Rehoboam

REHOBOAM, or Roboam, Son and Successor of Solomon: He was born of 1 Kings xiv. 20, 21.Naamah an Ammonitish Woman, whom Solomon had marry’d. He was one and forty Years old when he began to reign; and consequently, he was born in the first Year of his Father’s Reign, or the Year before¹. He began to reign in the Year of the World 3029, before Christ 971, before the Vulgar Era 975. His Father Solomon was about eighteen or nineteen Years old when Rehoboam was born. This Prince reigned seventeen Years at Jerusalem, and died in the Year of the World 3046, before Christ 954, before the Vulgar Era 958.

Josh. xix. 28. 1 Kings xii. 1, 2, 3, &c.After the Death of Solomon, Rehoboam came to Shechem, because all Israel was there assembled, to make him King there. Jeroboam the Son of Nebat, who had headed a Sedition against Solomon, and had been forc’d, towards the End of his Reign, to take Refuge in Egypt, as soon as he heard this Prince was dead, return’d into Judea, and came to the Assembly of the People at Shechem. The Israelites would have made Terms with Rehoboam, and said to him, ” Your Father loaded us with an hard ” and heavy Yoke; but do you take off ” from the Weight of this Yoke, and ” we will serve you, as we have served ” your Father.” This Proposal makes it plain, that the Succession to the Kingdom was not then fully establish’d in the House of David. Rehoboam reply’d to them, ” Go all of you Home, and in ” three Days return to me again, and I “ will give you an Answer ”. In the interim he advised with the antient Counsellors of the State, who had been of his Father’s Council, and they represented to him, that if he would give the People an obliging Answer, and condescend to their Request, he would fix them to his Interest for ever. But Rehoboam did not like this Advice; he chose rather to follow that of his young Counsellors, who had been brought up with him. They advised him to say to the People; “ The least of my “ Fingers is thicker than my Father’s whole “ Body. You say he laid a heavy Yoke “ upon you, and I intend to make it still “ heavier. My Father whip’d you with “ Rods, but I will whip you with Scorpions.”

The People returning again the third Day, as had been appointed, the King answer’d them roughly, according to the Advice of his young Counsellors; but he had soon reason to repent of it; for the whole Multitude began to cry out, What Part have we in David, or what Interest have we in the Son of David? To your Tents, O Israel; now David, look to your own House. When the People were departed, Rehoboam sent his Treasurer Adoram or Hadoram after them, to persuade them to return. But they took him and stoned him, so that he died upon the Spot. Rehoboam seeing this, thought it Time to betake himself to his Chariot, and to fly to Jerusalem. The Tribes of Judah and Benjamin continued in their Fidelity to King Rehoboam; but the other ten Tribes would acknowledge no other for their King, but Jeroboam, the Son of Nebat; who took the Opportunity of this seditious Temper of the People, to execute a Design he had long been forming, of shaking off the Yoke of the House of David.

Rehoboam was no sooner come to Jerusalem,² but he assembled together the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who had continued faithful to him, and put himself at the Head of One hundred and eighty thousand chosen Troops, in order to reduce the revolted ten Tribes to his Obedience. But when the Prophet Shemaiah came to him with a Message from the Lord, saying; Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your Brethren the Children of Israel; return every Man to his House, for this thing is from me; they obey’d the Word of the Lord, and every one returned to his own Home. Then Rehoboam, continuing at Jerusalem, began 1 Kings xiv. 22. 2 Chron. xi. 5, 6, 7, &c.to apply himself to the strengthening of his Kingdom against his Enemy Jeroboam, and fortify’d several Cities of his Dominions; as Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, Beth-zur, Shoco, Adullam, Gath, Maresbah, Ziph, Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, Zorah, Aijalon, Hebron. And after he had enclosed them with strong Walls, he put Garisons into them, laid up great Magazines of Wine and Oyl, and built Arsenals, well replenish’d with Bucklers, Lances, and other Arms.

