Shishak, king of Egypt, II. CHRONICLES. takes Jerusalem. A. M. 3033. my wrath shall not be poured out and brought them again into the A. M. 3033. upon Jerusalem by the hand of guard-chamber. B. C. 971. Shishak. 8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. B. C. 971. 12 And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: 2 and also in Judah things went well. 9 m So Shishak king of Egypt came up 13 So King Rehoboam strengthened himagainst Jerusalem, and took away the trea- self in Jerusalem, and reigned: for P Rehoboam sures of the house of the LORD, and the trea-was one and forty years old when he began to sures of the king's house; he took all he car-reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jeru ried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 10 Instead of which, King Rehoboam made shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, that kept the entrance of the king's house. 11 And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and fetched them, * Isaiah xxvi. 13. Deut. xxviii. 47, 48.- m 1 Kings xiv. 25, 26.- 1 Kings x. 16, 17; Chap. ix. 15, 16.—2 Samuel viii. 18. comes impotent. I will grant them some deliverance-I will give some stop to the course of my wrath, which was ready to be poured forth upon them to their utter destruction. Those who acknowledge God is righteous in afflicting them, shall find him gracious. They that humble themselves before him, shall find favour with him. So ready is the God of mercy to take the first occasion to show mercy. Reader, if thy heart be humbled, and made contrite under humbling and distressing providences, the affliction has done its work, and it shall either be removed, or the property of it altered. Verse 8. They shall be his servants-That is, they shall be much at his mercy, and put under contribution by him, and some of them taken prisoners, and held in captivity by him: that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms, &c. That they may experimentally know the difference between my yoke, and the yoke of a foreign and idolatrous prince. The more God's service is compared with other services, the more reasonable and easy it will appear. And, whatever difficulties or hardships we may imagine there are in the way of obedience, it is better, a thousand times, to go through them, than to expose ourselves to the punishment of disobedience. Are the laws of temperance thought hard? The effects of intemperance I will be much harder. The service of virtue is perfect liberty, the service of vice perfect slavery. Verses 9, 10. Shishak took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and of the king's house--He plundered both the temple and the exchequer, the treasuries of both which Solomon had left full. David and Solomon, who walked in the ways of God, filled the treasuries, one by war, and the other by merchandise; but Rehoboam, who forsook these ways, emptied them. Respecting the taking away salem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess. 14 And he did evil, because he 3 prepared not his heart to seek the LORD. 15 Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah Or, and yet in Judah there were good things, Gen. xviii. 24; 1 Kings xiv. 13; Chap. xix. 3.-PI Kings xiv. 21.- - Chap. vi. 6.- - Or, fixed.- Heb. words. of the golden shields, and substituting brazen ones in their place, see notes on 1 Kings xiv. 25–28. Verse 12. In Judah things went well-Hebrew, There were good things. The meaning is either, 1st, Though there were many corruptions in Judah, yet there were also divers good things there, which were not in Israel, as the word, and ordinances, and pure worship of God, prophets and ministers of God's appointment, and divers truly religious people. And thus, this was an additional reason why God would not destroy them. Or, 2d, Notwithstanding this loss, they began to recruit themselves, and to regain some degree of their former prosperity. In Judah, things went ill when all the fenced cities were taken; but when they repented, the posture of the affairs altered, and things went well. If at any time things do not go so well as we could wish, yet we have reason to take notice of it with thankfulness, if they go better than they have done, and better than we expected or deserved, and to own God's goodness, if he do but grant us some deliverance. Verse 13. King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem-He recovered so much strength that he reigned with some authority: or, finding that his fenced cities of Judah did not answer his expectation, he now made it his business to fortify Jerusalem, and render that impregnable. And there he reigned seventeen years, in the city which the Lord had chosen to put his name there. Verse 14. He prepared not his heart, &c.-Directed not, or settled not, &c. That is, although he || humbled himself, and seemed penitent for a season, and professed the true religion and worship of God; yet he quickly relapsed into his former sins, because he was not sincere and serious in his actions, and his heart was not right with God. To seek the Lord Abijah begins to reign. B. C. 971. $ B. C. 971. A. M. 3033. the prophet, and of Iddo the seer 16 And Rehoboam slept with his A. M. 3033. concerning genealogies? And there fathers, and was buried in the city were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his continually. stead. r Chap. ix. 29; xiii. 22. 