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After a period of consolidation, Rehoboam and the people abandon the Lord’s law. As a result of this sin, Pharaoh Shishak invades the land and captures the weak fortified cities. Shemaiah reveals that the Lord is abandoning Israel to another ruler because the people chose to reject the Lord. In contrast, 1Ki 14:25-28 lacks the explicit linking of the invasion to the nation’s faithlessness as the chronicler has supplied.
The leaders humble themselves and affirm God’s justice. The Lord promises deliverance. The nation, however, will remain an Egyptian vassal to learn the difference between serving a divine and human overlord. Shishak’s looting of the palace and the temple lessens the tiny kingdom’s splendor, just as Jeroboam’s rebellion reduced its dimensions. Gold shields, once proudly displayed, are stolen. These are replaced by bronze replicas fearfully kept under lock and key.
God reduces his punishment in response to Rehoboam’s humility (v.12). Throughout Chronicles, the author stresses the cycle of judgment; repentance; and, ultimately, divine forgiveness, which follows unfaithfulness. These themes were part of Solomon’s prayer and God’s promise at the temple dedication. The nation’s history demonstrates this cycle. The chronicler reminds his audience that they are forgiven and that they are responsible to be obedient to the Lord to avoid renewed judgment. “As so often in Chronicles, the historical narrative is thus made into an example, a paradigm, of a situation that is likely to recur, and to which his readers will be expected to make the appropriate response” (Williamson, 246).