2 Chronicles 12:11

And when the king entered into the house of the LORD, the guard came and fetched them, and brought them again into the guard chamber.

And when {H1767} the king {H4428} entered {H935} into the house {H1004} of the LORD {H3068}, the guard {H7323} came {H935} and fetched {H5375} them, and brought them again {H7725} into the guard {H7323} chamber {H8372}.

Whenever the king went to the house of ADONAI, the guard would come and get the shields; later they would return them to the guardroom.

And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would go with him, bearing the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.

And it was so, that, as oft as the king entered into the house of Jehovah, the guard came and bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.

Commentary

2 Chronicles 12:11 details a specific change in the Temple's ceremonial practices during the reign of King Rehoboam, highlighting the lasting impact of Judah's unfaithfulness and the subsequent Egyptian invasion.

Context

This verse follows a period of spiritual decline in Judah. King Rehoboam and the people had forsaken the law of the LORD, which led to divine judgment in the form of an invasion by Shishak, king of Egypt. Shishak plundered Jerusalem and the Temple, taking away many treasures, including the magnificent gold shields that King Solomon had made for ceremonial use (2 Chronicles 12:9). In their place, Rehoboam crafted shields of brass (bronze) (2 Chronicles 12:10). Verse 11 describes the new, less glorious, and more laborious routine for these replacement shields: they were no longer kept on permanent display but stored in a guard chamber and only brought out when the king entered the Temple.

Key Themes

  • Consequences of Disobedience: The replacement of precious gold with inferior bronze shields, and the altered ritual for their use, serves as a tangible symbol of the kingdom's diminished glory and wealth, directly resulting from Judah's spiritual decline and unfaithfulness.
  • Loss of Splendor: The original gold shields represented the opulence and divine favor of Solomon's reign. Their replacement with bronze and the need for them to be fetched by guards underscores a significant loss of regal and spiritual splendor, a visual reminder of a kingdom under judgment.
  • Dependence on Human Effort: The act of the guard fetching and returning the shields highlights a reliance on human security and effort, contrasting with the divine protection that would have been present had the people remained faithful. It shows a shift from divine provision to human management of diminished resources.

Linguistic Insights

The "house of the LORD" is the Temple in Jerusalem, the spiritual center of Israel. The "guard chamber" (or "guard-house") was a specific storage area within the Temple complex, likely for security. The KJV phrase "fetched them" indicates a deliberate, perhaps ceremonial, retrieval of the shields for the king's procession, emphasizing that they were no longer a permanent display but rather a functional prop brought out for specific royal appearances.

Practical Application

This verse offers a powerful reminder that spiritual choices have real-world consequences. Just as the gold shields were replaced by bronze, our own spiritual blessings and the "glory" of God's presence in our lives can be diminished when we turn away from Him. It encourages us to reflect on our own faithfulness and the potential for loss that accompanies disobedience. However, it also subtly points to the mercy of God, as Rehoboam and the princes did humble themselves (2 Chronicles 12:6), preventing complete destruction and allowing a remnant of their former glory, albeit diminished, to remain.

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Cross-References

No cross-references found.