2 Chronicles 12:2

“And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD.”

Historical context: This verse takes us back to the time when Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, was ruling over the kingdom of Judah. During his reign, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. Rehoboam reigned in Judah, while Jeroboam I was the king of Israel.

Shishak’s invasion: In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak, the king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem. This invasion was a consequence of the people’s transgression against the Lord. The transgressions mentioned here likely refer to the people’s turning away from the worship of God and engaging in idolatry.

God’s judgment: The invasion by Shishak was a form of divine judgment on the nation of Judah due to their unfaithfulness to God. Throughout the Old Testament, God often used foreign nations as instruments of discipline against His people when they strayed from His commandments.

• Repentance and restoration: The story of Rehoboam and the invasion of Shishak does not end here. In the subsequent verses, we see how Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah humble themselves before the Lord, recognizing their wrongdoing. As a result, God relents from completely destroying them, and the nation experiences a period of relative peace and restoration. This highlights the importance of repentance and seeking God’s forgiveness when we have strayed from His ways.