IDOLATRY AND DEFEAT. 233

‘and led away his subjects with him. For this the Lord
made Shishak, king of Egypt, come up against Jeru-
salem. He came with twelve hundred chariots, and
sixty thousand horsemen, and he took all the fenced
cities in which the foolish people had trusted. The Lord
sent Shemaiah to say to Rehoboam and to the princes
of Judah,—* Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me,
and therefore have I also left you in the hand of Shi-
shak.” Hearing this, the king and the princes confessed
that they had done wrong, and said,—* The Lord is
righteous.” Because they humbled themselves, the Lord
said that he would not destroy them, but that they must
be made servants to Shishak, that they might know
the difference between the service of the King of Heaven
and the service of the kings of earth. It was the
wealth of the kingdom of Judah which had tempted
Shishak to come so far, and he was not disappointed.
He emptied the king’s treasury, which Solomon had
filled; and he took the treasures of the temple, the
golden shields which Solomon had made. Rehoboam
made shields of brass to supply their place. So the
son of Solomon was a very unfortunate king. We
are told of him,—“ And he did evil, because he prepared
not his heart to seek the Lord.” This was the cause of
all his misfortunes. He did not pray. May the know-
ledge of this lead us to pray more frequently, to seek
from God guidance in every thing we do.

George. Was there no more war in Rehoboam’s
reign ?