1 Kings xiv. 30. -He did not serve the Lord, because he did not seek the Lord. He did not pray to the Lord, as Solomon did, for wisdom and grace. Or he did not consult the word of God, did not seek to that as his oracle. Hence, what little goodness he had, passed away like the morning cloud, and he did evil because he was not fully determined for that which was good. t1 Kings xiv. 31, Abijam. Those are easily drawn aside to evil by Satan, who are wavering and inconstant in that which is good, and are not persuaded to make religion their business. Verse 15. Of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies-In an historical account, written by him, of the genealogies and actions of the kings of Judah. CHAPTER XIII. Abijah sets the battle in array against Jeroboam, 1-3. He declares the justice of his cause, 4-12. gains the victory, 13-20. His wives and children, 21, 22. B. C. 957. 2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. And there was war between Abijah and Jero boam. 1 3 And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valour. 4 And Abijah stood up upon A. M. 3047. mount Zemaraim, which is in mount Ephraim, and said, Hear me, thou Jeroboam, and all Israel; d 5 Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt? 6 Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, is risen up, and hath rebelled against his lord. And there are gathered unto him & vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solo Chap. xi. 20.1 Heb. bound together. 2 Sam. vii. 12, 16.- Le Num. xviii. 19.- f 1 Kings xi. 26; xii. 20. Judg. ix. 4. Josh. xviii. 22. NOTES ON CHAPTER XIII. Verse 2. His mother's name was Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel-Called Maachah, the daughter of Absalom, 1 Kings xv. 2. She might be daughter to one, and grand-daughter to the other: or the proper and natural daughter of the one, and the other's daughter by adoption. Verse 3. Abijah set the battle in array-Namely, against Jeroboam, having, no doubt, God's authority to engage with him in battle. It is probable, indeed, that Jeroboam was the aggressor, and that what Abijah did was in his own necessary defence. Verse 4. Abijah stood upon mount Zemaraim Some commodious place whence his words might be heard by Jeroboam, and some of his army, who possibly were pitched in the valley. Or, the two armies being pitched near each other, Abijah desired a parley before they fought, to see if they could accommodate matters without shedding blood. Whereupon Jeroboam and some of his commanders and soldiers probably drew near to him, and stood below at the bottom of the hill, from whence they could hear him. And this, it is likely, Jeroboam was the more willing to do, that in the mean time he might cause an ambushment to come behind Abijah and his army, as he did, (verse 13,) while he was quietly standing before them, and seemed to hearken to any terms of accommodation which were offered. Verse 5. By a covenant of salt-A perpetual covenant. The reason of this mode of expression seems to arise from the preserving nature of salt; which, therefore, was made a symbol of friendship and fidelity. It is most likely, that in all solemn covenants which were confirmed by sacrifice, it was an ancient custom to offer salt with the sacrifice, to denote the faith and perpetuity of the covenant; so that, in this view, a covenant of salt will signify a covenant confirmed by sacrifice. See note on Num. xviii. 19. Verse 7. Vain men, children of Belial-Such as The address of Abijah to B. C. 957. B. C. 957. A. M. 3047. mon, when Rehoboam was young || we have not forsaken him; and the A. M. 3047 and tender-hearted, and could not priests, which minister unto the LORD, withstand them. are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: 8 And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye be a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam h made you for gods. 9 Have ye not cast out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods. 11 And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt-sacrifices and sweet incense: the show-bread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof " to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him. 12 And behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, P fight ye not against the LORD God of 10 But as for us, the LORD is our God, and your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. h1 Kings xii. 28; xiv. 9; Hos. viii. 6. Chapter xi. 14, 15. Exodus xxix. 35.- - Heb. to fill his hand, Exodus xxix. 1; have cast off the yoke and the obedience which they owed both to God and to their king. When Rehoboam was young-Not in age, for he was then fortyone years old, but in his kingdom, which he had but newly obtained, and in experience in politics, and especially in military affairs, to which he was, indeed, wholly a stranger, having been born and brought up in a time of great peace and security. Verse 8. Ye think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord-That kingdom which was not set up by vain men, in pursuance of their own ambition and discontent, as yours was, but ordained and established by God himself in the house of David. And ye be -Or, because ye be, a great multitude-This he mentions, as being both the ground of their confidence, namely, that they had more tribes, and a greater host; and also a presage of their downfall, which their trusting to the arm of flesh was. And there are with you golden calves-Or, But there are, &c. There is that among you which may damp your courage and confidence: you worship those images which God abhors. Which Jeroboam made you for gods-Or, for God, as that plural word is most commonly used: that is, instead of God, to give them the name of God, and that worship which is peculiar to him. Verse 9. Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord?-The house of Aaron, whom God appointed to minister in holy things. And have made you priests, after the manner of the nations?