Lesson 91: Kings of Israel and Judah

Rundown

Pharaoh Shishak (Unearthing the Bible)

Egyptian records tell us that in the 10th Century BC (c. 925 BC) Pharaoh Shishak returned to Egypt after a military campaign; he returned with great riches and began significant building projects in the Egyptian cities of Thebes, Karnak, and El-Hiba.

About two years later, Shishak’s son, Osorkon, came to power and spent enormous amounts of gold and silver on the temples of Egypt. Egypt was extremely prosperous during the early days of Osorkon’s reign likely because he was still living off the gold and silver his father brought back from his military campaign.

But where did the gold and silver come from?

Well, in an Egyptian temple in the city Karnak there is an inscription listing the cities that Shishak attacked on his campaign in the 10th Century BC.

It includes several Israelite and Judean cities and either the king or capital of Judah specifically.

Archeological excavations have also found that several Israelite and Judean cities were destroyed in the 10th Century BC.

And there was a fragment of a victory stele found at Megiddo—a victory stele that depicted Shishak as the victor—and it was discovered in a layer of Megiddo that was destroyed in the 10th Century BC.

But what about all the gold and silver?

2 Chronicles 12:1–9 NASB95

1 When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the Lord. 2 And it came about in King Rehoboam’s fifth year, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3 with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people who came with him from Egypt were without number: the Lubim, the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. 4 He captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, ‘You have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you to Shishak.’ ” 6 So the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is righteous.” 7 When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves so I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some measure of deliverance, and My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by means of Shishak. 8 “But they will become his slaves so that they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries.” 9 So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s palace. He took everything; he even took the golden shields which Solomon had made.

Q. Look at v. 9. What did Shishak take?

He took the treasures of the king’s palace.

1 Kings 10:14–15 NLT

14 Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. 15 This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land.

1 Kings 10:21 NLT

21 All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!

He took everything.

He even took the golden shields which Solomon had made.

1 Kings 10:16–17 NLT

16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds. 17 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

But then Shishak carried those shields and everything else off to Egypt.

That’s where all of Shishak’s gold and silver came from.

Why did God allow this to happen?

Because Rehoboam was wicked and so was Jeroboam.

In fact, most of the kings of Israel and Judah were wicked.

[Evaluating Kings Handout]

Kings of Israel

721 BC - Assyria ends Israel

Kings of Judah

586 BC - Babylon ends Judah