John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves , etc.] Though but externally; the Lord takes notice of external humiliation, as he did of Ahab’s, ( 1 Kings 21:29), the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, they have humbled themselves, therefore I will not destroy them ; not now, at least not altogether, ( 2 Chronicles 12:12), but I will grant them some deliverance ; yet not a complete one, for they were brought into servitude by Shishak, ( 2 Chronicles 12:8), or only for a short time: and my wrath shall not be poured out against Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak ; that is, to the uttermost; that was reserved to another time, and to be done by another hand, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Matthew Henry Commentary
- Rehoboam, forsaking the Lord, is punished.
--When Rehoboam was so strong that he supposed he had nothing to fea from Jeroboam, he cast off his outward profession of godliness. It is very common, but very lamentable, that men, who in distress or danger or near death, seem much engaged in seeking and serving God, thro aside all their religion when they have received a mercifu deliverance. God quickly brought troubles upon Judah, to awaken the people to repentance, before their hearts were hardened. Thus it becomes us, when we are under the rebukes of Providence, to justif God, and to judge ourselves. If we have humbled hearts under humblin providences, the affliction has done its work; it shall be removed, or the property of it be altered. The more God's service is compared with other services, the more reasonable and easy it will appear. Are the laws of temperance thought hard? The effects of intemperance will be found much harder. The service of God is perfect liberty; the servic of our lusts is complete slavery. Rehoboam was never rightly fixed in his religion. He never quite cast off God; yet he engaged not his hear to seek the Lord. See what his fault was; he did not serve the Lord because he did not seek the Lord. He did not pray, as Solomon, for wisdom and grace; he did not consult the word of God, did not seek to that as his oracle, nor follow its directions. He made nothing of his religion, because he did not set his heart to it, nor ever came up to steady resolution in it. He did evil, because he never was determine for good _________________________________________________
Original Hebrew ובראות7200 יהוה3068 כי3588 נכנעו3665 היה1961 דבר1697 יהוה3068 אל413 שׁמעיה8098 לאמר559 נכנעו3665 לא3808 אשׁחיתם7843 ונתתי5414 להם1992 כמעט4592 לפליטה6413 ולא3808 תתך5413 חמתי2534 בירושׁלם3389 ביד3027 שׁישׁק׃7895
_1184-427.jpg "Illustration and Scripture")
