King Rehoboam

How He Became King: After the death of his father Solomon
When He Began Reigning: 41 years old
Reign Length: 17 years
Ruled Over: Israel + Judah (briefly), then Judah
Type of King: Evil
Prophet: Shemaiah
Death: Uncertain
Burial: Buried in Jerusalem

When Solomon died, Jeroboam came to King Rehoboam and asked him to lighten the heavy load that Solomon had put upon the people:

I Kings 12:3: “That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.”

The old men who had served with Solomon advised Rehoboam to grant this request. However, the young men persuaded Rehoboam to tell the people that he was going to make things even worse than they had been before. Their lives were not going to improve; instead Rehoboam was going to make sure that they suffered more than they had already been suffering. Since Rehoboam answered the people roughly, the people revolted:

I Kings 12:16: “So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.”

Because of this revolt, Rehoboam lost the kingdom and was left with only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin – just as God had told Solomon. Solomon’s rebellion cost Rehoboam most of his kingdom. Rehoboam was angry about Israel’s revolt and gathered an army to fight them, but when God sent Shemaiah to tell the king that the rebellion was of God, the armies went home.

Rehoboam became king when he was 41 years old, and he reigned over Judah for 17 years:

1 Kings 14:21: “And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 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.”

For the first three years things went pretty well. Since Jeroboam had evicted all of God’s priests from the land of Israel, they flocked to Judah:

2 Chronicles 11:16: “And after them out of all the tribes of Israel such as set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the Lord God of their fathers.
17 So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon.”

Because all of these people came to Judah, they strengthened Rehoboam. For three years Rehoboam ruled wisely. After Rehoboam became strong, however, he forsook the Lord:

2 Chronicles 12:1: “And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.”

Rehoboam knew that God had taken 10 tribes away because of Solomon’s idolatry, but that did not deter him. In fact, under his reign the people did more evil than their fathers:

I Kings 14:22: “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.”

In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt came against Jerusalem. Shishak’s army conquered Judah and finally came against Jerusalem. Shemaiah the prophet told Rehoboam that God was helping Shishak because Judah had forsaken the Lord:

2 Chronicles 12:2: “And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord,
3 With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Lubims, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.
4 And he took the fenced cities which pertained to Judah, and came to Jerusalem.
5 Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak.”

When Rehoboam humbled himself before God, the Lord relented. He did not grant the king a military victory, but He did stop Shishak from utterly destroying Jerusalem. Instead, Shishak looted the palace and the Temple and then left:

2 Chronicles 12:6: “Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous.
7 And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.
8 Nevertheless they shall be his servants; that they may know my service, and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.
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 all: he carried away also the shields of gold which Solomon had made.”

Although Rehoboam’s disobedience cost him Solomon’s wealth, his life was spared. Since Shishak had taken the gold, the king was forced to replace Solomon’s golden shields with some cheap bronze shields. The magnificence was now gone.

Despite this, however, Rehoboam did not learn his lesson. Instead of repenting and changing his ways he continued to be an evil king:

2 Chronicles 12:14: “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.”

When he died, he was buried in Jerusalem:

2 Chronicles 12:16: “And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David: and Abijah his son reigned in his stead.”

His son Abijah then reigned in his stead.