-In conformity to the custom of the idolatrous nations. So that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock-To make himself a priest, Lev. vii. 3. Whosoever desires to be in the office, and will be at the charge of his consecration, though ever so much a scandal to the character; the same may be a priest of them that are no gods-That have nothing of the nature or power of gods, though you give them that name. Such, however, though very unfit to be priests, were most fit of all others to be their priests. For what could be more suitable to gods that were no gods, than priests that were no priests? Verse 10. But the Lord is our God-Hebrew, Jehovah, the only true and great God. And we have not forsaken him-We maintain his honour and worship, which you have ungratefully rejected. And he is able to protect us and give us success. Verse 11. The show-bread upon the pure table— So called, because it was made of pure gold, Exod. xxv. 23, 24. He saith, table and candlestick, though there were ten of each, because ordinarily there was but one of each used at a time. We keep the charge of the Lord our God-We worship no images, have no priests but those whom he has ordained, no rites of worship but what he has prescribed. Both the temple-service and the temple-furniture are of his appointing: his appointment we abide by, and neither add nor diminish. Perhaps he flattered himself that his keeping up the external worship of God would make satisfaction for the errors of his life. Or he said this, that he might thereby encourage his own soldiers, and convince or terrify his enemies. Verse 12. Behold, God himself is with us for our captain-Here in our camp. We may be sure he is with us, because we are with him. And as a token of his presence we have here with us his priests, sounding his trumpets-According to the law, as a testimony against you, and an assurance to us, that in the day of battle we shall be remembered before the Lord our God, and saved from our enemies. See Num. x. 9, where this sacred signal is thus explained. Nothing is so effectual to imbolden men, and give them courage and fortitude in the day of battle, as to have an assurance that God is with them, and fighteth for them. Fight ye not against the God of your fathers-It is folly to fight against the God of almighty power; but it is treachery, and base ingratitude, to fight against your fathers' God, and you cannot expect to prosper. Thus he concludes with giving them fair warning. Abijah trusts in God B. C. 957. CHAPTER XIII A. M. 3047. 13 But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them. 14 And when Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind: and they cried unto the LORD, and the priests sounded with the trumpets. 15 Then the men of Judah gave a shout: and as the men of Judah shouted, it came to pass, that God smote Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. 16 And the children of Israel fled before Judah: and God delivered them into their hand. 17 And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men. Chap. xiv. 12.1 Chron. v. 20; Psa. xxii. 5.- and defeats Jeroboam. Joshua 1 Samuel xxv. 38. Verse 13. But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come behind-While Abijah was discoursing, he took the advantage thus afforded him of sending a party of soldiers privately to lie in ambush, and attack Abijah's army behind, while he continued to face them with his main body. It does not appear that he made any answer to Abijah's speech. The longest sword, he thinks, must determine the matter, not the better cause. 3 u] Kings xiv. 20.—3 Or, commentary. * Chap. xii. 15. the idolatry of Israel, and own the house of David. But see the sad effects of division! It was the blood of Israelites which was thus shed like water by Israelites, while the heathen, their neighbours, to whom the name of Israel had formerly been a terror, cried, Aha, so would we have it. Verse 18. Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time-And had not the determinate counsel of God been otherwise, surely so great a blow would have brought them back to the house of David. And Judah prevailed, because they relied on the God of their fathers-It was not by their own valour that they obtained this great victory, but by their relying on God, their depending on his power to help them, and their committing themselves and their cause to him. Verse 14. Behold, the battle was before and behind-Thus Judah was unexpectedly brought into a great strait, and put into great fear. A good cause, and one which is designed to be victorious, may be involved in difficulty and distress. And they cried unto the Lord-For when danger was on every side, which way should they look but upward for deliverance? It is an unspeakable comfort, that no enemy, Verse 19. Abijah took cities from him, Beth-el, &c. not the most powerful or politic, and no stratagem-Which, however, Jeroboam recovered afterward, or ambush ment, can cut off our communication with as appears by the course of the history. What beheaven. Our way thitherward is always open. We came of the golden calf at Beth-el, when that place may hope they cried unto the Lord before they en- I came thus into the hands of the king of Judah, we gaged in this war; but the distress they were in are not told. Probably when Jeroboam's host was made them renew their prayers, and quickened them discomfited, and he expected that Abijah would purto be more importunate. God brings his people into sue his victory, he removed the golden calf from straits, that he may teach them to cry unto him. thence to some safer place. And Ephraim-A city Verse 15. Then the men of Judah gave a shout- so called, possibly the same which is mentioned John In confidence of victory, the priests animating them xi. 54; or that which is