14:21-31

1 Kings 14:21-31

[21] And Rehoboam  the son  of Solomon  reigned  in Judah.  Rehoboam  was forty  and one  years  old  when he began to reign,  seventeen  years  in Jerusalem,  the city  which the LORD  did choose  out of all the tribes  of Israel,  to put  his name  there. And his mother's  name  was Naamah  an Ammonitess.  [22] And Judah  did  evil  in the sight  of the LORD,  and they provoked him to jealousy  with their sins  which they had committed,  above all that their fathers  had done.  [23] For they also built  them high places,  and images,  and groves,  on every high  hill,  and under every green  tree.  [24] 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.  [25] And it came to pass in the fifth  year  of king  Rehoboam,  that Shishak  king  of Egypt  came up  against Jerusalem:  [26] And he took away  the treasures  of the house  of the LORD,  and the treasures  of the king's  house;  he even took away  all the shields  of gold  which Solomon  had made.  [27] And king  Rehoboam  made  in their stead brasen  shields,  and committed  them unto the hands  of the chief  of the guard,  which kept  the door  of the king's  house.  [28] And it was so, when  the king  went  into the house  of the LORD,  that the guard  bare  them, and brought them back  into the guard  chamber.  [29] Now the rest  of the acts  of Rehoboam,  and all that he did,  are they not written  in the book  of the chronicles  of the kings  of Judah?  [30] And there was war  between Rehoboam  and Jeroboam  all their days.  [31] And Rehoboam  slept  with his fathers,  and was buried  with his fathers  in the city  of David.  And his mother's  name  was Naamah  an Ammonitess.  And Abijam  his son  reigned  in his stead.

What does 1 Kings 14:21-31 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

"The narrator introduces a new format and style at this point that enables him to state the essence of a king"s reign with an economy of words. The introduction and conclusion of the account of each reign conform to a fixed pattern with only slight variations. The following information is regularly given in the introduction to the reigns of the kings of Judah: (1) date of beginning of reign, (2) age at beginning of reign (not noted consistently at first), (3) length and place of reign, (4) name of the queen mother, and (5) a theological evaluation. The pattern for the Israelite kings is the same except that their ages and the names of their mothers are not given. The reign of each king, both Judahite and Israelite, is normally concluded in this manner: (1) summary of reign and referral to the royal annals for additional information, (2) notice of death and place of burial, and (3) name of successor." [1]
Rehoboam succeeded Solomon and reigned over Judah for17 years (931-913 B.C.). Jerusalem was the only capital the Southern Kingdom ever had. In contrast to Israel"s capitals, Jerusalem was God"s chosen center for national life politically and religiously ( 1 Kings 14:21). Rehoboam permitted the Revelation -establishment of pagan worship as it had existed in Israel before Joshua conquered the land ( 1 Kings 14:23-24). [2] Perhaps the king"s Ammonite mother was responsible for some of this.
"Essentially, the religion of Canaan was based on the assumption that the forces of nature are expressions of divine presence and activity and that the only way one could survive and prosper was to identify the gods responsible for each phenomenon and by proper ritual encourage them to bring to bear their respective powers. This is the mythological approach to reality. Ritual involves human enactments, particularly by cultic personnel such as priests, of the activity of the gods as described in the myths." [3]
Asherah ( 1 Kings 14:23) was the mother goddess of the Canaanite pantheon. However, the word Asherah (pl. Asherim) also described a cult object: a tree, a grove of trees, or a pole. [2]
Pharaoh Shishak (Shoshenq I, 945-924 B.C.) was the king who had given Jeroboam refuge ( 1 Kings 11:40). He was a very powerful and effective ruler. [5] The campaign that brought him into Judah netted him156 cities in Judah, Israel, Edom, and Philistia. [6] His invasion diminished much of the glory of the temple and of Yahweh ( 1 Kings 14:26-28). Shishak"s offensive was the first serious attack against Judah by any foreign power since Saul"s days.
The writer footnoted "The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah" when he wrote of14of those kings ( 1 Kings 14:29). Again, this document is not our1,2Chronicles. The war that kept flaring up between Rehoboam and Jeroboam ( 1 Kings 14:30) was a consequence of their turning away from Yahweh. Rebellion against God brought war, but submission would have resulted in peace.