V.1 Read this carefully. The first king of this kingdom of Judah, Rehoboam, does 3 things in this verse. And notice who followed him in the 3rd thing! They forsook the Word of God. The downfall has started.
V.2-4 Five years roll by. God sends an army of 1,200 chariots, 60,000 men on horses and a tremendous crowd of people. They made it right to Jerusalem.
V.5 But God had one man, obedient Shemaiah — pronounced Shemia. If you turn to 1 Kings 12:19-24 you’ll find the same man there. Notice what he is called in verse 22. Shemaiah tells the king why the Lord had sent the king of Egypt to attack him. Think about this when the Lord sends troubles into your life.
V.6 Notice what the leaders did. This is our remedy too (Read 1 Peter 5:6).
V.7, 8 The Lord doesn’t speak to the king. To whom does He speak?
V.9-12 No one is killed, but they lost their treasures.
V.13 The fact that his mother’s name is mentioned shows she had something to do with his character and life. It means “pleasantness.” And it is the feminine of Naaman the leper (2 Kings 5:1).
V.14-16 King Rehoboam, faithful at the start of his reign, but hadn’t set his heart after the Lord. Two interesting people in this chapter, Shemaiah and Naamah. His name means “Heard by God.”