called Ophra, Judg. viii. 27. by sounding the trumpets, and giving them assurance Verse 20. The Lord struck him-Either with of God's presence with them. To the cry of prayer vexation and horror of mind, or with some painful they added the shout of faith, and so became more and lingering, but incurable disease, like that of Jeconquerors. God smote Jeroboam and all Is- horam, which tormented him two years together, rael-He struck him and his army with such terror and at last killed him, 2 Chron. xxi. 19. And he died and amazement, that, it appears, they could not strike-Not immediately, but a year or two after this time. a stroke, but fled with the greatest precipitation im- He escaped the sword of Abijah; but there is no aginable, and the conquerors gave no quarter; so escaping God's sword. that they put to the sword five hundred thousand chosen men; more (it is said) than ever we read of in any history to have been killed in one battle. But the battle was the Lord's, who would thus chastise than Verse 21. Abijah married fourteen wives-Not now after this victory, for he died soon after it; but in the whole time of his life, before he was king, and afterward. Abijah dies, and Asa II. CHRONICLES. CHAPTER XIV. reigns in his stead. B. C. 951. The piety of Asa, 1–5. His policy, 6-8. His victory over the Ethiopians, 9–15. A. M. 3053. SO Abijah slept with his fathers, || 6 years. a B. C. 951. And he built fenced cities in A. M. 3053. Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build 2 And Asa did that which was good and right these cities, and make about them walls and in the eyes of the LORD his God: B. C. 951. 3 For he took away the altars of C d and 4 And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 5 Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. a1 Kings xv. 8, &c.- b 1 Kings xv. 14; Chapter xv. 17. • Exod. xxxiv. 13. NOTES ON CHAPTER XIV. Verse 1. In his days the land was quiet ten years -There was no war with the kingdom of Israel, which did not recover the blow given in the last reign for a great while. Abijah's victory, which was owing, under God, to his courage and bravery, laid a foundation for Asa's peace, which was the reward of his piety, and the reformation he effected. Though Abijah had little religion himself, he was instrumental in preparing the way for one that had much. If Abijah had not done what he did to quiet the land, Asa could not have done what he did to reform it. Verse 2. Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord-Happy they that walk by this rule; that do not only that which is right in their own eyes, or in the eyes of the world, but which is so in God's eyes. Asa saw that God's eye was always upon him, and therefore he kept his eye always upon God, studied to approve himself to him, and endeavoured in all things to please him. towers, gates and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered. 8 ¶ And Asa had an army of men that bare targets and spears, out of Judah three hundred thousand; and out of Benjamin, that bare shields and drew bows, two hundred and fourscore thousand: all these were mighty men of valour. 1 Hebrew, statues. -d 1 Kings xi. 7.— 2 Hebrew, sun-images. d Psa. cv. 3, 4; Jer. xxix. 13. Verses 4,5. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord --By his royal edicts he commanded them to worship God, and him only. And to do the law, and the commandment--To observe all divine institutions, which many had neglected, and to practise all that the law of Moses required of them. And the kingdom was quiet before him-Though, it is probable, they were much in love with their idols, and very loath to part with them; yet the convictions of their consciences sided with the commands of Asa, and they could not, for shame, but comply with them. They that have power in their hands, and will use it vigorously for the suppression of profaneness, and the reformation of manners, will, in general, not meet with so much difficulty and opposition as, perhaps, they might expect. Vice is a mean and base thing, and carries its own shame and condemnation on the face of it; while virtue has always reason enough on its side to make iniquity stop her mouth, Psalm cvii. 42. Verses 6, 7. He built fenced cities in Judah: for Verse 3. He took away the altars of the strange the land had rest-He wisely provided for war in gods-Since the time when Solomon admitted idol- the time of peace. The Lord had given him rest atry, in the latter end of his reign, it appears, nothing-Those have rest indeed to whom God gives rest; had been done till now to suppress it; so that it may be presumed it had gained ground. Strange gods were worshipped, and had their altars, images, and groves; and the temple-service, though kept up by the priests, was neglected by many of the people. As soon as Asa had power in his hands, he made it his business to destroy those idolatrous altars and images, they being a great provocation to the jealous God, and a great temptation to a careless and un-vidence should be observed as a check to us in an thinking people. He hoped, by destroying the idols, to reform the idolaters, which he had in view, and not their destruction. peace indeed to whom Christ gives peace. Asa takes notice of the rest they had as the gift of God, and the happy consequence of their seeking the Lord. Because we have sought the Lord, he hath given us rest on every side-Whatever rest we enjoy, whether of body or mind, of our family or country, God ought to be acknowledged with thankfulness as the author of it. For as the frowns and rebukes of Pro evil way, so the smiles of Providence should be taken notice of for our encouragement in that which is good. We find by experience that it is good to seek |