Who was Shishak?
Shishak was the Egyptian pharaoh known in history as Sheshonq I. He had sheltered Jeroboam, and in Rehoboam's fifth year, about 925 BC, he attacked Judah and took treasures from Jerusalem.
1 Kings · chapter 14 of 22
1 Kings 14: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in 1 Kings 14?
1 Kings 14 tells how Jeroboam's wife, in disguise, goes to the prophet Ahijah to learn whether her sick son will recover, and Ahijah announces that the child will die and that Jeroboam's house will be swept away for its idolatry. The chapter then summarizes Rehoboam's reign in Judah, which also falls into pagan practices, and the invasion of Shishak of Egypt, who carries off the treasures of the temple.
After the division of the kingdom and Jeroboam's calves, this chapter shows the first consequences, in both north and south. The same sin of idolatry marks Israel and Judah, and the Lord responds with judgment and with faithfulness to his promise. It is the first chapter of a series of royal summaries that fills much of 1 and 2 Kings.
1 Kings 14 summary
Jeroboam's son Abijah falls ill. Jeroboam asks his wife to disguise herself so no one will know who she is and to go to Shiloh to consult the prophet Ahijah, who had told him he would be king. Ahijah is now very old and blind, but the Lord warns him of the visit. When she arrives, he greets her as Jeroboam's wife and tells her he has bad news.
The Lord's message is hard: although God raised Jeroboam from among the people and gave him the kingdom, he did not keep the commands as David did and did more evil than all before him, with other gods and cast images. So the Lord will bring disaster on his house and sweep it away as one sweeps away dung. When she enters the city, the child will die, and he is the only one of Jeroboam's house in whom anything good was found. Moreover, the Lord will raise up a king over Israel and uproot the people from the good land because of Jeroboam's sins. The woman returns and the boy dies, and all Israel mourns for him and buries him.
Jeroboam reigned twenty-two years and his son Nadab succeeded him. Meanwhile Rehoboam reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, and his mother was Naamah, an Ammonite. Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord: they built high places, pillars and Asherah poles, and there was cult prostitution. In Rehoboam's fifth year, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of the temple and the palace, including Solomon's gold shields. Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields. There was constant war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. Rehoboam died and his son Abijam succeeded him.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-6: Jeroboam sends his wife in disguise to consult Ahijah about his sick son.
- vv. 7-16: The Lord's word against the house of Jeroboam and the announcement of Israel's exile.
- vv. 17-20: The child's death and a summary of Jeroboam's reign.
- vv. 21-24: Rehoboam reigns in Judah and the people fall into idolatry.
- vv. 25-28: Shishak of Egypt attacks Jerusalem and takes the temple treasures.
- vv. 29-31: Close of Rehoboam's reign and Abijam's succession.
Key verses in 1 Kings 14
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
1 Kings 14:7-9
The Lord recalls that he raised Jeroboam from among the people and gave him the kingdom, yet he did more evil than all before him and made himself other gods. Ingratitude deepens the guilt: he received much and answered with unfaithfulness.
1 Kings 14:13
God announces that of Jeroboam's house only this child will be mourned and buried, because in him something good was found toward the Lord. Even in a family under judgment, God notices and remembers what is good.
1 Kings 14:16
The Lord will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and made Israel sin. The text introduces a phrase that will echo through the story of the northern kings: Jeroboam's way as a mold for idolatry.
1 Kings 14:25-26
Shishak of Egypt marches against Jerusalem and takes the treasures of the temple and the palace, including the gold shields. What Solomon amassed with pride is soon lost, and the temple is no longer shielded by the people's faithfulness.
Main themes
- Judgment on idolatry
- Prophetic word fulfilled
- Disguise before God
- The sin of Judah and of Israel
- Lost wealth
People and places
- Jeroboam
- Jeroboam's wife
- Abijah, Jeroboam's son
- The prophet Ahijah
- Rehoboam
- Shishak of Egypt
- Naamah
1 Kings 14 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. Why did Jeroboam send his wife to see Ahijah?
Answer: Because his son Abijah was sick and he wanted to know whether he would recover. — 1 Kings 14:1-3
2. How did Ahijah know who the disguised woman was?
Answer: The Lord had warned him of her coming, and he greeted her as Jeroboam's wife. — 1 Kings 14:5-6
3. What did the Lord announce about the house of Jeroboam?
Answer: That he would sweep it away completely, as dung is swept away, because of its idolatry. — 1 Kings 14:10-11
4. What happened to Jeroboam's son?
Answer: He died when his mother entered the city, and all Israel mourned him and buried him. — 1 Kings 14:17-18
5. How many years did Jeroboam reign?
Answer: Twenty-two years. — 1 Kings 14:20
6. What did Shishak, king of Egypt, do in Rehoboam's fifth year?
Answer: He attacked Jerusalem and took the treasures of the temple and the palace, including the gold shields. — 1 Kings 14:25-26
Application for today
Jeroboam's wife tried to disguise herself before the prophet, as if anything could be hidden from the Lord. In a small group, ask in what areas of life you tend to wear a mask before God and others, and what would change if you spoke frankly about your sins and fears.
The chapter also shows that leaders' sin drags many along. Jeroboam made Israel sin, and Rehoboam allowed Judah to imitate pagan practices. Those in places of influence, such as parents, teachers or elders, should take their example seriously and ask God for grace to live with integrity.
1 Kings 14 closes with two kingdoms that have imitated the nations: Israel with its calves and Judah with its high places. In 1 Kings 15, the reigns of Abijam and Asa in Judah and of Nadab and Baasha in Israel are summarized, and a king appears who does seek to reform.
Frequently asked questions about 1 Kings 14
What does it mean that the child was the only one in whom anything good was found?
The text gives no more detail, but it shows that God sees what is good in a person even within a guilty family. That goodness is the reason he was buried with mourning and did not lie unburied like others of his house.
Why did Rehoboam put bronze shields in place of the gold ones?
Solomon's gold shields were taken by Shishak. Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields, which the guards carried whenever the king went to the temple. It is a picture of decline: Solomon's splendor was gone.