Shemaiah the Prophet

2023-06-27

Shemaiah the prophet served the Lord during the reign of Rehoboam king of Judah. The prophet went before the king to rebuke him. The son of Solomon repented both times. The first time was when the king wanted to war against Israel who rejected his leadership.

But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD, 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 hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD. (1 Kings 12:22-24)

The second time was when Rehoboam’s kingdom was established. “And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him” (2 Chronicles 12:1). As a result, Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem to destroy it. When Shemaiah brought the message of the Lord, Rehoboam and his men turned back to the Lord.

Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The LORD is righteous. (2 Chronicles 12:5-6)

Because of his response, the king still suffered the consequences of plunder, but not utter decimation. Though Rehoboam may have done a lot of evil during his reign, he was tender toward the word of God when Shemaiah preached it. We need to do the same.

Shemaiah the prophet along with the seer Iddo wrote a book chronicling Rehoboam’s reign. “Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of Shemaiah the prophet, and of Iddo the seer concerning genealogies?” (2 Chronicles 12:15). Referencing the book neither means it was a part of the Hebrew canon nor implies its inspiration. It does mean that it was important at the time for history to be recorded. The persistence and fearlessness of Shemaiah to win Rehoboam over to the Lord and preserve history for the glory of God is to be commended and we should pray that we would have the same heart.