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JULY 8
number who came with him out of Egypt—the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not
Lubim and the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. to destroy him completely; and things also
4 And he took the fortified cities of Judah and went well in Judah.
came to Jerusalem. 13 Thus King Rehoboam strengthened him-
5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to self in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam
Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were was forty-one years old when he became king;
gathered together in Jerusalem because of and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem,
Shishak, and said to them, “Thus says the the city which the LORD had chosen out of all
LORD: ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His
also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’ ” mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.
6 So the leaders of Israel and the king hum- 14 And he did evil, because he did not prepare
bled themselves; and they said, “The LORD is his heart to seek the LORD.
righteous.” 15 The acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are
7 Now when the LORD saw that they humbled they not written in the book of Shemaiah the
themselves, the word of the LORD came to prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning
Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled them- genealogies? And there were wars between
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selves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. So
grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall Rehoboam rested with his fathers, and was
not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of buried in the City of David. Then Abijah his
Shishak. Nevertheless they will be his servants, son reigned in his place.
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that they may distinguish My service from the Psalm 80:14–19
service of the kingdoms of the nations.”
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Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
15 And the vineyard which Your right
12:6,7 humbled themselves. In the face of
the Egyptian conqueror, the leaders respond- hand has planted,
ed to the word of God through the prophet (v. And the branch that You made strong
5) and repented, so that God would end His for Yourself.
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wrath worked through Shishak. It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your
12:8 Nevertheless. A fitting punishment arose countenance.
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to remind the Jews of their heritage in relation- Let Your hand be upon the man of Your
ship to Egypt. This was the first major military right hand,
encounter with Egypt since the Exodus had Upon the son of man whom You made
ended hundreds of years of slavery there. A strong for Yourself.
taste of being enslaved again to a people from
whom God had given liberation was bitter.The
message was crystal clear—if the Jews would
forsake the true worship of God, they would
also lose His protective hand of blessing.It was 80:17 son of man. In this context, this phrase
much better to serve God than to have to serve is primarily a reference to Israel.In a secondary
“kingdoms of the nations.” sense, the “son of man” may allude to the
Davidic dynasty and even extend to the
Messiah, since He is so frequently called by
that title in the New Testament.
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 18
king’s house; he took everything. He also car- Then we will not turn back from You;
ried away the gold shields which Solomon had Revive us, and we will call upon Your
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made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze name.
shields in their place, and committed them to 19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
the hands of the captains of the guard, who Cause Your face to shine,
guarded the doorway of the king’s house. And we shall be saved!
11 And whenever the king entered the house of
the LORD, the guard would go and bring them Proverbs 20:19–21
out; then they would take them back into the 19 He who goes about as a talebearer
guardroom. When he humbled himself, the reveals secrets;
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