God’s Story... For My Life
Egypt Invades Judah
Read 1 Kings 14:25-28
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the treasuries of the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. King Rehoboam later replaced them with bronze shields as substitutes, and he entrusted them to the care of the commanders of the guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace. Whenever the king went to the Temple of the Lord, the guards would also take the shields and then return them to the guardroom.
(1 Kings 14:25-28)
Reflect
When Rehoboam came to power, he inherited a mighty kingdom. Everything he could ever want was given to him. But apparently he did not recognize why he had so much or how it had been obtained.
Just five years after Solomon died, the Temple and palace were ransacked by foreign invaders. When King Shishak of Egypt took the gold shields that Solomon had made, Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields. They reflected the declining faithfulness of Rehoboam’s kingdom.
When the people became spiritually corrupt and immoral (1 Kings 14:24), it was just a short time until they lost everything. How quickly the glory, power, and money disappeared! Complete destruction of Judah and Jerusalem was avoided only when Rehoboam repented (see 2 Chronicles 12:12).
Respond
When God is gone from our lives, everything else becomes useless, no matter how valuable it seems. If we turn to wealth and immorality, the things that really matter can disappear, including strong family relationships and fellowship with God. If you are being tempted to seek wealth and pleasure, turn back to God and seek his blessing and fellowship instead.