The Number of his Subjects was considerably encreas’d by the Addition of the Priests and Levites, who being in the Cities and Territories of Jeroboam, and seeing this King had abolish’d the Worship of the Lord, and made Priests for his golden Calves of the first of his Subjects that offer’d themselves for this Service; they all withdrew themselves into the Land of Judah and Benjamin, that they might be ready to perform their Functions in the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem. But Rehoboam and his People did not continue faithful to the Lord for above three Years. After this short Space of Time, Judah also did Evil before the Lord, and provoked him by their Wickedness, more than their Fathers had done before them. They set up prophane Altars and Statues, and consecrated Groves and High-places upon all the Hills and Eminencies. They had also Men and Women among them appointed for publick Prostitution. In short, they committed all the Wickedness and Abominations that had been committed by the Canaanites, whom the Lord had driven out before them.

Rehoboam marry’d eighteen Wives, and had to the Number of sixty Concubines, or Wives of an inferior Order. By these he had twenty-eight Sons, and sixty Daughters. But of all his Sons, he that he had most Affection for, and whom he intended for his Successor, was Abijah, the Son of Maachah, the Daughter of Absalom. No sooner did he see himself confirm’d in his Kingdom, but he forsook the Lord, and all his People with him; when God, to punish their Prevarications, in the fifth Year of Rehoboam, sent against Judah Shishak (or Sesac), King of Egypt,³ who took away all the Treasure of the House of the Lord, the King’s Treasures, the golden Bucklers made by King Solomon, and laid waste the whole Country. He brought with him an Army of twelve hundred Chariots, sixty thousand Horse, and of Foot an innumerable Multitude. He subdued the strongest Places of Judah, and reduced the whole Country, as far as Jerusalem. Then the Prophet Shemaiah went to attend Rehoboam, and the Princes of Judah that were with him in Jerusalem, and said to ‘em from the Lord; You have forsaken me, and I, in my Turn, have forsaken you, and delivered you into the Hands of Shishak. The Princes being convinced of the Justice of these Reproaches, humbled themselves, and made Answer; That the Lord was just in all his Proceedings. Then God said to Shemaiah, that he would not utterly abandon them, but only make them sensible of the Difference there is, between serving the Lord, and being subject to a foreign Power.

After the Departure of Shishak, Rehoboam caus’d brazen Bucklers to be made, in the room of those of Gold, that the King of Egypt had taken away; and when he went to the Temple, his Guards us’d to carry these brazen Bucklers before him, and afterwards lay them up in the Arsenal. The Lord had therefore Compassion of this Prince, because he humbled himself before him, and because there were still found some Remains of Righteousness in Judah. The History of the Reign of Rehoboam had been written at length, and with great Care, by the Prophets Shemaiah and Iddo; but these Accounts are not come down to our Hands, any more than the Particulars of those Wars which were continually between Rehoboam and Jeroboam, during the Time of their whole Reigns. Rehoboam died after he had reigned seventeen Years, was buried in the City of David, and left his Son Abijah his Successor to the Throne.

The Scripture speaks of this Prince in a manner that does not at all redound to his Honour. See what Jesus the Son of Sirach says of Rehoboam, after he had spoke of Ecclus. xlvii. 23.Solomon. Thus rested Solomon with his Fathers, and of his Seed he left behind him Roboam, even the Foolishness of the People, and one that had no Understanding, who turned away the People through his Counsel. Abijah, the Son of Rehoboam, speaking of his Father, says, he was an ignorant Prince, unskill’d in the Art of Government, a weak Man and without Courage. Porro 2 Chron. xiii. 7. Vulg.Roboam erat rudis, & corde pavido, nec potuit resistere eis. Lastly, Solomon seems to have had his Son and Successor before his Eyes, when he said; Yea, I hated all my Eccles. xi. 18, 19.Labour which I had taken under the Sun, because I should leave it unto the Man that should be after me: And who knoweth whether he shall be a Wise Man or a Fool? Yet shall he have rule over all my Labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the Sun. This is also Vanity.

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